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Donna Stiglmeier

We began these blogs because we wanted to start a conversation. The posts on this blog are the personal perspectives of individual staff, volunteers and guest bloggers, they do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization. We encourage response and conversation. We just ask you to keep it respectful. We'd love to hear it. It's a conversation, after all, we hope you'll add to it. Want to be a guest blogger? Email us

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Donna Stiglmeier
Tue, 08/03/2010

Here's to you...on the pathway to financial stability!

1 of 9 United Ways in Learning Network to promote financial stability

Learning takes time nationally...and breeds local results in Lynn!  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Thu, 05/20/2010

Lawrence gets $1.5 million in tax refunds…thanks to 50 volunteers!

Great news for 884 families…Great for the local economy!

Last week, United Way along with the IRS joined four community agencies – Lawrence CommunityWorks, Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation, Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Centro de Apoyo Familiar – in thanking 50 volunteers for being the backbone to success of a collaborative effort! Although tax filing is a one-to-one endeavor, gathering together to celebrate was important…this was an all time high return for this third year of the Lawrence EITC Initiative!  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Thu, 04/01/2010

Earn It! Keep It! Save It!

music with a message

In honor of the rapidly approaching tax deadline: A new hip hop song warning about the pitfalls of predatory lenders...and encouraging folks to earn it, keep it, save it!  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Tue, 03/30/2010

Smart Choices at Tax Time

April 15th is two weeks away!

April 15th is two weeks away! Okay…maybe you finished your taxes and already earning interest on your refund placed in a savings/investment vehicle…and maybe not!! Whether it is tax time or not, here is a resource to make Smart Choices.  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Wed, 04/08/2009

It's not just in your head...or what you eat!

The community impact of the stress of poverty

April 7th's Globe article “Data Tie Stress of Poverty to Brain” was the most recent occurence of many - in only a handful of days - where this connection of economic stressors and its impact on individuals, families and communities was front and center - at home and at work - with family, friends, and colleagues. What was most striking to me - and gratefully - was the importance of communal responsibility (for good and for naught), in addition to the individual responsibility (for good and for naught) for our overall common good as a people. What do you think?  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Wed, 03/18/2009

MassCAP Executive Director interviewed by Chris Lovett on EITC:

Joe Diamond talks about the Earned Income Tax Credit
in

About $75 million is unclaimed by Massachusetts working families.  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Wed, 03/04/2009

A better life for self and children…

...what is desired from financial education programs.

Given this economy, agencies are seeing an increase in enrollees in their financial education classes – especially people who are low income.

So, how do communities meet the increased demand due to these economic times?

At an over-capacity workshop for trainers of community-based financial education, well-respected and nationally known facilitator Inger Giuffrida attempted to answer this question this week, by offering practical tools for both designing and measuring programs that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Fri, 02/13/2009

Free Tax Filing in Quincy

Every bit counts

With a grant from United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. is hosting FREE TAX PREPARATION DAYS, in partnership with the Wal-Mart Foundation and One Economy.  The first day is Tuesday, February 17th and it runs through the remainder of the week. A flyer with site locations and times is provided below.  Let your friends know.  Pass along to friends who live in Quincy and South Shore Community.  You may be eligible if:

* earned $56,000 or less.  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Wed, 01/21/2009

Make your money stretch...

A work support at tax time that works for you!

An 8% increase of dollars flowing (back) to the Massachusetts families who earned it!  How often does that happen?! 

 

Last tax season, the IRS reports that a new high of $568 million of federal EITC was claimed by eligible Massachusetts families.  As Massachusetts matches the federal EITC by 15%, another $8.5 went back to working families...most of it getting pumped back into the economy.  Needed for our economy and working families in these tough economic times!

 read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Wed, 10/15/2008

A Tale of Two States: Child Poverty in Massachusetts

a Post for Blog Action Day on Poverty

Massachusetts has one of the highest median family incomes in the nation, yet its percentage of children who are poor has hovered for years at 13%, even in better economic times.   read more »

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