Ever wonder which industries are growing? What kind of jobs will be available in 5 or 10 years?

Wonder no more. Campaign for Young America has produced a one-page brief that highlights the best job opportunities in California over the next several years.

According to the brief, 61% of jobs in California will require more than a high school diploma in 2018.  It highlights the top “growth” jobs that require education or training after high school.

Do you know a young person who wants to improve his or her career prospects? In addition to sharing the brief, encourage him or her to connect with United Way’s MatchBridge and SparkPoint.

MatchBridge helps young people find jobs and internships, gaining work-based learning experiences that inspire them to pursue the post-secondary credentials that can prepare them for a rewarding career and self-sufficiency.

At SparkPoint, partners like Opportunity Junction and the Stride Center provide vocational training opportunities for individuals seeking to gain additional skills that will make them stand out in the job market.

Learn more at www.MatchBridge.org and www.SparkPointCenters.org.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, United Way’s free tax preparation program, relies on 3,600 volunteers to ensure that people get the refunds they deserve – volunteers like Kristina Ng. When Kristina first walked into a tax site, she was nervous but prepared. She had no previous experience. However, she had received special training through Earn It! Keep It! Save It! and was now an IRS-certified tax preparer, ready to help demystify taxes for all her free-of-charge clients.

Kristina remembered one client who lived right upstairs from an Earn It! Keep It! Save It! site. The woman had seen the word, “free,” and decided to check it out.  She was afraid that she was going to owe money, but when the process was done, she was thrilled when Kristina told her she would be receiving close to a $3,000 refund.

“She was so happy which made me happy,” Kristina recalled. “It was a good feeling to be able to use my skills to lift people up, give them hope, and help them build a future.”

Kristina’s client got her refund because of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which is a credit given to low-wage workers. It is often not claimed because people do not know about it, making free, reliable tax preparation all the more important for those struggling to get by. The EITC can be as high as about $6,000 which can mean the difference between paying rent or being homeless for a year.

Since its inception, Earn It! Keep It! Save It! has brought nearly $275 million in refunds, including almost $99 million in EITC credits, back to low-income residents in the Bay Area. According to Kristina, volunteering is an essential part of the equation:  “Volunteering provides a vital resource for people who don’t have money,” she said. “Unlike other tax preparation services that charge, we are volunteering, so we only have one thing in mind: doing good for the people who come in.”

Though tax season is a long way off for some, Earn It! Keep It! Save It! recruits volunteers all year long. So if you are interested in learning a new skill while providing a vital service for our community, go to www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org volunteer and sign up. Training will begin this fall.

Check out our new SparkPoint video (3 minutes long)!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Created by United Way of the Bay Area, SparkPoint Centers are financial education centers that help individuals and families who are struggling to make ends meet. We help our clients address immediate financial crises, get them back on their feet, and build financially secure futures.

Learn more at www.sparkpointcenters.org.

The results are in, and United Way’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! free tax preparation service for low-income residents helped bring in $63.8 million in refunds to our community. That’s money that will get spent locally, generating jobs, sales, and tax revenue for government services.

This news couldn’t come at a better time – with budget cuts on the federal, state, and local levels hitting our communities hard, it’s critical that we bring tax dollars back to local residents.

Included in the $63.8 million was about $20 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), a credit given to low-wage workers. The EITC is often not claimed because people do not know about it, making free, reliable tax preparation all the more important for those struggling to get by.

According to Vanessa Muniz, Regional Director of Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, the EITC can be as high as about $6,000 or 10% of a household’s income in one lump sum. “It can mean being able to buy children clothes and school supplies, fixing a car for work, or having the money needed to pay rent,” she said.

Since its inception, Earn It! Keep It! Save It! has brought nearly $275 million in refunds, including almost $99 million in EITC credits, back to low-income residents in the Bay Area. “Providing the service for free is key,” said Vanessa. “We have no bottom line interest and just want to ensure that people get all the refund they are entitled to.”

To learn more about Earn It! Keep It! Save It! go to www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.

Bay Area food banks and emergency shelters rely on the federal Emergency Food and Shelter (EFSP) funds to serve millions of meals and provide shelter to thousands of who are in dire need. But their funding is under threat.

Congress is moving quickly to pass the fiscal year (FY) 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which will provide funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).  Unfortunately, as passed by the full House Appropriations Committee recently, the bill would only fund EFSP at $120 million in FY2012. That is nearly a 50% reduction in funding needed to sustain shelters and food banks in the Bay Area.

EFSP is a critical program to the San Francisco Bay Area, providing people in need with necessary food, lodging, utility assistance, and rent/mortgage help for one month. Bay Area food banks and emergency shelters rely on $3.4 million of federal Emergency Food and Shelter (EFSP) funds each year to serve three million meals and provide shelter to thousands in dire need.  Almost 400,000 unduplicated Bay Area individuals receive services from EFSP funded programs annually.

Join United Way in calling Congress to fund the program at $200 million, the same level provided in FY2010 & FY2009.

The vote is TODAY, so take action!

Taking action is easy – click here to find your Representative and follow the script provided.

Thanks for standing for thousands of children and families in need!