The celebration of Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women continues as Peoria learns about the times in which the author lived.

“Hoop Skirts and Teacups” demonstration and information session by Tea Ladies Inc.: Saturday, October 22, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., North Branch; or 3:00-5:00 p.m., Main Library. The Tea Ladies, Inc. will teach you all about women of the Civil War Era from their touching letters and journals. You will hear some amusing stories about hoop skirts and other feminine finery. There will be a tea brewing demonstration and special Civil War music played. Adults welcome.

Mother-Daughter Flower Fables Tea: October 23, 2:00-4:00 p.m., North Branch. Mothers and daughters are invited to enjoy Louisa May Alcott’s Flower Fables book and watch historian Lorraine Schwass demonstrate dressing from the inside out during the Civil War. Girls 8 and older and their mothers or female companions are welcome.

In the Gallery at Main Library: Images of Louisa May Alcott and the places she lived, original clothing from during her lifetime, photographs of Peoria area residents and information about Peoria’s own Civil War soldiers. Open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women is a documentary film co-produced by Nancy Porter Productions, Inc. and Thirteen/WNET New York’s American Masters, and a biography of the same name written by Harriet Reisen. Louisa May Alcott programs in libraries are sponsored by the American Library Association Public Programs Office with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Neighborhood House will be hosting their Annual Coat Give Away on Thursday, October 20th from 6:30 – 9:00 a.m. and again from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. This is ONLY for Neighborhood House Families. The public is invited to come on Friday, October 21 from 6:30 a.m. – noon.

This provides an opportunity for local families to receive cold weather outerwear for all members of the household. These are donated items that are given out for free, one to each family member.

Bobbi & Pete Knoll volunteer to coordinate this give away, spending hundreds of hours washing the donated coats. They truly have a passion for assisting those in need.

Neighborhood House is located at 1020 S. Matthew St., Peoria, IL

A new mortgage brokerage is serving the needs of residential clients in central Illinois. Home Mortgage Specialists, Inc. (HMS), founded by Nathan Durst, will assist current and new home owners with refinancing and purchases of primary, secondary, and investment homes.
“A mortgage broker is an independent small business professional who works with multiple lending institutions and can offer customers a broader range of home loan products at competitive rates making sure the customer’s best interest is represented,” says Durst. “A knowledgeable mortgage broker ensures the negotiation process between lender and borrower is smooth and makes sure the investor is approved in a quick and timely manner. At Home Mortgage Specialists, our motto is Home Loans Made Simple.” Today, consumers need a mortgage specialist to help them choose a loan program that provides financial security to becoming debt free.

Mortgage brokers must be licensed and registered with the Nationwide Licensing System and Registry. They are regulated by state lending laws and must comply with all applicable federal laws, including: Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).

For more information, visit homemortgagespecialists.com or call 309-222-8286.

Illinois State Superintendent Chris Koch and State Board of Education President Gery Chico will tour Manual Academy

State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) will be hosting state education leaders, Illinois State Superintendent Chris Koch and Illinois State Board of Education President Gery Chico at Manual Academy on Tuesday, October 18 at 12:00 p.m.

Koch and Chico are coming to tour Manual Academy, which has received a grant from the Illinois State Board of Education for Innovation and Improvement. They will tour the school to see improvements made through this grant.

“Manual Academy will benefit tremendously from the grants they are receiving from the Illinois State Board of Education,” said Gordon. “It is important for state officials to see how the grant money has been used to benefit our students at Manual Academy. I am glad that education leaders from the state and the Peoria community are taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss education issues and see firsthand the improvements at Manual.”

For more information this event, or if you are interested in learning about any of Gordon’s upcoming meetings or events, please contact her constituent services office at (309) 558-3612 or repjgordon@gmail.com.

What: Rep. Jehan Gordon Hosting
When: Tuesday, October 18th at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Manual Academy, 811 S. Griswold, Peoria, IL

The Carol House of Hope at The Center for Prevention of Abuse extends an invitation to join them at their annual Fish Fry.

When: Friday, October 28, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Knights of Columbus Hall, 715 N. 11th St., Pekin, Illinois
How Much: $7 Dinner includes walleye, crispy fries and creamy coleslaw. $3 Children’s dinner includes a hot dog & fries.

Coffee and tea will be provided, compliments of Starbucks. There will be a cash bar available and a 50/50 raffle.

The Carol House of Hope provides safe shelter and supportive services to women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or elder abuse. The Carol House of Hope building was donated by Dr. and Mrs. Pete Wright, in memory of their daughter Carol Wright.

For more information contact Carla @ 691-0551.

Keep Peoria Beautiful, in collaboration with Peoria County, the City of Peoria, PARC, and the Illinois EPA, is rolling out new recycling bins to be installed along downtown Peoria sidewalks.

Beginning next week, people eating lunch outdoors will be able to recycle their beverage containers. Bins for the collection of plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans will be placed next to garbage receptacles located around the courthouse grounds. Additional bins will be placed along streets in the central business district. The bins will be clearly marked with acceptable items so the public will know what types of recyclables can be placed inside.

The new recycling bins will further enhance the City of Peoria’s recycling program.

Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) will be in Peoria TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 at 5:00 pm to attend and deliver remarks at the Courtyard Estates of Peoria grand opening and ribbon cutting.

WHO: Congressman Aaron Schock
WHAT: Congressman Schock will attend and deliver remarks at the Courtyard Estates of Peoria grand opening and ribbon cutting.
WHERE: Courtyard Estates of Peoria, 117 N. Western Ave., Peoria, IL 61604
WHEN: TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 @ 5:00PM CT

Bradley University and BBDO New York are partnering to create the Douglass L. Alligood Award, an annual award that helps fund senior capstone projects dedicated to better understanding the value of diversity in business, particularly in the advertising industry.

The Douglass L. Alligood Award honors a 1956 Bradley graduate and Senior Vice President of Horizontal Markets at BBDO New York. Douglass L. Alligood, a trailblazer while at Bradley, became one of the first black executives in the advertising industry. He was honored in 2010 with the ADCOLOR Lifetime Achievement Award, an award given to Bill Cosby in 2011. The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition is dedicated to fostering and promoting increased diversity in the advertising, marketing and media industries.

“Bradley University is honored to collaborate with Doug Alligood and BBDO to create this significant learning opportunity for our students,” President Joanne Glasser said. “Mr. Alligood has made a lifetime of contributions to promote greater understanding and encourage greater opportunities for all. Bradley students can be inspired by Mr. Alligood’s life story and the commitment and passion he has demonstrated throughout his remarkable career.”

“Creating the Doug Alligood Award is a way to both honor the indelible contributions Doug has made to our industry, as well as to inspire others to follow in his footsteps.” said John Osborn, President and CEO of BBDO, New York. “There is enough talk about diversity, but this is about taking action and attracting more diverse talent to explore careers in advertising.”

To earn the Douglass L. Alligood Award teams of students in the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, with assistance from students from Bradley’s other colleges, will engage in a competitive senior research project aimed at providing real results in the business world. Their projects will focus on diversity, branding, consumer behavior, economic feasibility and new media applications. Research, analysis and the creative application of communications and technology will be supervised by Bradley faculty in consultation with Mr. Alligood.

The annual award provides $10,000 to support the work of the students who create the most outstanding project.
BBDO helped conceive the project to recognize Mr. Alligood and to attract diverse students to the advertising industry. During his five decades in the advertising business, Mr. Alligood has turned diversity into a valuable asset by demonstrating that an inclusive environment can create a superior product.

Mr. Alligood has a compelling personal story. He entered Bradley in 1952 after his first college of choice refused to accept him because he was black. Bradley, on the other hand, offered a scholarship and the University arranged a tuition payment plan for his family. During his time as a Bradley student, he was a member of the Air Force ROTC, the band, the Chorale, and he served as a resident advisor. In 1994, the University honored Mr. Alligood by making him a Centurion, an award honoring alumni who have become national or international leaders in their field.

Mr. Alligood is a pioneer in creating advertising and promotions for special markets and minority consumers. Employed at BBDO since 1974, he is chairman of the firm’s Diversity Council. He has been a director of the Advertising Council and is the founding chairman of the Council’s Minority Perspectives Committee. You can learn more about Mr. Alligood at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxrurCIJJf4 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxrurCIJJf4>.

“Doug Alligood received a high-quality education and broad-based experience from Bradley that enabled him to take the lead in his profession,” said Dr. Jeffrey Huberman, Dean of Bradley’s Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts. “The Douglass L. Alligood Award will encourage and inspire succeeding generations of Bradley Communication graduates to follow in his footsteps as change agents committed to the highest ideals.”

It takes both time and money to tour college campuses. Is it worthwhile? When is the best time to visit? Find out at a free seminar “College Visits: Why, When, How?” presented by Debra Clay of College Knowledge at the Peoria Public Library North Branch from 6:30-7:30 pm. Two sessions will be offered: Monday, October 24 in the Seminar Room or Wednesday, November 2 in the McKenzie Room. To reserve a seat, e-mail: Deb@ClayCollegeKnowledge.com or phone: (309) 693-7600.

Be Part of the Community Discussion on How City Elects Council

The public is invited to be part of a discussion on how Peoria elects its City Council. The city’s current system of cumulative voting for the five at large positions came about as a result of a voting rights lawsuit in 1987. While not what the plaintiffs originally wanted, it was a compromise agreed to by the city, the plaintiffs and the federal court. The 2010 census brought about the need to redistrict and after six elections using the cumulative voting format, the question has arisen, “is this system, working is it accomplishing what was intended and is it what we still want?”

In order to answer those questions we are starting an open community dialogue to better understand the interests and desires of voters and others in Peoria. This initiative is being led by Bradley’s Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service (IPL) with support from The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters, Neighborhood Alliance African American Leadership Alliance and NAACP.

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis says the pros & cons of cumulative voting are typically debated only during the at-large election cycle but we have a unique opportunity to engage public discussion on the issue because of the timing of the census and the need for us to establish new council districts. “I hope these community discussions will be well attended and provide the city council with strong feedback to make important decisions about the make-up of the council. Leadership provided by IPL with support from NAACP, LWV, Neighborhood Organizations and Chamber of Commerce should provide a strong foundation for good deliberations.”

Brad McMillan, IPL Director, says this is an important community issue and one that needs input from citizens and businesses. “IPL is glad to be a part of helping generate community input back to the Council as they decided whether or not to have an item on the ballot to change how we elect the Council.”

The public is invited to community meetings on Oct 26 at 7 p.m. at Bradley University at the Founder’s Room in Hartmann Center and Nov 2 at 7:00 p.m. at River West Frank Campbell community room. At each meeting, Dr. Larry Aspin, Chairman of the Political Science Department at Bradley University will share highlights from his detailed research and findings on the impact of cumulative voting in Peoria. Additionally, new potential voting systems scenarios will presented for consideration. People who attend will have an opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions on their preferred method for electing the Peoria City Council.

Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce President Roberta Parks says the Chamber is involved because while businesses don’t actually vote, they do collect and pay significant taxes to the city. “How we elect the city council is just as important to the business community as it is to residents. What we all want are good representatives and a responsive government. We are pleased to be part of this community discussion.”

After the conclusion of the two community meetings, IPL will provide the Peoria City Council with a report to help them make a decision on whether or not to place a referenda item changing how the council is elected on the spring ballot.

No registration is needed to attend these meetings. If you have questions about the meetings, please contact IPL at (309) 677-4408.