The Peoria Zoo will be giving behind the scenes tours on Saturday, September 25 and October 30. 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.
If you have questions or for more information, call the Peoria Zoo at (309) 686-3364 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is being recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as one of only 300 hospitals nationwide to receive a Medal of Honor.
OSF Saint Francis will be awarded a Bronze Medal during the National Learning Congress in Texas this November. This marks the fourth consecutive year Saint Francis has received a medal from HHS and represents the continued dedication to its partnership with Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network in providing families the opportunity to choose organ donation and to make those organs available for life saving transplants.
“This speaks very highly of OSF Saint Francis’ continued commitment to organ donation, the effectiveness of the partnership between OSF Saint Francis and Gift of Hope, and the dedicated efforts of the OSF Saint Francis Organ Donation Collaborative Committee,” said Kim Thrush, Gift of Hope in House Coordinator in announcing the award.
The Center for Prevention of Abuse is starting a Recent Survivor Support Group for victims of sexual assault, beginning Tues., Sept. 14 and continuing through Nov. 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Center’s Peoria facility, 720 W. Joan Ct. The program is free and for adults who have experienced recent sexual assault or abuse.
For more information, please call The Center at (309)691-0551, ext. 226.
Owens Recreation Center’s Beginner Hockey Clinic Session One begins Saturday, September 11 and goes through October 2. Sessions are open for ages 3-6 and 7-13 for both girls and boys who are interested in learning the basics of hockey. Ages 3-6 meet at 9:45 am, ages 7-13 meet at 10:30 am. Cost of the session is $40 for residents/$45 for non-residents.
Session One will teach the fundamentals of skating and introduce the skaters to sticks and pucks. Skaters are required to wear a hockey or bicycle helmet and gloves (hockey or winter). Skates will be provided free. Skaters should have taken either 4-week beginner or an 8-week skating lesson.
Call at Zac Tortorella at Owens Center 686-3368 for more information. Session Two will begin Saturday, October 9 and you should have attended Session One of Beginner Hockey Clinic or passed Skating Star level 2 or Super Skates level 1.
The Peoria Park District’s Proctor Recreation Center and the JEMS Girls Basketball Team will host a Red Cross Blood Drive Saturday, September 11th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Please call 1-800-448-3543 to schedule an appointment.
In conjunction with the blood drive, there will also be a Coloring Contest for Grades K thru 3 and an Essay Contest for Grades 4 through 8. For more information about either contest, please check our website at http://www.peoriaparks.org/special-events-at-proctor.
Entries due at Proctor Center by Sept. 10th.
Proctor Recreation Center is an official Safe Haven Site for Peoria’s community. Please call Proctor Recreation Center at 673-9183 for more information.
Attention hockey players ages 18 and up: are you still an enthusiast looking for a way to play hockey? Registration is now open at Owens Center for our Adult No-Check Hockey League – Winter Session. Previous hockey experience is not required.
Team rosters will be accepted with payment in full. (A full roster includes 16 skaters and one goalie.) The league commissioner will assign players to rosters as needed.
Fees* R/NR (by 10/15); R/NR (after 10/15)**
Skater $230/$240; $255/$265
Goalie $80/$90; $90/$100
Pick up registration forms at Owens Center or go online to www.peoriaparks.org/ adult-winter-hockey-league to download a registration form. For more information, call Zach Tortorella at (309)686-3368 or email at ztortorella@peoriaparks.org.
Relax with a couple good books, then join a discussion with the Mature Readers Book Discussion Group at Lakeview Branch Library, Peoria
Ages: 50+
Day-Dates: Tuesday, 9/9 – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Moderator: Barbara Peters
For more information, contact Barbara Peters, (309) 691-8411.
Sassy Lady Boutique will present a seminar on Saturday, September 11 that explores the different body types of women, how to dress for your body type, proportion in dress and fashion. This seminar is geared to the career woman, the homemaker, the baby boomer, the grandmother and is jam-packed with expert advise on how to bring out the best in you.
Sassy Lady is located at 4111 N Prospect in Peoria Heights, IL. and specializes in working with real women with real bodies. Seminar time is 11:00 a.m. and it repeats again at 2:00 p.m. Class size is limited.
Registration and seminar fee of $10 is payable in advance. Please phone 309-691-9633 with any questions.
Methodist Medical Center is accepting camp registrations for children age 5 to 18 who are working through issues of grief following the death of a loved one. “Kourage Kids” is a free one-day outing for 75 young people.
The Methodist Hospice Program first established the camp in 2000 with a goal of providing a safe arena for kids to share their grief with others and to learn healthy ways of coping with their loss.
This year’s camp will be held at Camp Manitoumi in rural Lowpoint on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Buses will leave the Methodist Atrium Building (900 Main Street) at 8:00 a.m. and return by 5:00 p.m. The camp agenda will include games, face-painting, crafts, sports, and horseback riding. Methodist will provide lunch as well as transportation to and from the camp free of charge.
Coordinated by Linda McKinney, M.A.; M. Div. and Frank Valente, M.A., pastoral counselors with the Methodist Hospice Program, Kourage Kids is staffed by many Methodist employees and volunteers as well as a number of skilled professionals and volunteers from the Central Illinois area.
Linda McKinney says, “Statistics show that one out of twenty children will experience the death of a parent by the age of 18. The number of grieving children goes much higher when you consider those who have experienced the death of a sibling, grandparents, classmates and others who are important to them.” She continued, “Children who have lost a loved one to death can experience a wide range of emotions, including sadness, fear, anger, and guilt. It helps tremendously for them to share their thoughts and feelings in a setting with both their peers and caring adults.”
McKinney says most participants in the camp are referred through a variety of sources including schools, churches and funeral homes.
For additional information and registration, contact the Methodist Medical Center Hospice Office at (309) 672-5746. Funding for the one-day camp is provided by the Methodist Medical Center Foundation.
College students who observe Jewish dietary laws now have food that meets their needs at Bradley University.
This fall the University began offering certified kosher sandwiches, salads and frozen foods in residence hall cafeterias and food courts on campus. The sandwiches and salads, prepared in a special kosher kitchen, sold out the first day.
“It’s an investment of time, energy, attention and resources on the part of the University to ensure that the highest standard of kosher observance is maintained,” said Dr. Seth Katz, faculty advisor to Bradley Hillel. “What it means is that students who keep kosher, who are observant, who may be attending orthodox or conservative Jewish high schools, will have a new option for college.”
Bradley is working to increase the geographic diversity of its student population and views the kosher food service as an attractive option for prospective students as well as a service for those with religious or special dietary needs. The University plans to expand the service in the future. One of Bradley’s residence hall food preparation areas will be renovated later this year to include separate dairy and meat kitchens, and in the fall of 2011 one residence hall will provide full kosher meal service Sunday through Friday. Bradley Hillel offers a kosher dinner on Friday.
The food is certified by Rabbi Eli Langsam of Chabad Lubavitch of Peoria. “We’re very grateful that the food service and Bradley President Joanne Glasser have made it a priority to provide kosher food for current and future students,” Langsam said.
The kosher food is available to the general public and as a catering alternative to groups and organizations. For additional information, see the Dining Services website at http://go.compass-usa.com/bradleyuniversity/content/home.asp .