Salt and Pepper Shaker Collector's Vast Iowa Cache
Ruth Rasmussen of Traer houses a vast salt and pepper shaker collection in two sheds. Her sign boasts 12 470 pairs, with iconic US-themed and presidential sets and a strict no buying policy. She numbers each shaker with engraved facts and plans to one day display more pieces, while avoiding sale of favorites.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
TRAER
Ruth Rasmussen
Ruth
United States
Idaho
Hiawatha
Minnesota
Iowa
Harvestore
Pillsbury
Big Brothers Big Sisters Roots Back to 1903
The program began in 1903 to aid children from single parent families and now operates in all 50 states. In our area it started in 1975 with United Way of East Central Iowa support. The system matches a child with a volunteer adult or couple for two to three hours weekly, fostering socialization and activity. More than 50 children age 6 to 14 typically await mentors, while 111 boys and 79 girls were matched in the first half of this year. Volunteers Jim and Toni Landenberger joined after Toni read about the program in The Gazette, leading to Becky Rupe, an eight-year-old with a divorced mother, being paired with them.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati
Irvin Westheimer
Westheimer
United Way of
East Central
Iowa
Jim
Toni Landenberger
Toni
The
Gazette
Becky Rupe
Becky
Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs couples with children
Jim and Toni host Becky for weekly visits and activities like checkers roller skating and mini golf. They value the chance to provide a happy childhood memory while noting many mentors are single and urging more married couples to participate through the United Way backed program.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim
Toni
Becky
Big Brothers
Big Sisters
Dispute Center Aims to Reduce Divorce Hostility
The Community Dispute Settlement Center launches Family Mediation Service to ease costly divorces through open dialogue guided by trained mediators. Sessions span six weeks with about two hours weekly, helping couples resolve property and custody issues before court action.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Vanessa Shelton
Community Dispute Settlement Center
Peg Cronk
Cronk
Family Service Agency
California
Third Ave. SE
Community Volunteer Opportunities Across Local Organizations
Local agencies seek volunteers for many roles including Big Brothers Big Sisters orientation on September 14, UCP disabled swimmers program, Red Cross clerical help, Youth Shelter crafts and cooking, Cedar Rapids MS Society office and patient services, Council on Aging shopping for homebound elderly, hairdresser assistance at Brendelwood, handicapped bowling league support, Camp Fire leader positions, Personal Economics Program for youth and adults, United Way word processing, YWCA crafts and swimming with handicapped children, Heritage Acres activities, grantwriting for Community Dispute Settlement Center, Jerry Lewis Telethon setup, mental health friend program, waiting room supervision, and Indian Creek Nature Center trainer roles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Big Brothers
Big Sisters
36Th St. Drive
UCP
Bender Pool
Claudia
Jenny
Red Cross
Edie
Foundation 2
Larry
Health Agency
Cedar Rapids
MS Society
Ann
Kathy
Liz Selk
Council On Aging
Brendelwood
Judy
United Way
Virginia
YWCA
Terra Fitzpatrick
Heritage Acres
Community Dispute Settlement Center
If Brain Worked Like a Computer
Rochester experts compare brain and computer speed noting that a face recognition task would take an hour for a person if neurons were as slow as computer chips. Professor Jerome Feldman explains that parallel neural activity lets humans process complex images rapidly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rochester
N.Y
University of Rochester
Jerome A. Feldman
Iowa Forms Fifteen Area Community Colleges
Vocational education expands through Iowa's 15 Area Community Colleges offering specialized training to upgrade skills and boost job opportunities while building a skilled workforce for local business and industry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
Also Mentioned on This Page
Ramblin’ With
Rascal
Zoo
Brookfield
Ill
Charlie
Nashua
Dave Rasdal
Drome
Mon
Dispute Center
Ment Center
Money Management
New York
America
American Bankers Association
PEP
Barb Ernst
Peg
Liz
Tara
Esther
Sylvia
Indian Creek Nature Center
Laura Levsen
aVa
Center Pt. Rd
University Ave
Cedar Falls
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!