On June 21 Chillicothe native EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks will perform in the Golden Bantam String Quartet at the Chillicothe Library as part of the library’s popular “Music in the Stacks” series. The quartet will offer a colorful bouquet of music–everything from classical favorites to rags and tangoes, even some fiddle music and a few Beatles tunes. The concert begins at 3 o’clock.

EmmaLee lives in Providence, Rhode Island, but she was born and raised on a farm northwest of Chillicothe. She returns to Illinois to perform chamber music and to lead the Rusty Pickup String Band in the barn dances held at Shore Acres and other halls. In Providence she joined a ground-breaking program called Community MusicWorks that combines classical performances with teaching and mentoring under-served children. She also performs as principal second violin with the New Bedford Symphony and plays with the Rhode Island Philharmonic.

Others in the Golden Bantam String Quartet are violinist Jenna Ferdon of Peoria, violist Diane Wuthrich of Morton and cellist Chris Frey of Bloomington.

Stick around after the concert to chat with the musicians and sample the famous baked goods from the ovens of librarians Gail and Catherine. For more information and to register, phone the library at (309) 274-2719.

Peoria-Bloomington, July 12, 2013 – Easter Seals received a grant from the CVS Caremark All Kids Can Fund to support professional development in Applied Behavior Analysis.

The grant award will enable additional Easter Seals’ professional staff to obtain certification in Applied Behavior Analysis, increasing the organization’s capacity to expand its Behavioral Services for Autism. A board certified behavior analyst provides individualized behavioral services for children with autism and their families. The goal of
behavioral services is to reduce difficult or unpleasant behavior and teach complicated skills, depending on the needs of the child.

Individualized treatment strategies are developed, and family members and caregivers receive training on how to apply the strategies when problem behaviors occur. Services are provided in the family home, school, daycare, or other community locations.

For information on Easter Seals Behavioral Services for Autism, call 309-686-1177 or 309-663-8275.

PEORIA, IL – State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) will be joined by community leaders to provide an update on collaborative efforts aimed helping young people in Peoria gain the skills they need to succeed.

“Most people are having difficulty finding employment, but this is particularly true of youth in our community,” Gordon-Booth said. “When young people have jobs they learn new skills and start building a better future. I believe we can create great opportunities for our young people this summer.”

Gordon-Booth will be joined by leaders from the Tri-County Urban League, E.L.I.T.E, City of Peoria, and Peoria County State’s Attorney to discuss initiatives related to employment, ending violence in neighborhoods, and community service.

For more information, please contact Gordon-Booth’s full-time constituent service office at (309) 681-1992 or by e-mailing repjgordon@gmail.com.

What: Press Conference on Summer Youth Initiatives
When: Tuesday, July 16 @ 3:30 p.m.
Where: Tri-County Urban League, 317 N. MacArthur Hwy., Peoria

Peoria, IL – July 12, 2013 – Come out and discover agriculture at the Peoria County Farm Bureau’s exhibit during the Heart of Illinois Fair, July 12-20, at Exposition Gardens.

Monday thru Friday the Exhibit Building is open from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays it is open from 12:00 – 9:00 p.m. This year, the exhibit will play host to a few different activities. At station one, the popular Spin the Wheel trivia game will be the featured interactive attraction. At station two you can try your hand at milking Betsy the Dairy Cow, and at station three step, inside the Food & Farm Discovery Zone and try out our GPS simulator and combine simulator, along with other informational videos about agriculture!

So come out and discover agriculture through the Peoria County Farm Bureau at the Heart of Illinois Fair! And remember “If you ate today, then YOU have a stake in Agriculture”.

For more information, contact the Peoria County Farm Bureau at 686-7070.

Lilly Ajarova, Executive Director of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, will be our guest at a free seminar on chimpanzee conservation on Sunday July 14 at the Peoria Zoo’s Zambezi River Lodge at 6:00 pm. The event is free but reservations are required by calling 309-681-3559. Donations to the sanctuary are appreciated. Light refreshments will be served.

Chimpanzees have been listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act since 1976 and have been listed on Appendix I of CITIES since 1973. Historically, Chimpanzees had a wide but discontinuous distribution across Equatorial Africa, from southern Senegal across the forested belt north of the Congo River to western Uganda and western Tanzania.

Today, due to a lack of survey data in many regions, current estimates for the wild population range from 150,000 to 250,000 individuals. The distribution is still wide, but considerably smaller and more fragmented. Populations are no longer found in Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, or Togo.

o The central chimpanzee is the most numerous of all chimpanzee subspecies, with a population of up to 115,000 individuals, mostly in Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo. Large populations of this subspecies are now found only where large areas of forest remain relatively undisturbed.
o The western chimpanzee once occurred in 13 countries from southern Senegal eastwards as far as the Niger River in central Nigeria. Its distribution is now extremely patchy, reflecting the fragmentation of its habitat. The total population is thought to be about 21,000-55,000 individuals.
o The eastern chimpanzee ranges from the Ubangi River/Congo River in Central African Republic and DRC, to western Uganda, Rwanda and western Tanzania. Small, relict populations are found in Burundi and southeastern Sudan.
o The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is the least numerous subspecies with a total population of less than 6,500 individuals remaining in Nigeria and Cameroon, north of the Sanaga River.

About the Chimpanzee Sanctuary & Wildlife Conservation Trust
o Mission: To promote the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of chimpanzees and their habitats in particular and wildlife in general.
o Vision: Africa’s chimpanzee populations are appreciated and valued by the public, secure in their natural habitat, and no longer threatened. CSWCT is among the leaders in chimpanzee-focused environmental conservation, providing excellent care of rescued chimpanzees, contributing to public awareness and understanding of conservation issues, and engaging with communities living alongside chimpanzee populations
o Sanctuary, established in 1998, is located on Ngamba Island part of the Koome group of islands located in Lake Victoria. It is approximately 23 km south-east of Entebbe, Uganda. The Island provides an excellent secondary forest habitat for the chimpanzees and other wildlife species including fruit bats, spiders, fish eagles, otters, and monitor lizards. The sanctuary houses confiscated chimpanzees that cannot be returned to the wild.
o Website is www.ngambaisland.com

For questions, call the Peoria Zoo at (309) 681-3559 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.

Each year, the Central Illinois Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) honors donors, volunteers and fundraising executives whose gifts of time, expertise and resources contribute significantly to the success of the non-profit agencies and institutions they serve. The AFP Central Illinois Chapter will bestow up to nine Outstanding Awards for Philanthropy to recognize individuals and organizations whose philanthropic achievements have made an impact on the Central Illinois community. Please nominate your Donors and Colleagues for one of nine possible National Philanthropy Day awards. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, August 2, 2013.

Go to our website at www.afpcentralillinois.org to review the categories and criteria and then complete the application and information. To nominate, please go to http://www.afpcentralillinois.org/forms/NPD-Preliminary-Nomination-2013.pdf and fill out the form and click submit at the bottom of the form when you are finished. Following your nomination submission, you will be asked to submit a one page summary describing the accomplishments and reasons that substantiate the criteria for the award.
OR
You can also print the nomination form and either fax, mail or email the completed preliminary nominations to Emily Prouty. We will honor those who embrace philanthropy on November 13, 2013 at the Par-A-dice Hotel & Casino. Nominate someone that you feel deserves to be acknowledged for their efforts.

For more information, contact NPD Chair, Emily Prouty at 309.687.7275 (office)
or by mail at Children’s Home 2130 N. Knoxville Ave. Peoria, IL 61603 (mail) or send an email to: eprouty@chail.org.

The central Illinois chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals is dedicated to the highest standards of ethical fundraising and adheres to the AFP Donor Bill of Rights. Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
For more information on the central Illinois chapter of AFP, please visit afpcentraliillinois.org.

The Peoria Park District’s new Leather Belt Making class for ages 16+ is July 27 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Tandy Leather Company. Cost is $29/residents, $33/non-residents. Register using code 56567.

Students learn the different types of leather, to stamp/emboss leather and how to dye their project.

For more information or to register, visit www.peoriaparks.org or call (309) 681-2854.

The Peoria Park District’s Intermediate Knitting class for ages 9+ runs on Saturdays from July 27-August 31 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Franciscan Rec Complex. Cost is $41/residents, $47/non-residents. Register using code 55700.

For more information or to register, visit www.peoriaparks.org or call (309) 688-3667.

The Peoria Park District’s Hooked on Crochet class for those looking to move beyond beginner skills runs on Saturdays from July 27-August 31 from 9-10:30 a.m. at Franciscan Rec Complex. Cost is $41/residents, $47/non-residents. For ages 9+. Register using code 55699.

Students will learn granny squares, crochet in a circle, and crocheting with beads.
For more information or to register, visit www.peoriaparks.org or call (309) 688-

The Peoria Park District’s Youth Soccer League for Mighty Mites (age 4) and Pee Wees (age 5 or K) runs August 13-September 28. Weekday practices and Saturday games take place at Bielfeldt Park. Registration deadline is July 29. Cost is $38/residents, $43/non-residents.

More information is in the current Playbook and online at www.peoriaparks.org/soccer, or call (309) 688-3667 with questions.