While most people are aware that MLK Day is a Federal holiday in the U.S. and have enjoyed a day off from school or work, what many don’t realize is that in 1994 Congress designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service. Each January, people across the country “make it a day on, not a day off” by participating in service activities in their communities. Last year in Philadelphia, more than 70,000 volunteers served on MLK Day! So, why the day of service? What does this have to do with Martin Luther King Jr.?  

Dr. King once said “Life’s most persistent and nagging question, he said, is `what are you doing for others?’” and envisioned a country where people worked together to solve community problems and making the world a better place – the Beloved Community. While we have come a long way since the days of Martin Luther King, there is still much work to be done. By serving on the King Holiday and throughout the year, we can realize King’s dream of equality and opportunity for all and build upon our community’s foundation. Check out http://www.uwkc.org/ways-to-volunteer/mlkday/ to find out how you can honor Dr. King’s legacy on January 17^th and all year long.

Guests at United Way's Community Resource Exchange

“Token days are not the ebb and flow of life.  They ease our feelings of regret about the way things have to be for the remainder of the year.  They do not really change the way things are.”–Jonathan Kozol, “The Shame of the Nation”

Last Friday was Day of Caring, my 13th with United Way of King County.  I was among about 300 volunteers (there were over 10,500 total throughout the county) that spent the day at Qwest Field for the Community Resource Exchange.  In case you don’t know, the CRE is an event that provides direct access to a variety of public and quality of life services to people struggling with homelessness, all in one place on one day.  Last year, we had approximately 1200 guests.  Last Friday, we had over 2000.  That’s a conservative estimate.  I stood in line with many of them, and I can tell you 2000 is low.  But I’ll wait for the official numbers next week.

I shouldn’t be surprised by the huge increase in need.  None of us should be, really.  As one of the organizers of the event, I was an obvious target for the emotions that naturally accompany something like this:  anger, fear, gratitude, sadness, hope, surrender, and love were all on display.  As the day came to an end, one of the final guests came up to me as I loaded materials into our UPS truck.  The sadness in her voice was masked by the smile on her face. 

“Bless you,” she said.  “I didn’t get everything I needed today, but you made me feel human again.  Just for a moment.  And that’s enough for now.  Maybe I can get up tomorrow and keep going, and do it again.”

I’ve always been a bit cynical about Day of Caring.  Kozol’s quote above puts my perspective in words.  And yet, this woman’s words stick with me, as well.  They give me pause, for which I now turn and ask of you.  To the more than 10,000 people who gave of themselves so graciously last Friday, I say “THANK YOU.”  And, “What’s Next?”  To the rest of us, I know that many of you allow yourselves those moments when you actually think things aren’t so bad.  But they could be better, right?  So I say “Bless YOU.”  And, “What’s Next?”  Here are two possibilities in our local area:

• The Bridge to Basics program connects volunteers to local organizations in an effort to help struggling families stretch their limited resources by getting signed up for public benefit programs.  As someone said at the CRE, ‘I may only qualify for $15 in food stamps per month because I’m working more, but that’s almost four days worth of food for me and my daughter’.
• Our Free Tax Campaign helps thousands of low-income individuals and families get every dollar back on their federal tax return that they’re eligible for, without having to pay someone to do it for them.  You can be one of almost 650 volunteers in King County this year to help make that happen!  Registration opens Friday, October 1st right here!  And as I love telling folks, NO tax experience necessary!

Whatever you might think about the amount of actual change that can occur on a ‘token day’, I hope you remember two things.  First, make today as good as you can make it.  Second, wake up tomorrow and do whatever you can to make it better than today.

It’s finally here! United Way of King County’s 18th annual Day of Caring event is just around the corner and there are tons of ways to see and hear what the 10,000+ volunteers are up to on September 24th:

• See photos of volunteers in action! A team of 40 volunteer photographers will be visiting and taking pictures at Day of Caring project sites throughout King County and posting them to the Day of Caring photo stream on Flickr. To see real time images of the amazing work being done by volunteers on Day of Caring, check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/uwkcdayofcaring/
• Join the conversation on Twitter! Day of Caring volunteers, partner organizations, and United Way staff will be tweeting throughout the day.  To see the conversation thread, click here , search for the #uwkcdayofcaring hashtag or follow @VolunteerKC, @UnitedWayKC, and @brasmi (Microsoft’s Brad Smith)
• Become a fan of United Way of King County on Facebook and get our Day of Caring status updates throughout the day.

Have you been thinking about donating to your local food bank? Well, your mail carrier is about to make it a lot easier. On May 8th, you can take part in Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest single day food drive. Letter carriers in more than 10,000 communities will collect food items and deliver them to local food banks to help some of the millions of Americans, including an estimated 16.7 million children who face hunger every day.

Here’s how you can help:

• Contact your local post office to verify its participation in the food drive. ( Search the USPS website for the contact information for your local post office.)
• Place bags filled with non-perishable food items next to your mailbox (donate items like canned meat, fish, vegetables, soup, juice, rice and cereal. Please do not include expired items or those in glass containers)
• Your letter carrier will pick them up and deliver them to local food banks!

For more information visit HelpStampOutHunger.com

But I’d like to talk about an IRS program that many people may not even know about.  It’s one of the most successful community volunteer initiatives ever, in terms of return on investment (for you bottom-line types) and the ‘warm fuzzies’ (for those of you who like puppies and kittens).  It’s called the Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, or VITA.  It started back in 1969 (like myself) with the Tax Reform Act (not like myself).

From very modest beginnings, VITA has grown to over 4,500 free tax sites nationwide (including 17 right here in King County).  In 2009, those 4,500 sites utilized the services of over 43,000 certified volunteers to prepare 1.2 million federal tax returns–a growth rate of 155% over 5 years!

But that’s just part of the success story.  The average VITA client earns about $18,800 a year before taxes (2008).  And here are some amazing numbers for 2009:

• Total federal refunds returned to VITA clients: $1.4 billion.
• 355,000 VITA clients claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit.
• The average EITC was $1,465.  And the total EITC return amount exceeded $520 million.
• Each EITC dollar brought back into a community generates approximately $1.58 in local economic activity.

And because of VITA programs in local communities, 100% of those dollars go into VITA clients’ pockets, bank accounts, and/or savings opportunities like bonds, instead of towards fees for paid tax preparers.

So why am I telling you all of this?  Because despite the tremendous success of this program and the demonstrated impact that it has had on communities across this country, there was never a dime of federal funding to support it until 2008.  That’s when Congress approved an $8 million competitive matching grant initiative for local VITA programs.  It was increased to $12 million for 2010.  But now the administration is recommending it be decreased back to $8 million for FY 2011, meaning all of the work done to expand VITA programs to reach more families over the past 3 years would be severely impacted when we start doing taxes in 2012.

VITA is exactly the type of federal program that should be kept intact during times of economic turmoil.  The numbers literally speak for themselves.  If you agree, there are two things I’d like you do:

• The decision about funding for the VITA Grant Program for 2012 will be made in Congress over the next several months.  Contact your representative, and tell them that now is NOT the time to cut back on programs that put money back into people’s pockets!  Don’t know who your rep is?  Click here.
• Add your name to this state-by-state petition drive to not only keep funding for the VITA Grant Program intact, but to increase it.  For Washington, click here.

We are doing something new at United Way! For the last few years we’ve offered Lunch & Learns at your workplace. Now we’re also offering them at United Way’s downtown Seattle office.

Come and join us this Thursday, March 18 at 12:00 pm for the second Lunch & Learn at United Way, “Quality Child Care: What it is and how to find it.” The one-hour information is presented by Deeann Burtch Puffert, CEO of Child Care Resources. Puffert is an expert on all things child care, so if you are interested in finding a good fit for your child, bring your lunch and head on over to 720 Second Avenue!

For more information visit unitedwayofkingcounty.org/lunchnlearn. RSVP for this Lunch & Learn today at lunchnlearn@uwkc.org.

Now through April 15, 2010, United Way of King County will operate 17 free tax preparation sites throughout King County.  Tax assistance will be provided by over 550 volunteers who are trained and certified by the IRS.

Who is eligible for this service?

• Anyone whose household made less than $50,000 in 2009
• Basic tax returns only (NO rental income, business taxes, or sale of property or stock)
• No appointment necessary

What services are available at tax sites?

• Free, quality tax preparation
• Electronic filing and direct deposit for faster refunds (bring your account information)
• Ensure that you receive all credits and deductions for which you are eligible
• Information about other asset building opportunities such as opening a bank account or purchasing a savings bond
• Help for recent immigrants (multilingual services and applications for individual taxpayer identification numbers)

To find a free tax preparation site near you, call 2-1-1 or visit www.uwkc.org/taxhelp.

Photo by cbcastro at flickr.com

10 Powerful Reasons to “Give 10″

1. Your neighbors need your help! 98,630 people are out of work, compared to 45,480 a year ago, and there has been a 180 percent increase in the number of foreclosures.

2. Single-parent families, disabled veterans and other vulnerable people are having a hard time paying their mortgages and rent.

3. By joining together with 10 others in your circle of friends and family–and giving just $10 each, you can keep people from plunging into homelessness and crisis.

4. Your giving will create a ripple effect that will spread through our community immediately.

5. You will help people avoid or escape homelessness.

6. You will help provide counseling and short-term financial support for low-income homeowners and tenants facing eviction, foreclosure or utility shut-off.

7. You will help newly-homeless families and individuals get back into housing and back on their feet with one-time move-in grants for first and last month’s rent and/or damage deposits.

8. It’s a small way to make a big difference in people’s lives!

9. Your gift to United Way of King County is tax deductible.

10. It’s super easy. Just click here to give.

Your ballot packet requires one first class stamp if returned through the mail. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, November 3.

King County has ballot drop boxes throughout the county to provide voters with a way to securely return their ballots without the cost of postage.

Ballot drop boxes will close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.

Track your mail ballot packet online at: www.kingcounty.gov/elections. Happy voting!

Ballot box locations

• Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S., Auburn, 98002
• Library Connection @ Crossroads, 15600 NE 8th St., outside of Suite K-11, 98008
• Black Diamond Library, 24707 Roberts Dr., 98010
• Covington Library, 27100 164th Ave SE, 98042
• Des Moines Library, 21620 11th Avenue S., 98198
• Earlington Business Center, 919 SW Grady Way, 98057
• Fall City Library, 33415 SE 42 Pl., 98024
• Federal Way Library, 848 S 320th St, 98003
• Kent Regional Library, 212 2nd Ave N, 98032
• Lake Forest Park Library, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 98155 near the lower level mall entrance
• Seattle, King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Ave., 98104
• Seattle, White Center Library, 11220 16th S.W., Seattle, 98146
• Tukwila, King County Elections Headquarters, 9010 East Marginal Way S, 98108
• Woodinville Library, 17105 Avondale Rd NE, 98072

Seattle Neighborhood Service Center locations

• Ballard, 5604 22nd Ave NW, 98107
• Central, 2301 S Jackson, 98144
• Delridge, 5405 Delridge Way SW, 98106
• Lake City, 12525 28th Ave NE, 98125
• Southeast, 3815 S Othello St, 98118
• University, 4534 University Way NE, 98105

Accessible voting centers

Voters with disabilities can cast a private and independent ballot at the following locations.
• Tukwila, King County Elections, 9010 East Marginal Way S, 98108 ( Directions )
  November 3: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Bellevue City Hall 450 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue, 98009
  November 3: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Seattle, Union Station 401 S. Jackson St, Seattle, 98104
  November 3: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

The Elections Office is open 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and is located at 9010 E. Marginal Way S. in Tukwila. Click here for directions.