Community Action News
FEBRUARY 2021
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RECOGNIZING RESILIENCY
2020 was a year of tremendous loss and suffering for many in our community. The COVID pandemic
disproportionately impacted the communities we serve and further resulted in job loss and economic hardship for vulnerable families.
While the promise of a vaccine brings a sense of hope, WCAC remains committed to helping all those in need throughout our community for as long as it takes to collectively recover from this devastating pandemic. Amidst the challenges of 2020, we made progress and renewed our commitment to our core values of partnering with dignity, encouraging and elevating all voices and perspectives in our work, and advancing equitable access to our services and programs for everyone we reach. We embrace our shared responsibility to work toward a better society as we fulfill our mission to help people move to economic self-sufficiency through programs, partnerships, and advocacy. We invite our peers and partners to work with us in the coming year to break the cycle of poverty and work toward resilient families and a
thriving community with opportunities for all.
2020 also gave us great reason to celebrate and recognize our work. It was year that unveiled our everyday community action heroes and heroines at WCAC; our incredible staff. Staff from every corner of our agency demonstrated great care and compassion for one another and for our community.
Please click the image above to view WCAC's 2020 Annual Report. Special thanks to the team at PENTA Communications for creating such a stunning and dynamic piece to capture the important accomplishments made and major strides taken to help our communities reach self sufficiency.
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HOME HEATING HELP
The COVID pandemic has wreaked havoc for local families - working from home and remote schooling both mean escalating home heating bills with more time being spent at home. Lost and or reduced wages due to the pandemic likewise has left many struggling - many for the first time. But did you know that a family of four can be earning as much as $75,000 and still be eligible for home heating assistance?
WCAC's home heating assistance program - also known as LIHEAP (Low Income Home Heating Assistance Program) or fuel assistance - may be able to help. Financial assistance is available for income-eligible households to help pay home heating bills incurred between November 1st and April 30th each year.
To ensure the safety of both WCAC staff and our clients, all applications are presently being handled virtually - either online or by phone. Additional details including eligibility requirements and a new online application for first time applicants now available online.
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VIRTUAL VITA PROVING VITAL
In just the first two weeks of the program, WCAC's Volunter Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program had already received nearly 200 online applications! IRS-certified volunteers are now hard at work preparing tax returns and specifically looking for tax credits a household may be eligible for, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, and others. Utilizing the free tax preparation services allows local families earning less than $57,000 to retain their full refund, avoiding typical preparation fees which can often cost hundreds of dollars.
Like most programs operating during the COVID pandemic, VITA has gone virtual. Appointments therefore are not needed because all preparation will be happening virtually. Visit WCAC's VITA webpage for links to submit your tax documents online. You will then be contacted by a certified tax preparer via phone call, text or email. They will work with you until you review your draft return, e-sign it and we e-file it for you. Typically, returns take about a week, but will likely take longer during the beginning of the season when we receive many applications at the same time. Please be patient!
If you don’t have a smartphone or computer to upload documents yourself, you can begin the process without an appointment by bringing your paperwork to WCAC’s VITA office, located at 484 Main Street, Suite 202 ONLY during the following times:
- Mondays 5:00-7:00PM
- Wednesdays 3:00-7:00PM,
- Fridays 9:00AM-1:00PM
- Saturdays 9:00AM-Noon
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BOOK BUDDIES
WCAC's Head Start program has enjoyed a partnership with MAPFRE Insurance which has shared countless employee volunteers to our classrooms. While the pandemic has prevented those weekly Book Buddy visits from happening in person, MAPFRE's commitment to our students has not wavered!
This week we received a donation of Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Collection sets for each of our ten classrooms from MAPFRE. Next week we look forward to celebrating Dr. Seuss's Birthday and Read Across America Day by welcoming MAPFRE employee volunteers as virtual guest readers to our classroom. Building literacy and language skills help children be kindergarten-ready, so they enter school with a love of books and ready to learn. This is important for school success because eventually they move from learning to read, to reading to learn. Thank you MAPFRE!!
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WELCOME ABOARD
On February 8, 2021, WCAC's Board of Directors met for the agency's 55th Annual Meeting. While the meeting itself was held via Zoom, the tradition of electing a new slate of officers remained the same. Congratulations to our incoming officers:
- Don Xenos, Chair
- Karen Rucks Walker, Vice Chair, Designee for Mayor Joseph Petty
- Brian Westerlind, Treasurer, Designee for Senator Harriette Chandler
- Steve Desmarais, Assistant Treasurer
- Donna Lombardi, Clerk
- Eve Gilmore, Assistant Clerk
We are most grateful for our Board's dedicated and tireless support. A special thank you to our outgoing chair, Noreen Johnson Smith. As directed by the agency’s bylaws, WCAC’s Board of Directors is a tripartite board comprised equally of representatives of the public sector, private sector and community.
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Worcester's Care for Kids Certification & Training Program, Session 2 begins March 8th. Free training for ages 11-14. Limited spots available.
Click HERE to register today! |
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www.WCAC.net Info@WCAC.net |
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