There are 12 days left to file your 2010 tax returns!

From January through April, Earn It! Keep It! Save It! is preparing tax returns for low-income individuals and families in seven counties around the Bay Area. The goal of the United Way-led coalition is to help individuals and families claim their maximum benefits and refunds, especially the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which goes unclaimed by as many as 20% of eligible, low-wage tax payers each year. 

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! ensures eligible taxpayers claim the EITC which be as much as $5,666 per family.  For instance, Mayra Lopez and her father, both loyal Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) clients were both able to claim the EITC this year thanks to the help they received at the EKS site at the San Antonio Community Development Corp.  in Alameda County.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! is helping thousands of Bay Area taxpayers claim all the refunds and tax credits for which they are eligible.

Mayra learned about Earn It! Keep It! Save It! several years ago, while working as a volunteer for the San Antonio CDC, doing outreach and administrative work. She has been getting her taxes done for free there ever since.  Mayra said, “I used to go to a family friend to do my taxes, but once I learned about Earn It! Keep It! Save It! and their knowledgeable preparers during my volunteer experience, I could see it was a perfect fit for me.”

Mayra added, “The volunteers are great at explaining how to fill out the proper documents, the tax credits that we are eligible for, and then reviewing our taxes when we are done.  My dad now goes to the same site and is able to take advantage of some tax credits that he didn’t know about in the past. I recommend Earn It! Keep It! Save It! and the San Antonio CDC site to everyone that I come across.”

Learn more about Earn It! Keep It! Save It! at www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.

The United Way’s Earn It! Keep It! Save It! program has been in full swing since the end of January, preparing over 20,000 tax returns in the Bay Area. We are well on our way to reach our goal of helping more than 50,000 low- and moderate-income tax payers.

Tax season is nearing a close, but taxpayers have until April 18th to file their returns this year. Why the three extra days? Friday, April 15, is Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia. So tax filers rejoice! You get three additional days to visit an Earn It! Keep It! Save It! site and file your taxes.

We spoke with new client Caesarae, who had nothing but positive things to say about her experience. Until this year when her mother handed her an Earn It! Keep It! Save It! flyer, she had been a frequent customer of H&R Block.

Caesarae had only positive things to say about her experience as an Earn It! Keep It! Save It! client

When asked what she planned to do with her return, she said, “I can pay my mom back with my refund and have money left over. I’m moving to Colorado and will definitely be looking for free tax sites like this one there.”

You can find free tax help near you by calling 211 or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.

As United Way’s Joan Byrne pulled up to Garfield Elementary School a couple of weeks ago, she was delighted to see a farmer’s market selling fruits and vegetables right in front of the school.  Many of these vegetables came from the school’s garden, which United Way, UPS volunteers and the Oakland Raiders built together during the 2006 Hometown Huddle.  

Joan was at Garfield to participate in the 12^th annual Hometown Huddle, a United Way-NFL partnership that encourages volunteerism, raises awareness about childhood obesity, and encourages youth to be more active.  Garfield is one of several community schools supported by United Way, which bring community services onto school campuses to ensure families’ basic needs are covered so that students can come to school prepared to learn.

This year, 45 volunteers came together to promote active and healthy living among Garfield students and their families.  Oakland Raiders Nnamdi Asomugha, Khalif Barnes, Marcel Reece, Sam Williams and Joe Porter arrived early to autograph 200 reusable grocery bags, which UPS volunteers then packed with food for the students’ families.  When students arrived at the afterschool event, East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) staff and volunteers were there to help with homework.  EBAYC operates a large afterschool program, where students receive homework and reading support and a range of enrichment activities.  

United Way’s LIVE UNITED Ambassador Nnamdi Asomugha kicked off the festivities, speaking to the students about the importance of staying active and healthy.  Afterwards, he and his teammates led everyone outside for a fun football scrimmage.  Nnamdi played with one squad, while Joe Porter coached the other. Khalif Barnes was the referee, while Marcel Reece tried his hand at cheerleading, and Sam Willams fetched water for thirsty students. 

Special thanks to NFL Charities and UPS, which each provided $5,000 to support the event and the school.

As part of FedEx’s 6th annual Cares Week, a team of 45 FedEx employees from around the Bay Area helped United Way host a community resource fair at the SparkPoint Oakland Center on September 24.

The volunteers completed a wide range of tasks to support the event, which was held at Lion Creek Crossings, the housing complex which is home to SparkPoint Oakland Center.  FedEx volunteers: 

• assembled more than 250 food baskets and backpacks, which were distributed to low-income families.
• knocked on doors throughout the housing complex to encourage residents to attend the resource fair.
• distributed information about United Way programs, such as SparkPoint, 211,Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, and BankOn Oakland.
• served up root beer floats and passed out balloons to families.
• gathered surveys from residents, which will inform SparkPoint’s efforts to serve the community.

United Way’s Sparkpoint Oakland Center is one of several one-stop centers in the Bay Area that offers a full-range of personalized mentoring and financial coaching services. Each center helps families to create a step-by-step plan that tackles their unique financial challenges, and connects them to services that help them move up the career ladder, build assets and manage their credit. The SparkPoint Oakland Center has served more than 400 people since it opened in 2009.

In celebration of FedEx’s 6th annual Cares Week, thousands of employees from more than 30 cities across the country and over 40 countries around the world came together to give back to their communities and volunteer for special services and events. During the week of September 20, FedEx team members participated in thousands of local projects celebrating the spirit of volunteerism, collaboration and community.

Oakland resident Jackie B. came to SparkPoint Oakland Center in January after seeing an ABC-7 news segment about SparkPoint.  After being unemployed for two years, Jackie hoped SparkPoint could help with her job search.

Click here to view the embedded video.

SparkPoint career coach Lloyd Williams worked with Jackie to refresh her job-search strategies.  Lloyd is an employee of the Workforce Collaborative, one of five organizations that work together to deliver services at SparkPoint Oakland Center.  Jackie and Lloyd met regularly to talk about Jackie’s goals and her job search. She credits Lloyd with being the “spark” that helped her stay motivated.

“SparkPoint gave me the inspiration I needed to keep going and not give up,” said Jackie.  “They look out for you and help you like family. There’s a lot of love here.”

In early May, Jackie secured a full-time position, with benefits, as a customer service representative at the Oakland Marina.  She says she loves her new job.

Learn more about SparkPoint.