Common Place Family Learning Center will honor Carl Cannon at the Common Place Love In Action Award Dinner on Thursday, June 9, at the Pere Marquette Hotel. Tickets for the Common Place Love in Action Award Dinner are $50 per person. For reservations, call Stephanie at Common Place, 674-3315. Deadline for reservations is May 31. Reception hour will start at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and program beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Mr. Cannon was chosen by a panel of judges as this year’s award recipient because his service to the community exemplifies Common Place’s mission. Mr. Cannon’s vision to help area youth has impacted thousands of youth in the community. He has inspired youth to make the right choices, to be responsible for their own actions, and has helped youth become more employable through training in his ELITE and CHOICES programs.

ZOO AFTER DARK
WHO’s out after dark at the Peoria Zoo? Come to Zoo After Dark at the Peoria Zoo to find out. Meet animals up close, learn about night houses and nocturnal animals. Bring your family or invite your friends to come along for one of these special tours on the following Fridays, May 27, July 29, August 26 and September 23. Zoo After Dark tours begin at 7:00 pm. The cost of the tours is $15 per person and includes Zoo admission.
For questions or to register, call the Peoria Zoo at (309) 681-3513 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.

ZOO TOURS ANNOUNCED
Have you ever wondered… “How much do rhino eat in a day?” or “Where do giraffes sleep?” All this and more will be answered during the Peoria Zoo’s Behind the Scenes tour on the following Saturdays: May 28, June 25, July 30, August 27 and September 24 at 9 am. This hour long tour will take you into areas the public doesn’t normally get to see, you can learn more about the animals and how we care for them. Cost of the tours is $20 per person and includes Zoo admission. For questions or to register, call the Peoria Zoo Education office at (309) 681-3515 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.

Power was restored quickly enough to the area around Peoria Public Library Lakeview Branch that they are now able to stay open until 9:00 p.m. Power was out for almost two hours.

Every day at Children’s Hospital of Illinois children battle a variety of illnesses. In many ways, they are like Superheroes.

All good Superheroes have a trusty sidekick. For patients of Children’s Hospital, that sidekick is our donors. Thanks, in part, to donations, Children’s Hospital is able to provide a level of pediatric care found at no other area hospital.

Join friends, families and staff of Children’s Hospital of Illinois for the 26th annual Children’s Miracle Network Telethon sponsored by State Farm, Sunday, June 5, 2011 broadcast live on WEEK-TV from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The show will originate from the RiverPlex in downtown Peoria and the Parke Hotel and Conference Centre in Bloomington.

Bring your children to the Superhero Kid Zone sponsored by Ameren at both locations during the broadcast for a day of family fun. There will be inflatables, a craft area and other activities. Have your kids come dressed as their favorite superhero!

Dave and Karen Magers are honorary family chairs for the annual Telethon. Dave Magers is the Chief Financial Officer of COUNTRY Financial. Karen Magers is the Director of the Bloomington Eye Institute.

Watch and call in your support for the children on June 5 or donate online today at www.childrenshospitalofil.org.

Older women’s poverty would double without Social Security

According two new fact sheets from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Social Security can be a lifeline out of poverty for older black women and Latinas. While the program is crucial to many older Americans, it is especially important to black women and Latinas, because they tend to have fewer alternative sources of income, experience higher poverty rates, and earn less on average throughout their working years.

Black women account for 5.7 million and Latinas account for 1.7 million of the 52.5 million Social Security beneficiaries in the U.S. Without Social Security, the poverty rate among Latinas aged 62-64 would be 34 percent, compared with its current rate of 15 percent. Among black women, the poverty rate for the same age group would be even higher at 36 percent, compared with its current rate of 16 percent.

The anti-poverty effects of Social Security are even stronger among older black women and Latinas. Between the ages of 65 and 74, one in five Latinas is living in poverty-jumping to approximately half of Latinas in this age group if Social Security were not available. Without Social Security, half of black women aged 65-74 and six out of ten of those aged 75 and older would be living in poverty.

On average, black women experience higher rates of disability at older ages: 26 percent of black women who receive Social Security benefits receive disability benefits, compared with 12 percent of white women and 14 percent of adult women from all races combined.

Latinas experience circumstances that make Social Security especially crucial to them in their later years. When Latinas are employed at younger ages, they tend to be concentrated in low-wage jobs, so contributions to Social Security from their earnings are relatively low.

Latinas have a longer average life expectancy and are dependent on Social Security for more time. Latinas who were age 65 in 2010 have an average life expectancy of 89 years, compared with 85 years for all women and Hispanic men and 82 years for all men.

Above age 64 few Latinas report income from sources other than Social Security. Only 27 percent of this group report any income from assets which is their second most common source of income. Social Security is also the most common source of income for black women age 62 and older.

The benefits that black women and Latinas receive from Social Security are very modest-remaining below $10,000 per year for all age groups-but provide a vital source of income.

The Peoria chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will present a forum on the new Civil Unions act which goes into effect on June 1st.

The event takes place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 26 at the new Peoria Public Library’s North Branch, 3001 W. Grand Parkway, off Allen Road (behind Menards).

An attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Karen Sheley, will speak on what can be expected from the new law, and Peoria County Clerk Steve Sonnemaker will talk about procedures in his office.

The ACLU of Illinois was a key organization in the passage and implementation of the law. ACLU Lawyers worked to research and draft the legislation, and researched its impact on the state. In addition the Illinois ACLU organized meetings and spoke with legislators to get the law passed by the Illinois General Assembly.

Sheley has been an attorney at the Illinois ACLU since 2008, and represents the ACLU and its clients in First Amendment and national security cases. She frequently speaks on LGBT rights, including the Illinois Civil Union act and the intersection of LGBT rights and First Amendment rights.

A 2004 graduate of Columbia Law School, she was co-chair of LGBT student association, organized protests against military recruitment on campus because it violated the school’s anti-discrimination policy and drafted an anti-discrimination policy on gender identity and expression, which the school later adopted.

The event is free and open to the public.

Due to the upcoming holiday, all collections during the week of May 30 will be delayed by one day. If your normal garbage and yard waste collection day is on Monday, PDC will collect on Tuesday and so on for the rest of the week. Friday collection will be done on Saturday.

Recycling will be collected on Saturday, June 4, at households that normally have their recycling collected on the first Friday of each month.

Nationally recognized recycling expert Neil Seldman, the president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (www.ilsr.org), is visiting Peoria to give a talk entitled “Recycling and Economic Development – Turning Waste Into Resources” – followed by a question and answer session.

The event will be held Monday night, June 6, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Peoria at 3000 W Richwoods Blvd. The event is free of charge, and open to the general public. The event is sponsored by Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste. The Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria encourages dialogue on this subject but does not take an official position.

Mr. Seldman will first give a 45-minute talk, “Recycling and Economic Development – Turning Waste Into Resources” and then Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste will host a question & answer session. The entire event is expected to last two hours.

Mr. Seldman is president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (www.ilsr.org), a Washington D.C. based consulting organization and a nationally recognized expert on recycling and waste reduction that has helped dozens of cities improve their waste diversion rates.

Registrations are still being accepted for openings in the Peoria Park District’s Youth Baseball Program.

Tee Ball programs (ages 5-6) and Coach Pitch (grades 1-2) are currently accepting registrations. Skill evaluations for Tee Ball and Coach Pitch will be Thursday, June 2.
Registration is ongoing at the Glen Oak Park Pavilion or at the Franciscan Recreation Complex in West Peoria. You may also register online at www.peoriaparks.org.
For more information, contact Nick McDuffee at 681-2867 or visit www.peoriaparks.org.

Enjoy the summer with your friends in this Peoria Park District recreational Sand Volleyball League at Bradley Park. Previous experience is not necessary. Co-rec “A” and “B” divisions will compete on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. Teams will consist of six players with at least two women on the court at all times. The season starts May 31.

Fees are $170 for resident teams and $185 for non-resident teams. League registration is ongoing at Glen Oak Pavilion. Registration is on a team basis only until leagues are filled.

For more information, contact Matt Suellentrop at 681-2866 or visit www.peoriaparks.org.