Save the Date!

Online poverty simulation

http://playspent.org/

Symposium this weekend

Creative Force: Arthur Romano & Cherine Badawi

Saturday, February 26
1 PM – 6 PM Workshop & Facilitators’ Training
Wilder 115, 135 West Lorain St.

Sunday, February 27
10 AM – 1 PM Generation Waking Up Experience
3 PM – 6 PM World Café & Open Space (reception will follow)
Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse, Oberlin College Lanes, 180 West Lorain St.

Two experienced and passionate community educators, Arthur Romano and Cherine Badawi, come together in Oberlin to lead a series of workshops for community leaders. Arthur and Cherine will use alternative approaches and techniques to generate dialogue around issues of diversity and conflict resolution.

On the first day, they will facilitate a story-based experiential workshop, and then lead a workshop training participants to facilitate dialogue and work towards solutions in their own communities.

On Feb. 27, they will present the “Wake Up,” a multimedia experience which educates young people about the world we are inheriting and ignites them into action. Later that day, they will host a final workshop designed to foster group collaboration and visioning, followed by a dinner.

Reposted from http://oberlinyoungeducators.org/creative-force/

36 returns filed!

Thank you for coming out today and helping at the Ohio Benefit Bank Tax Clinic!  Here are the numbers:

12 OBB tax counselors addressed 41 appointments and filed 36 returns for a net profit of $67,462.  That is a darned impressive days work--it is over double the appointments and returns of the January clinic--and I hope you all are proud of yourselves, because I am!

Thank you

Linda and Kathy at Oberlin Community Services for giving us space, tables, and coffee.

Beth and Bev for filling out VISTA paperwork.

Claudine for starting the project and returning today to fill out a few returns.

Zach and Russell for traveling up from Columbus.

Greer and Sam for OBB North Coast support.

Sheila, Avi, Kyle and Megan for returning as tax counselors.

Olivia, Amber, and Rachel for debuting as tax counselors.

Lorenzo's for donating tasty pizza for lunch.

Tomorrow!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2/18/2011

Media Contact:

Ondrea Keith

440.935.7259

okeith@oberlin.edu

Free Tax Assistance for Local Residents Returns $52,212 in Tax Refunds

Free community tax clinics to be held at Oberlin Community Services February 19^th and March 19^th

OBERLIN, OH – Oberlin Community Services is offering free federal and state tax filing clinics to the residents of southern Lorain County through a partnership between the Second Harvest Foodbank of North Central Ohio and Oberlin College’s Bonner Center for Service and Learning (CSL). At a clinic held on January 29, 2011 20 people filed their federal and state tax returns, for a total of $52,212 in refunds.

“My tax counselor today was just as helpful and professional as the paid tax preparers I’ve used in the past. There was a lot of privacy and courteousness, which I really appreciated,” remarked a client who came to the January 29^, 2011 clinic.

The program used to file the taxes, The Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB), is an Internet-based program that connects low- and moderate-income Ohioans with access to tax filing assistance and work supports, such as food assistance and the Home Energy Assistance Program. The OBB is a program of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, Ohio’s largest response to hunger and supported by nearly 1,200 agencies and organizations throughout Ohio.

At the free community tax clinics, OBB tax counselors, who are trained Oberlin College students and local community volunteers, use The OBB program to screen for different tax credits, like Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credits, and Education Credits. In 2010, the first year of the tax-season partnership between OBB and Oberlin Community Services, three tax clinics helped 54 residents of Lorain County claim over $76,000 in tax refunds.

Upcoming tax clinics are scheduled at Oberlin Community Services on Saturday, February 19 and March 19, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The service is available to most Ohioans with an annual household income of less than $60,000. To make an appointment, or for more information on The Ohio Benefit Bank, contact Ohio Benefit Bank Community Trainer Ondrea Keith at 440.935.7259.

About the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF)

OASHF is Ohio’s largest charitable response to hunger, representing Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks and 3,000 member charities including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. In SFY 2010, OASHF and its member foodbanks were able to acquire and distribute over 135 million pounds of food and grocery items. Since 2006, OASHF has administered The Ohio Benefit Bank, the nation’s most successful application assistance program.

About The Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB)

The OBB is an internet-based program that helps low- and moderate-income Ohioans get connected with work supports, income enhancements and assistance programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, food assistance and free federal and state tax filing. Since the program’s inception in 2006, The OBB has assisted over 181,000 Ohioans in connecting with tax credits and work supports with the potential value of over $404 million.

Hey, Seniors

The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations is offering four (4) full tuition scholarships

for full-time master's degree applicants for the fall of 2011.

Full Tuition Scholarships! The Mandel Center Announces Full Tuition Scholarships for Fall 2011

Criteria: Outstanding academic credentials Strong commitment to a career in the nonprofit sector In a leadership role or have high potential for leadership Finalists will be asked to participate in an interview process. Application deadline:  April 15, 2011 Scholarship decisions:  April 29, 2011  *One of the 4 full tuition scholarships is from The Arthur J. Naparstek Scholarship Fund - preference will be given to citizens of the State of Israel.

For more information about the Mandel Center's graduate programs in nonprofit management and for further details about scholarships, call 1.800.435.6669 or visit us online.

Things that are certain in life

If you live in Oberlin and consider yourself an Oberlin resident (does not always apply to Oberlin College students), there are multiple taxes you must pay.

1.  Federal taxes to the US government   www.irs.gov
2.  State taxes to the Ohio state government   tax.ohio.gov
3.  Regional taxes to the City of Oberlin collected by RITA  www.rita.to
4.  School district taxes to the Oberlin School District, collected by the state   tax.ohio.gov


Numbers 3 and 4 are being a real pain for me today.  Ah, taxes!  How frustrating you can be when you aren't simple.

Interfaith Hospitality Network Volunteer Opportunity

Welcome back to campus, students!  Good luck settling your schedule.  Here is a volunteer opportunity for this weekend:

A training session for interested volunteers will be held on Saturday, February 12 starting at 11:00 a.m. Come to First Church UCC Oberlin located on the northwest corner of Main and Lorain Streets.  Enter the Fellowship Hall of the church through the parking lot behind the building. 

A light lunch will be provided at the training, which lasts less than three hours.  Reservations are not necessary, but would be helpful so that we have enough food and training material on hand.  Please contact either Lori Taylor at taylorlori@oberlin.net or Linda.Slocum@oberlin.edu. You can learn more about the Interfaith Hospitality Network at www.familypromiselorainco.org.  

We hope to see you at the training. First Church’s hosting week starts February 13. Two other Oberlin host congregations, Mt. Zion Baptist and Sacred Heart Catholic, will have families in March.  There will be lots of volunteer opportunities this spring and we'd be happy to have you be part of it!

JUST LAUNCHED Apollo Outreach Initiative

The Apollo Outreach Initiative involves two Cinema Studies faculty members and Oberlin College students working with various age levels in the Oberlin schools to teach kids about making movies.  Check it out:


Greetings!

We proudly announce the launch of The Apollo Outreach Initiative* channel.

Here (http://www.youtube.com/user/ApolloOutreach44074) you can see an overview of our work over the last year and learn more about the larger project.

We thank all those who have and who continue to support us.

Rian Brown and Geoff Pingree

Co-Founders, The Apollo Outreach Initiative

Summer internship opportunity

This summer join the OurEarth.org community and become an intern in OurEarth.org's 2011 Environmental Leadership Program. This is a rare opportunity for you to develop as a leader and learn many of the skills that are necessary if you want to create significant environmental changes in the future. In addition to leadership training, you will work on a number of diverse environmental projects that will help the OurEarth.org organization and website expand, be in a team with students from other colleges, earn course credit, connect with OurEarth.org's large network of environmental professionals, and because OurEarth.org is still a young organization this is an opportunity to join on the ground floor of many up-and-coming initiatives. Lastly, for added flexibility, all work is done remotely so you can work from your home, campus, or anywhere else, yet you will still have very frequent contact with the OurEarth.org management and other interns via conference calls, email, webinars, and other electronic mediums.

      OurEarth.org is a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization and grassroots initiative that aims to aid and develop environmental leaders, in part, by transforming the way environmental programs, activities, and information are found on the internet. A more detailed program description, the internship application, and further information about the OurEarth.org organization is available here:http://www.ourearth.org/students/. Finally, the program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. If you want to apply, act quickly since admission is done on a ROLLING BASIS and acceptances will begin to be mailed in February. If you have any questions, please contact John Ullman at (410) 878 - 6485 or jgu@duke.edu, to get additional information.