– The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) applauded over 75 medical centers nationwide that have announced they will begin lung screening for those at risk as part of their continuum of multi-disciplinary care for lung cancer.

This effort comes on the heels of scientific validation of the mortality benefit of low-dose computed tomography (CT) to detect early lung cancer as well as recently released cost-benefit actuarial analysis showing that the costs of lung cancer screening are comparable or lower than the cost of other screenable cancers today.  

“Not only do consumers have the right to know if they are at risk for lung cancer, but where they can find responsible, safe, effective, and compassionate care that follows best practices and guiding principles — now”, said Laurie Fenton-Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. 

“These doctors and medical centers must be congratulated for not waiting – but rather acting swiftly and responsibly to help address the questions, concerns and needs of the lung cancer community,” she said.

Fenton-Ambrose continued: “Thousands of lives are at stake and these institutions are paving the way forward, and aligning their efforts with our recently issued National Framework for Lung Screening Excellence and its Continuum of Care (National Framework).  We say – Bravo!”

The LCA National Framework, launched earlier this month, is first of a kind guidance for both consumers at risk as well as sites offering care. It lays out a bill of rights for the at-risk public and guiding principles for lung cancer screening sites.

These sites have committed to provide clear information based on current evidence on who is a candidate for lung cancer screening, and to comply with comprehensive standards based on best practices developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) for controlling screening quality, radiation dose and diagnostic procedures within an experienced, multi-disciplinary clinical setting.

Sites now offering lung screening within this framework include:

Alta Bates Summit Comprehensive Cancer Center Berkeley, CA
Arizona State University Tempe, AZ
Atlantic Health Summit, NJ
Atlantic Medical Imaging Galloway, NJ
Baptist Hospital Jacksonville, FL
Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Dallas Dallas, TX
Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School Brookline, MA
Buford Road Imaging Richmond, VA
CBNS, City University of New York at Queens College Flushing, NY
Central Maine Medical Center Lewiston, ME
Chesterfield Imaging Midlothian, VA
Chippenham Hospital Richmond, VA
Clearview Cancer Institute Huntsville, AL
Comprehensive Thoracic Oncology Program of Continuum Cancer Centers of New York, NY
Dana Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA
Duke University Raleigh-Durham, NC
Eisenhower Luci Curci Cancer Center Rancho Mirage, CA
Emory University Hospital Atlanta, GA
Florida Hospital Orlando, FL
Florida Radiation Oncology Group, FL
Franklin Square Hospital Center Baltimore, MD
Ft. Walton Beach Hospital Ft. Walton Beach, FL
Georgetown University Hospital Washington, DC
Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland Baltimore, MD
Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center Panama City, FL
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Tampa, FL
Harbor Hospital Baltimore, MD
HCA Virginia Health System Appomattox Imaging Colonial Heights, VA
Henrico Doctor’s Hospital Richmond, VA
Holy Cross Hospital Silver Springs, MD
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
Independence Park Imaging Richmond, VA
Jackson Memorial Hospital Sylvester Cancer Center Miami, FL
James Graham Brown Cancer Center Louisville, KY
John Randolph Medical Center Hopewell, VA
Johnston-Willis Hospital Richmond, VA
Jupiter Medical Center Jupiter, FL
Lahey Clinic Burlington, MA
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, FL
Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN
MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX
MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, FL
Mercy Medical Center Garden City, NJ
Montgomery General Hospital Olney, MD
Mount Sinai School of Medicine NY, NY
Nebraska Methodist Omaha, NE
New Jersey Atlantic Health Morristown, NJ
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark, NJ
Norwalk Hospital Norwalk, CT
Parham’s Doctors’ Hospital Richmond, VA
Retreat Doctors’ Hospital Richmond, VA
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
Rush University Chicago, IL
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA
St. Joseph Health Center St. Charles, MO
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center Phoenix, AZ
St. Joseph’s Hospital Atlanta, GA
St. Luke’s Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA
St. Mary’s Hospital Leonardtown, MD
Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA
Steeplechase Cancer Center Somerville, NJ
Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Miami, FL
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Tallahassee, FL
The Center for Prevention and Treatment St. Joseph’s Hospital Orange, CA
The Phoenix VA Health Care System Phoenix, AZ
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at John Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
The University of Toledo Medical Center Toledo, OH
UCLA Health System Los Angeles, CA
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA
Union Memorial Hospital Baltimore, MD
University of Florida Shands Jacksonville, FL
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center Pittsburgh, PA
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Hospital Los Angeles, CA
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Winston-Salem, NC
Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC
Wellstar Health System Marietta, GA
Yale Cancer Center New Haven, CT  

For more information on lung cancer screening go to LCA’s website:  www.screenforlungcancer.org.

Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/, is committed to ending injustice and saving lives through an alliance of advocacy, education and support. LCA provides live, real time support, referral and information services for patients, their loved ones and those at risk for lung cancer; conducts national awareness campaigns; and advocates for multiple millions in public health dollars for lung cancer research.

 SOURCE Lung Cancer Alliance

RELATED LINKS
http://www.lungcanceralliance.org

 – Knutson Construction is pleased to announce that it is opening an office in downtown Cedar Rapids. The office will serve clients and support projects in the Cedar Rapids community.

Benefiting the American Heart Association

Saturday, May 12, 2012: 1-5 p.m.

at Benz 501 7th Ave SE

Get downtown and get ready for summer! Join us for this exciting outdoor beer tasting extravaganza. We will feature over 100 delicious brews from all over the world, special guests including brewmasters pouring their brews and live music. Admissions are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets are on sale now and are available at Benz Beverage Depot.

13th Annual Armed Forces Day Bike Ride/Fundraiser
Saturday, May 19, 2012
11:00am (sharp!)

Tentative Route:
Start
Stadium Lounge
Cooter’s Pub
AMVETS Post #6
Capones Restaurant & Bar
Clancey’s Keg
Downtown Wrigley
City Beat Bar & Grill*
Cedar River Landing
Double Inn Bar & Grill
Gilligan’s Pub
Stadium Lounge
Finish

*Mid-ride meal served by AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary @ City Beat

AMVETS Post #6 is a congressionally chartered non-profit veterans organization open to all honorably discharged veterans, whether you served during peacetime or war. We meet the 2nd Tuesday of the month at: 700 Second Street SW, CR at 7 pm.

We are holding our annual Armed Forces Day bicycle ride and fundraiser on Saturday, May 19th starting at 11am at the Stadium Lounge. There is no cost to ride, but anyone wanting to be guaranteed a participant t-shirt must be pre-registered and pre-paid by May 9th. We will be raffling off a 55” HD TV ($1,000 value). You don’t need to be present to win. We’ll have a couple of 50/50 drawings and some freebie prizes just for signing the waiver form and going on the ride. For more information and a entry/waiver form, please click here.

We will also be placing flags on the graves of veterans at 10am on Thursday, May 24th at Mt Calvary Cemetery at 375 32nd Street SE, CR. This is one of our most sacred honors.

The finalists are:

• Steve Lasky – Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc., Ames, IA
• David Karandish – Answers, St. Louis, MO
• John Eulich – ASPEQ Holdings, Inc., St. Louis, MO
• Len Rodman – Black & Veatch, Overland Park, KS
• Cory Wiedel and Ryan Zink – Complete Nutrition, Omaha, NE
• Benny Lee — Duracomm Corp., Kansas City, MO
• Patrick Perry — Genesys, Kansas City, MO
• Dawn Ainger – Genova Technologies, Cedar Rapids, IA
• Greg Gragg — Gragg Advertising, Kansas City, MO
• Mark Rutter — GROUP360 Worldwide, St. Louis, MO
• Joseph Melookaran, Mithra Amaran, David Brown, Raqib Huq, and Maria Will — JMA Information Technology, Overland Park, KS
• Steve Carter — Knight Hawk Coal, LLC, Percy, IL
• Kyle Krause — Kum & Go, L.C., West Des Moines, IA
• Greg Brown — Learfield Communications, Inc., Jefferson City, MO
• Larry Potterfield — MidwayUSA, Columbia, MO
• Matt Miller — MobileDemand, Hiawatha, IA
• Harry Herington — NIC Inc., Olathe, KS
• Mary Quass — NRG Media, LLC, Cedar Rapids, IA
• Robert Low — Prime, Inc., Springfield, MO
• Jeff Stroburg and Daniel Oh — Renewable Energy Group, Ames, IA
• Reggie Chandra — Rhythm Engineering, Lenexa, KS
• Tom Kalishman and Jerry Shaw — SAK Construction, LLC, O’Fallon, MO
• Lee Frickey — Sizewise, Kansas City, MO
• Michael Vasquez — St. Gregory Centers, Inc., Des Moines, IA
• Mike O’Neill, John Nickel, and Kevin Quigley — Switch: Liberate Your Brand, St. Louis, MO
• David Faber — Trans Ova Genetics, Sioux Center, IA
• Dan Reed — UnitedLex Corporation, Overland Park, KS
• Doug Schukar — USA Mortgage, St. Louis, MO
• Brant Bukowsky and Brock Bukowsky — Veterans United Home Loans, Columbia, MO
• Jon Cook — VML, Kansas City, MO
• Seth Burgett — Yurbuds Sport Earphones, St. Louis, MO

Now in its 26th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year Program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 17, 2012. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the United States by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

In the Central Midwest, sponsors include Armstrong Teasdale, Enterprise Bank & Trust, Faegre Baker Daniels, Lockton Companies, and Stinson Morrison Hecker.

Company Boilerplate

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit http://www.ey.com/.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a US client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP

RELATED LINKS
http://www.ey.com/

Consolidated revenues in the 2012 third quarter were $31.9 billion, a 5 percent increase from $30.5 billion a year ago. Nine-month revenues totaled $99.8 billion, up 18 percent from $84.7 billion in the prior period.

“Cargill’s earnings strengthened in the third quarter, totaling more than twice that earned in the first six months of the fiscal year,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive officer. “Although it continues to be an unsettled year for the global economy, we did a better job navigating the uncertainty. It reinforces our focus on creating value for our customers, improving our work processes and keeping our costs in check.” 

Cargill’s food ingredients and applications segment was the largest contributor to the company’s third quarter, with earnings up significantly from the year-ago period. Within the segment, the food ingredient businesses posted a record third quarter on a combined basis. Earnings among the segment’s global group of meat businesses were improved from the second quarter, but meat results overall were still well below last year’s record level due to the cyclical downturn in North American beef.

The agriculture services segment generated solid earnings in the third quarter, though not on par with last year. Within the segment, Cargill’s global animal nutrition operations posted an improved performance, which was offset in part by decreased income in North American farm services. The reduction was largely attributable to changes in this year’s global grain flows, which shifted more U.S. grain handling volume than is typical into the company’s first half.

The origination and processing segment staged a sharp rebound in the third quarter from the preceding quarter’s low. The grain and oilseed trading and processing businesses put their combined insight to good advantage in analyzing and managing the ongoing instability and risk in the global economic and geopolitical environment. The segment established favorable trading positions in most parts of the business, even though the slowdown in U.S. grain exports, the buildup in global oilseed processing capacity and geopolitical tensions made for challenging market conditions.

Third-quarter earnings in the risk management and financial segment were slightly below the year-ago level, with much stronger results among the segment’s energy businesses.

An exceptionally mild winter across North America negatively impacted demand for deicing salt products, which held results in Cargill’s industrial segment below last year’s record third quarter.

Cargill continues to invest in facilities that strengthen its ability to be a reliable supplier and innovative partner to customers globally. In Brazil’s southern state of Parana, the company broke ground on a corn wet milling plant in Castro. The corn wet mill, Cargill’s second in Brazil, will produce a variety of sweetener and starch products for food and beverage applications, industrial products such as paper coatings, and co-products used in pet foods and animal feeds. Its first mill, in Uberlandia, was expanded by 70 percent in 2010.

Cargill is constructing a corn sweetener plant in China’s Henan Province, which will be its third in China. The plant will serve nearby global and regional beverage makers.

As announced during the quarter, Cargill is modernizing its soybean crush plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; enlarging the Tacoma, Wash.-based TEMCO grain export terminal joint venture with cooperative and partner CHS; and returning to dual ownership the Louisiana Sugar Refinery joint venture with cooperative and partner Sugar Growers and Refiners. Cargill also completed the sale of its global flavors business to Kerry Group.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 139,000 people in 65 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit Cargill.com and its news center.

 SOURCE Cargill

RELATED LINKS
http://www.cargill.com

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The ESOP Association has presented 49 corporate members of the Association with a Silver ESOP Award to recognize their work in sustaining their ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) for 25 years or more. This year, the Silver ESOP Awards are being presented to companies that will be celebrating 25 years or more as an ESOP company in 2012.

This is the fifth year the Silver ESOP Awards have been presented by the Association. In 2008, 117 corporate members were presented with the first annual Silver ESOP Awards; 2009, 12 members; 2010, 22 members; and in 2011, 41 members were honored. To be named a Silver ESOP Award recipient, a company must be a member of The ESOP Association and have an ESOP in place for 25 years or more.

“It is my pleasure to present these 49 companies with the 2012 Silver ESOP Award for excellence in sustaining their ESOP for 25 years,” said ESOP Association President J. Michael Keeling. “As recent research has shown, employees with employee stock ownership have more sustainable employment and were four times less likely to be laid off during the Great Recession than employees without employee stock ownership. Preserving locally-controlled jobs in today’s global economy is more likely when employees are owners.”

2012 Silver ESOP Award Recipients:

AMSTED Industries, Inc., Chicago, IL
Associated Integrated Marketing, Wichita, KS
Austin Industries, Inc., Dallas, TX
AWC Inc., Baton Rouge, LA
Bay Cities Container Corp, Pico Rivera, CA
Bimba Manufacturing Company, Monee, IL
Bonitz of South Carolina, Inc., Columbia, SC
Braas Company, Eden Prairie, MN
Brookfield Engineering Labs, Inc., Middleboro, MA
Bruckner Truck Sales, Inc., Amarillo, TX
Burns & McDonnell Engineers-Architects, Kansas City, MO
Clyde/West, Inc., Portland, OR
Community Bancshares, Inc., Neosho, MO
Contempora Fabrics, Inc., Lumberton, NC
CPP, Inc., Mountain View, CA
D. L. Evans Bank, Burley, ID
Davis, Gregory & Kyle, Inc., Factoryville, PA
DCS Corporation, Alexandria, VA
DimcoGray Company, Dayton, OH
Edney Distributing Co., Inc., Huron, SD
ELS, Inc., Arlington, VA
FBMC Benefits Management, Tallahassee, FL
Fred Weber, Inc., Maryland Heights, MO
Garland Industries, Inc., Cleveland, OH
**The Gazette Company, Cedar Rapids, IA**
Glatfelter Insurance Group, York, PA
Gopher Electronics Company, Saint Paul, MN
JBS United, Inc., Sheridan, IN
KAPCO, Brea, CA
Lerch Bates Inc., Littleton, CO
Lincoln Bancorp/Lincoln Savings Bank, Reinbeck, IA
Merchants Bank, South Burlington, VT
Mid-State Consultants, Inc., Nephi, UT
Neil H. Daniels, Inc., Ascutney, VT
New England Biolabs, Inc., Ipswich, MA
Nicholville Telephone Co., Inc., Nicholville, NY
Oxford Construction Company, Albany, GA
Pioneer Power, Inc., Saint Paul, MN
Reell Precision Manufacturing Corp., Saint Paul, MN
RHM Fluid Power, Inc., Westland, MI
Schaedler YESCO, Harrisburg, PA
Sletten, Inc., Great Falls, MT
St. John Holdings, Inc., Radnor, PA
Taggart & Associates, Inc., Boulder, CO
Temperature Systems, Inc., Madison, WI
Trachte Building Systems, Inc., Sun Prairie, WI
Wallace Eannace Associates, Inc., Plainview, NY
Wikoff Color Corporation, Fort Mill, SC
Woodfold-Marco Mfg., Inc., Forest Grove, OR

All 241 Silver ESOP Award recipients will be honored at The ESOP Association’s Annual Conference in May (May 10 – 11, 2012) and highlighted at the 21st Annual Awards Banquet held on the evening of May 9th.

The ESOP Association is the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and the leading voice in America for employee ownership.  The core cause of The ESOP Association is the belief that employee ownership will improve American competitiveness, increase productivity through greater employee participation, and strengthen our free enterprise economy. More information: website – www.esopassociation.org and blog – www.esopassociationblog.org.

SOURCE The ESOP Association

RELATED LINKS
http://www.esopassociation.org

Manufacturers’ News reports Iowa is now home to 5,489 manufacturers employing 264,216 workers.

Cedar Rapids remains the state’s top city by industrial employment with 19,922 manufacturing jobs, up 1% over the year. Des Moines accounts for 17,124 jobs with employment also up 1%. Waterloo saw jobs decrease 1% and is currently home to 12,749 industrial workers, while Davenport accounts for 8,654 of the state’s jobs, up 5.2%. Fifth-ranked Dubuque accounts for 8,588 jobs, up 3.3% in 2011. 

“The recovery is gaining momentum in Iowa and across the U.S.,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. “The state’s educated workforce, friendly business environment, and investments in green technologies have been a draw for a variety of enterprises.”

Bright spots for the state included the opening of Plumrose USA’s new pork processing plant in Council Bluffs; the opening of Vi-COR’s new livestock feed manufacturing facility in Mason City; Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels’ planned cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg; and the expansion of Green Plains Renewable Energy’s algae production facility in Shenandoah. Alcoa plans to expand its rolled-products facility in Davenport; Pinnacle Food recently expanded its Fort Madison canned meat factory; and Deere & Company plans an expansion of its Waterloo site.

Food products manufacturing remains Iowa’s largest industrial sector by employment with 56,811 jobs, with no significant change reported over the year. Industrial machinery and equipment ranks second with 46,366 jobs, up 1.9%. Third-ranked fabricated metals account for 20,860 jobs, up a half percent over the past twelve months.

Sectors that lost jobs over the past twelve months included lumber/wood down 5.5%; printing/publishing down 3.2%; furniture/fixtures, down 2.8%; paper products, down 1.5%; and rubber/plastics, down 1%. Employment remained steady in electronics and instruments/related products, while gains were seen in primary metals, up 6.2%; transportation equipment, up 4.2%; and textiles/apparel, up 1.1%.

Industrial locations closing in Iowa included R.R. Donnelley’s printing plant in Eldridge; a Thomas & Betts facility in Clinton; ConAgra’s popcorn processing factory in Hamburg; and River Bend Industries’ facility in North Liberty, although the company will expand operations at its Victor location.

The East Central region of Iowa accounts for the most industrial employment in the state with 92,287 jobs, up 1% over the year. Southeast Iowa is home to 59,489 industrial workers, up 1%, while the West Central region accounts for 50,330, with no significant change reported.  Northeast Iowa saw manufacturing employment increase 1% and represents 23,375 of the state’s jobs, while jobs declined 1.2% in Northwest Iowa, with the region currently home to 22,665 industrial workers. Southwest Iowa accounts for 16,070 manufacturing jobs, up 1.2%.

Detailed profiles of Iowa’s 5,489 manufacturers and 721 distributors can be found in the 2012 Iowa Manufacturers Register®, available in print for $112, or available online through MNI’s subscription-based service at www.ezselect.com. Users may generate custom profiles of manufacturers using a variety of criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), 20,312 executives by name and title, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, and number of employees. MNI also maintains IndustryNet.com, an industrial search engine designed specifically for locating manufacturers and suppliers nationwide, and has recently launched an expansion and relocation guide for manufacturers.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc. is the nation’s oldest and largest publisher of state manufacturers directories.  For 100 years the company has identified, researched and profiled manufacturing establishments. MNI employs an 85-person editorial staff to scour yellow pages, trade journals, financial reports, and many other sources to pinpoint every manufacturing establishment in the U.S. Each manufacturer is contacted throughout the year to update their profiles, including their employee counts. For more information, contact Manufacturers’ News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100. www.manufacturersnews.com. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter. 

At the intersection of Covington Road and Ellis Boulevard, riders will ride on Ellis Boulevard and then enter downtown on First Street SW. Three camping areas will be set up for registered riders:

• Ellis Park, The Orange Tribe accommodates 9,000 campers.

•Cherry HillPark, The Green Tribe accommodates 6,000 campers.

•VeteransMemorial Park & Cleveland Park, The Blue Tribe accommodates 1,500 campers and up to 500 RVs.

Campground reservations will be available online at http://www.cedarrapidsragbrai.com/ after May 7.

Riders will  Rapids through the CzechVillage on 16th Avenue SW, on Friday, over the Bridge of the Lions and through New Bohemia District on 3rd Street SE. They will use Otis Road, McCarthy Road, Memorial Drive and Mount Vernon Road SE to leave Cedar Rapids headed for Anamosa.

A map of the Cedar Rapidsroute and campgrounds, visit http://cedarrapidsragbrai.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/CR-Ragbrai-Route-Map.pdf.

The Counting Crows concert on Thursday night will mean some road closures.  The stage will be located on1st Street SE, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues SE, near the Alliant Energy tower.

Source Cedar Rapids RAGBRAI® Committee

www.CedarRapidsRAGBRAI.com

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, April 3 — As the water rose on the Cedar River in June 2008, the residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, prepared for the worst. And the worst is what they got. Water rose to record levels, flooding 10 square miles, affecting 18,000 people and impacting 450 businesses and 70 nonprofits. The Flood of 2008 affected everyone in Cedar Rapids, but the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF) made it its mission to restore and rebuild the community. For its work, the GCRCF was awarded the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) 2012 Award for Outstanding Foundation.

The AFP Award for Outstanding Foundation is awarded to only one foundation in North America each year that demonstrates outstanding commitment through financial support, innovation, encouragement and motivation of others. Past winners include such outstanding foundations as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.

In the days and months following the Flood of 2008, the GCRCF worked in high gear to facilitate funding to Linn County residents and organizations in need of assistance. Just days before the river began to rise, the GCRCF set up the Flood 2008 Fund, and within two weeks it had distributed $290,000 from its own operating revenue. The GCRCF also awarded more than $14 million in flood-related grants from donated funds to help more than 300 organizations since 2008.

Les Garner, president and CEO of the GCRCF, accepted the Outstanding Foundation award at AFP’s 49th International Conference on Fundraising in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 31.

“Our family of donors was so generous and they offered an overwhelming amount of support after the flood,” said Garner. “We received more than 2,732 donations from 45 states and three foreign countries. Seeing our community come through with this kind of support during a difficult time gave us hope that we can make Cedar Rapids as good as, and eventually better than, before the flood.”

“In true philanthropic spirit, the GCRCF staff will be the first to tell you it was their honor to help in the wake of the flood,” said Dawn Svenson, the AFP Eastern Iowa Chapter member who co-nominated the GCRCF.

“This distinction recognizes the GCRCF’s role as a community innovator and catalyst for change in our community and it was clearly demonstrated by their efforts in the aftermath of the flood,” said Travis Christopher, AFP Eastern Iowa Chapter member and co-nominator.

“We are truly honored to receive this tremendous recognition,” said Garner. “After the flood, we did what we felt was necessary to bring our community together around a cause–rebuilding the community. This award affirms that the work we did had an impact in Cedar Rapids, and likely throughout the country.”

The GCRCF is continuing to assist with long-term flood recovery efforts, but is also returning focus to its overall mission of connecting donors to the needs of the community and awarding grants that support innovation, sustainability and capacity-building for local nonprofits.

“We learned a lot through the flood recovery process,” said Garner. “And we’re a better foundation because of it.”

About the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF), founded in 1949, is a public charitable foundation holding nearly 600 different funds, large and small, established by individuals, families, nonprofit agencies and businesses to benefit Linn County, Iowa. Learn more about GCRCF and view the Flood 2008 Fund Community Impact Report at www.GCRCF.org .

About the Association of Fundraising Professionals

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) represents more than 30,000 members in 229 chapters throughout the world, working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education and certification programs. The association fosters development and growth of fundraising professionals and promotes high ethical standards in the fundraising profession. To learn more about AFP, visit www.AFPnet.org .

SOURCE Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation