Who: Iowa City Hospice

 

What: Bereavement Support Luncheon for Adults. Iowa City Hospice invites you to a social lunch with other bereaved individuals in the community. This luncheon is open to anyone who has experienced a loss and wants to connect with other bereaved. Tables are reserved especially for this group. You will be greeted by Hospice staff.

 

Where: Good Earth, 5900 Grandview Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa

 

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. February 23, April 26, June 28, August 23, October 25, December 27

 

Information: 319-351-5665, 800-897-3052 or Bereavement@IowaCityHospice.org

With 1 in 88 military children diagnosed with autism, the families face extraordinary challenges. But there is hope. With intensive treatment, the lives of children with autism and their families can be changed.  To learn how you can help a military child with autism, go to acttodayformilitaryfamilies.org.

Scholarships are available at Families Helping Families of Iowa for kids in foster care, relative placement, or that have been adopted from either foster care of relative placement. 

 

1)  Choose an activity that will benefit the child in your care & get permission from the child's legal guardian.

 

2)  Apply for a scholarship through Families Helping Families. http://familieshelpingfamiliesofiowa.com/Spread_Your_Wings.html

 

3)  Submit the scholarship application to Families Helping Families by mail to PO Box 10493, Cedar Rapids, IA 52410, or scan and e-mail your application to mollyg@familieshelpingfamiliesofiowa.com.

Do you know of a high school coach or assistant coach in Linn, Johnson, or Jones County who has had a significant impact mentoring the kids they coach? If so, you have an opportunity to honor their work by nominating them for the Children of Promise - Coach of the Year award to be presented by Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz at the “Coaches for Kids” banquet on April 10th. The winner will receive a plaque and a $500.00 cash award to be given to their school/booster club in their name. Go to iowachildrenofpromise.org to get the nomination form. The nomination is due March 2nd.

 

The funds raised from the Coaches for Kids event will be used to support the Children of Promise mentoring programs which serve over 420 youth facing multiple life challenges, including those with parents involved in the correctional system. By providing caring adult mentors and opportunities for participation and belonging, Children of Promise helps 420+ local youth (Linn, Johnson, and Jones County) become healthy, contributing members of our community. Children of Promise is a program of the Community Corrections Improvement Association (CCIA), a 501(c) (3) non-profit foundation.

The Hometown Rewards committee is challenging North Liberty: recycle 100 refrigerators in three days. Recycling trucks will be in the North Liberty area from March 7-9 to pick up refrigerators, freezers or room air conditioners. You could get a check for up to $50 for that old appliance. Simply call for a recycling contractor for pick up and disposal. Appliance must be in working condition - defined as the motor still working and cooling. Are you up to the challenge?

Alliant customers call 1-866-ALLIANT, Linn County REC customers call (319) 377-1587. For information, visit  http://alliantenergy.com/northliberty.

The Cedar Rapids Solid Waste & Recycling Division is offering customers half off the collection of bulky furniture during the months of January and February as part of the CleanUpCR campaign.  Items that normally cost $5.00 to dispose of at the curb will be $2.50 if the collection is scheduled before the end of February.  The ½ price discount is available on the following items: chairs, couches, tables, mattresses, dressers, and similar items.

To participate, residents can call the Cedar Rapids Solid Waste & Recycling Division at 319-286-5897 at least one day prior to their garbage collection day to schedule the collection.  Then residents can set the items at the curb on the scheduled day.  The charge for collection will be added to their next municipal utility bill.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library Public Art Task Force is seeking qualifications from artists for two projects associated with the new downtown library. Opportunities exist for artists to create a sculpture for the Urban Plaza, as well as a southern exterior art installation.

Interested artists should submit their qualifications by February 29, 2012 through CAFÉ™, a free online interactive system.

To view project descriptions, budgets, and details about how to apply for these opportunities, please visit www.callforentry.org, click on “Call Listings,” scroll down to “Cedar Rapids Public Library Public Art Commissions,” and select “View More Info.” Interested artists can click on “Apply for this Call” to create a free account and submit their application.

For more information on the Public Art Task Force and the two art commissions, contact Amber Mussman at (319) 739-0404 or mussmana@crlibrary.org.

The Kujenga Project is now launching its newest campaign, called “HANDFUL.” The HANDFUL campaign is so titled because its aim is hunger relief—working to ensure that every hungry child never has to endure another foodless day. Did you know that there are about 925 million hungry people in the world? That statistic is something the Kujenga Project hopes to improve.

 

Just one dollar can make a world of difference—it can mean a handful of rice for a starving child, a handful of mothers’ tears not shed because you have stepped in to help. The Kujenga Project has a mission—a duty, really—to make sure that the world thrives sustainably and well-fed. And so, we launching HANDFUL, because we can’t do it alone. 100% of the money you spend on Kujenga Project postcards (which are specially priced at only $1) will go toward feeding starving children around the world. So, please, make a contribution today. It is a small favor, which can make a whole lot of difference in the lives of people who need your help.

 

Visit the HANDFUL page at http://kujengaproject.com/ to place your order or to make a donation. Every penny counts.

Mount Mercy will display the artwork of Peter Xiao during a special exhibit in the Janalyn Hanson White Gallery, running February 14 – March 6. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

 

 

Mount Mercy’s 37th annual Area High School Art exhibit provides visitors with an enormous variety of displayed artwork and visuals. The exhibit, held in the Janalyn Hanson White Gallery on Mount Mercy’s campus April 3 – 13, will feature a wide variety of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and graphic work in charcoal and ink, clay, photography and digital imaging. More than 100 students from 10-15 area high schools will display their artwork during the exhibit. The exhibit will provide a unique opportunity to showcase distinctive artwork of local, young talent in the community while allowing visitors to witness the results of art teachers’ devotion to cultivating creativity in their students.