Tampa Community Grant Making Filing a tax return is not an enjoyable task for most people, except if you are Jamie Ewing. As the head of the tax office of the Tampa Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Ewing is on a mission. She helps working families file tax returns, and shows them how to receive an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Her work is part of the "Increasing EITC Dollars Project," which received a grant from the Community Foundation's Community Fund in 2006.
Ewing's bright smile widens when she recounts how the project has made a vital difference in the lives of Hillsborough County residents.
"One gentleman was raising his grandchildren and usually owed money after filing his tax return," she said. "I showed him how he and his wife qualified for the EITC dollars, and he received a $1,000 refund. He was ecstatic. He said he was going to use the money to pay for the beds they had bought for their grandchildren."
As the largest and most effective poverty reduction program in the country, the EITC is a special tax benefit designed to improve the financial situation of people who work but earn low wages. The Increasing EITC Dollars Project helped 77 families receive more than $108,000 for the tax season ending in April 2006.
Ewing and Benjamin Winthrop, head organizer for Tampa ACORN, are looking forward to expanding the program and helping more families in need. "We are here to help these families," said Ewing. "We are their support."
CFTB grants awarded to two winners of the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Nonprofits of the Year
The Children's Dream Fund The Children's Dream Fund is celebrating 25 years of making dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses.
"Receiving the 2006 Nonprofit of the Year Judges" Choice Award from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay Business Journal was a wonderful birthday gift. It is gratifying to be commended for the high ethical standards, donor trust, and organizational structure we uphold as well, said Cynthia Lake, Executive Director of the Pinellas County-based agency.
The award from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay was applied to the Share the Dream Program and made a dream come true for 3-year-old Yalier of Tampa. He came here with his family from Puerto Rico to receive treatment for bilateral retinoblastoma (tumors in both eyes) and a brain tumor.
His dream was to see Mickey Mouse, so the Children’s Dream Fund sent Yalier and his family to Give Kids the World for seven days. While staying at this village designed solely for sick children, they visited all of the Orlando-area theme parks, including the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.
Yalier has a tough road ahead of him, and he will carry the joy of a dream come true with him as he undergoes further treatment for his cancer.
Prevent Blindness Florida Many Floridians, young and old alike, are at risk for vision loss or impairment. It may be as simple as nearsightedness or as serious as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
Prevent Blindness Florida seeks to help Floridians prevent blindness and preserve sight. The statewide organization offers programs in eye safety and vision health.
These programs include "Play It Safe With Your Eyes," offered to children in pre-kindergarten through second grade; vision screening services for disadvantaged families, and a “Healthy Vision Corner” that provides eye health education and screenings at county health clinics. These programs ensure that people have the opportunity to care for and preserve their precious sight.
Thanks to a grant received from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay as one of only two winners of the Tampa Bay Business Journal's 2006 Nonprofit of the Year Judges' Choice Award, Prevent Blindness Florida will expand its "Healthy Vision Corner" program. In partnership with the Florida Department of Health, Prevent Blindness Florida will be able to offer vision screening in more clinics in Hillsborough County.
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s the largest and most effective poverty reduction program in the country, the EITC is a special tax benefit designed to improve the financial situation of people who work but earn low wages. The Increasing EITC Dollars Project helped 77 families receive more than $108,000 for the tax season ending in April 2006.
Confirmed in Compliance With National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations