Bill More, Your Secret Chef, does monthly cooking demos on different subjects
“Healthy Meals” will be September’s topic.

September 6, 2013 (must RSVP) at 11:00 a.m.

Humana Guidance Center, 7915 N. Hale Ave., Ste. D, Peoria, IL 61615

Project Runway- “Make It Work”

The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary announces its 61st Annual Style Show, “Project Runway- Make It Work”, to be held at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton, Peoria, on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. Guests to either of the two shows, the luncheon or the evening dessert show, will see the latest fashions from area stores.
New this year will be a collection from Bradley University Panhellenic Council, who will be designing their own special “Project Runway” fashions. Area stores will also have their latest fashions on display at both the lunch show and the dessert affair. Fashions will be featured from:

A Perfect Pear Boutique
Gymboree/Crazy 8
Cloud Nine
Seno Tuxedos
Talbots
Janet’s Just for You
Pink Sugar Boutique
White House/Black Market
Christopher &Banks/CJ Banks
Brighton Collectibles
Bradley University Panhellenic Council

For the $30 lunch tickets, call Penny Kunkle at 692-2400, and for the $15 evening dessert show at 7:30 pm., call Kathryn Macek at 691-7636.

The Peoria Park District’s Book Court Book Sale at the Bonnie W. Noble Center for Park District Administration (formerly Lakeview Museum) is accepting donations starting Monday, August 26. Materials can be dropped off Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (no holidays) at the building’s loading dock. Materials currently being accepted are:
• Hardback and Paperback Books
• Cassette Tapes and CDs
• VHS, DVDs and Blu-Ray Disks
• Video Games
• Puzzles and Games

NO magazines are being accepted at this time. Please put items into manageable-sized bags or boxes.

The book sale, formerly run by Lakeview Museum, will reopen when Peoria Park District administrative offices move to the Noble Center in 2014.
For more information call (309) 681-2859.

In Hawaiian, “maka maka” means “friend.” At Maui Jim Sunglasses, it means a 3-mile fun run and 1.5-mile walk to benefit the Peoria Friendship House. Businesses and individuals in Central Illinois are invited to join Maui Jim Sunglasses and the Peoria Friendship House employees for the 10th Annual Maui Jim Maka Maka Fun Run/Walk. The Maka Maka Run/Walk will be held at Maui Jim’s world headquarters in beautiful tropical Peoria, Illinois on Thursday, August 15, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. Immediately, following the fun run will be a post-race celebration, including Double A’s pizza, refreshments and a performance by the band, Mike and Joe.

This event offers the community with a fun way to stay in shape, while raising money and awareness for the Peoria Friendship House.

Alicia Wroblewski, Event Director and Sponsorship Specialist at Maui Jim stated, “We are proud to be associated with the Friendship House and host the Maka Maka run at Maui Jim. We enjoy helping our local partners in any way we can. We have seen more and more support over the years for this event; and we know this year will be no exception.”

Since Peoria Friendship House was launched in 1951 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the organization has provided services to more than 250,000 of Peoria’s most vulnerable and at risk individuals and families. Through the simple gesture of a free meal, a clean shirt or a safe place to learn, the Peoria Friendship House offers the hope of a new start to the least, the last and the lost.

“For the past ten years Friendship House has been honored to partner with Maui Jim for the Maka Maka Fun Run/Walk. We are so grateful for the compassion and commitment of Maui Jim and its employees. The Maka Maka is without a doubt our largest fundraiser of the year. It has been so rewarding to watch the Maka Maka evolve into the event it is today,” says Laura Clark, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Peoria Friendship House. “It has been even more rewarding to have worked alongside various Maui Jim employees throughout the years and to have witnessed their dedication to the Maka Maka, their community and the mission of Friendship House. The support of the community, the growing number of individuals and families willing to support Friendship House in the heat or in the rain, has also been truly inspiring. The Maka Maka Fun Run/Walk has helped Friendship House make a difference in the lives of so many people in need.”

In addition to the money raised by the race entrants, the “Friends Helping Friends” fundraiser is an opportunity for individuals in the community to raise funds by contacting family, friends and co-workers to raise an additional $250 or $500 for the Friendship House and receive a free pair of sunglasses.

Participants can register for the 3 mile run or 1.5 mile walk and obtain Friends Helping Friends information at http://tinyurl.com/makamaka2013. Registration is $40 until race day. For those interested who would still like to support the Friendship House but do not want to walk/run a $15 donation is appreciated for the post-race party.

Packet Pick-Up will be on Tuesday, August 13th and Wednesday, August 14th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm and Thursday, August 15th Race Day from 4:00pm to 5:30pm at Maui Jim’s Headquarters at One Aloha Lane in Peoria, Illinois.

The Peoria Friendship House says “Mahalo!” (thank you) to their friends who support the Maka Maka. For details on Maka Maka race, please contact Race Director, Alicia Wroblewski at awroblewski@mauijim.com or (309) 222-7088.

WHAT: 10th Annual Maui Jim MakaMaka Fun Run/Walk for Friendship House

WHO: Businesses, individuals and member of the Central Illinois community who want to make a difference at the Peoria Friendship House

WHEN: August 15, 2013 6pm – 10pm

WHERE: Maui Jim Inc. World Headquarters, One Aloha Lane, Peoria, IL 61615
Rain Location: Finish Line Ford: Peoria, Illinois

For Race and Event Details visit http://tinyurl.com/makamaka2013

Peoria Players Theatre is proud to open its 95th consecutive season with the stunning musical, Les Miserables directed by Connie Sinn.

The world’s longest running musical is based on the novel of the same name by French poet and playwright Victor Hugo. With music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, and an English-language libretto by Herbert Kretzmer, this unforgettable story is set in early 19th-century France and features the well-known classics, “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” “Bring Him Home,” “On My Own,” “I Dreamed a Dream,” and so many more gorgeous songs. Jean Valjean, a French peasant in his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail, decides to break his parole and start his life anew. Along the way, Valjean is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert, and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.

Performances are at 7:30 pm on September 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and at 2:00 on September 8, 14 and 15. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for patrons 18 and younger, with a special adult rate of $15 on Wednesday, September 11 only. Ticket sales begin Monday, August 26 at 10:00 am. Please call 688-4473 or visit us online at peoriaplayers.org to reserve tickets with a Visa or MasterCard.

The Red Cross was called to the scene of a fire at 11:15 am today (August 8, 2013). The fire, in the 100 block of Kohl Street in Creve Coeur, started in the basement and left a family of 7 homeless. Thankfully, the family escaped the home unharmed, and has insurance. The Red Cross is providing for the family’s emergency disaster caused needs including shelter and food.

For more information about this response, please contact Ginger.Clark@redcross.org.

All Red Cross disaster assistance is free and is only possible thanks to the dedication of volunteers and generosity of donors. For more information about the Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org/centralIL

PEORIA, Ill (Aug.8, 2013-001) — Children’s Miracle Network and Peoria area Kiwanis Clubs are again partnering to provide car seats to eligible needy families, as well as Car Seat Safety Instruction to any family utilizing a car seat. This year marks a quarter of a century in providing car seats to needy families in Central Illinois. Local area Kiwanis clubs have raised funds to donate over 1,013 car seats to area agencies.

Volunteers from Peoria area Kiwanis Clubs will assist locally-certified agencies with the annual distribution of car seats for the families served by those agencies. Distribution is 1 – 4 p.m. Tues., Aug. 13 at Advanced Medical Transport on Sterling south of Nebraska in Peoria. Please note that this distribution is for certified agencies only and NOT open to the public. Car seats will be individually distributed to client families by each certified agency.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. The area division of Kiwanis Clubs has raised the funds needed to provide these car seats to area agencies for their needy clients. The certified agencies receiving car seats include OSF/Children’s Hospital of Central Illinois (Entire Area), Fulton County Health Department (Canton), Graham Hospital (Canton), Tazewell County Health Department (East Peoria and Morton), Eureka Sheriff’s Department/Heart House (Eureka), Pekin Hospital (Pekin), Catholic Charities Diocese of Peoria (Peoria Area), Lutheran Social Services (Peoria Area), Methodist Medical Center (Peoria Area), and Proctor Hospital (Peoria Area).

This program was originally started by Garland Criswell, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Peoria (Downtown) in 1991, and has continued since that time.

CWTC has teamed up with Monical’s Pizza for a Community Days Celebration, Tuesday August 27th at three area locations, including Peoria and Pekin.

Patti Gratton, Executive Director for CWTC, says “We are so happy to accept Monical’s invitation to participate in their Community Days event! Their generosity to help CWTC is greatly appreciated. Invite your family and friends and join us!” Monical’s Pizza will donate 20% of each person’s check to CWTC when diners present their flier while ordering at any of the three participating Monical’s locations in Peoria and Pekin.

Fliers can be picked up at CWTC, 3215 N. University Street, Peoria, IL 61604 or you can download one at www.cwtc.org Fliers must accompany the order for the donation to be applied.

For more information contact Rick Stephenson at 686-3300.

CWTC, Community Workshop and Training Center, Inc., provides programs and services to adults with disabilities; enriching their quality of life, promoting social change, and optimizing their potential for independence.

Who: CWTC, Community Workshop and Training Center, Inc.
What: CWTC & Monical’s Pizza Community Day
When: Tuesday, August 27, 2013, All Day
Where: Monical’s Pizza
4408 N. Knoxville, Peoria
4100 W. Willow Knolls, Peoria
111 S. Parkway, Pekin

City of Peoria Officials and the Police Department would like to invite the public and press to attend the Dedication of Bannon Park and the Resident Officer Program on Tuesday, August 13th at 2:00 p.m. The program will start with a brief Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Resident Officer Home located at 520 W. Armstrong. We will then walk to Bannon Park located at 1302 N Sheridan for the Park Dedication. Mayor Ardis, Councilman Grayeb, and Councilman Spain will speak during the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Resident Officer Ryan Winkle will be in attendance to answer questions regarding the Resident Officer Program.

Peoria, August 9, 2013 – Easter Seals is pleased to announce continued grant support from the Peoria County Care and Treatment Board in support of their ASD Diagnostic Clinic. Demand for this essential service continues to grow and the funding received helps ensure that innovative, evidence-based, and effective services are readily available to those living with autism and their families across Central Illinois.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental disability that typically appears during the first two years of life and affects a person’s ability to effectively communicate and interact with others. A national study found that 1% of children aged 3 to 17 years have ASD, an estimated prevalence of one in every 88 children.

The Easter Seals ASD Diagnostic Clinic provides a unique regional service, and delivers over 35% of all comprehensive clinical ASD evaluations in Illinois. A clinical evaluation of ASD is the gateway for appropriate schools services, private health insurance reimbursement of services, and expanding community services.

For information on the autism diagnostic clinic call Easter Seals at 309-686-1177.