Community Action Board Develops Leaders
Tiffany Jones, Chair of the Community Action Board (pictured at right), and Laurie-Anne Sayles, former CAB member and current City of Gaithersburg Councilmember (below pictured), recently won awards for their leadership. Ms. Jones’s commitment to early care and education has been recognized with an Alpha Phi Alpha Volunteer Award.
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Ms. Sayles has been honored by the National League of Cities’ constituency group of Women in Municipal Government with a Leadership Award. Both Ms. Jones and Ms. Sayles attribute their time in service to the CAB as pivotal to their advocacy experience. |
Following her election as Chair of the Head Start Policy Council (HSPC), Ms. Jones was elected by the HSPC to the Community Action Board in 2017. After two years as Vice Chair of the CAB, Ms. Jones is currently the Chair and represents low-income residents of Montgomery County. Advocating for parents and families living on lower incomes and for early care and education are particularly important to Ms. Jones.
"Especially as Chair, being on the CAB has elevated my voice," Ms. Jones said. "On the CAB, I have access to County Council members, and opportunities to speak to groups of people and a wider audience about the issues that most affect the community I represent." As CAB Chair, "I can lend my voice to help." Ms. Jones also noted the access to partnerships, such as those she has developed by attending the Montgomery County Women's Legislative Briefing. In addition to the CAB, Ms. Jones volunteers with the County’s Early Education Initiative, the Montgomery Moving Forward Early Care and Education Workforce Advocacy Coalition, the Child Care Commission, and County Executive Elrich’s Community Recovery Advisory Group.
Ms. Sayles joined the CAB in 2010 and served until 2017, representing lower income residents of North Bethesda. In 2017, she ran for office and in 2018, was elected to the City Council of Gaithersburg.
Ms. Sayles credits CAB peers and colleagues with providing a supportive environment that taught her how to navigate budget reviews and engage in committees to advocate for underserved community members. “I was a nervous public speaker at first,” she said, “but I was encouraged to go to budget hearings, and people told me, ‘You can do this.’ That boosted my confidence to speak up about rental assistance for people like me who are looking for a hand up, not a hand out. In a County that prides itself on its prosperity and innovation, I'm proud to advocate for those with less--not just me, but those after me.” Ms. Sayles continues to support the CAB by speaking to Community Advocacy Institute (CAI) participants each year about the opportunities she experienced on the CAB.
Ms. Jones shared her response to winning the Alpha Phi Alpha award: "I am honored to receive such a highly regarded award.” She added, “The Community Action Board is a leader in growing advocates, including through the CAI program." Gaining advocacy skills by joining the CAB "spreads the word and expands our reach."
Ms. Sayles, upon learning of her award from the National League of Cities, stated, “I am incredibly humbled by this award. I attended the NLC conference about two weeks after I was elected and learned best practices such as CDBG funds management and housing-for-all programs, and workforce development for all skill levels. In March 2018 I became chair of the NLC economic development committee. I have collaborated and planned with women from all states in the Women in Municipal Government Caucus.” Ms. Sayles currently serves as the Second Vice President for the WIMG, as well as the Region 3 Director of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO), among many service roles.
Ms. Sayles additionally noted the timeliness of her award. “As the only woman on the City of Gaithersburg Council, it has been an amazing year—one hundred years since women can vote, and leaders are tested by racial injustice and the pandemic, dealing with unemployment and food and housing insecurity. We are challenged to find new resources and abilities to respond calmly and confidently across all communities.” Ms. Sayles is also the current Chair of the Montgomery County Women’s Equality Day Steering Committee.
Community Action staff and the Board congratulate both Ms. Jones and Ms. Sayles on their well-earned recognition.
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Community Action is grateful to several community partners for generously donating to families in need this season. Families with students in the Head Start pre-kindergarten program, residents of Leisure World displaced by a fire, and families in Long Branch received many donations this year, thanks to both new and long-standing partners.
The Head Start coat drive received an overwhelming response this year. Thank you to the generous neighbors, Montgomery County Public Schools office staff in several programs, and to a group of nurses from Suburban Hospital who contributed coats. Dozens more coats arrived this week and will be soon distributed.
Due to an apartment fire on December 2 in Leisure World, a senior community in Silver Spring, dozens of residents were displaced. Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center staff has provided case management services. Clothing donations from Clifton Park Baptist Church were critical in the early days of residents’ recovery from the fire.
In the Long Branch area of Silver Spring, many families served by TESS were provided donated toys. The toys, collected by the Episcopal Church of the Ascension and the Sligo Hills Park neighborhood, are being distributed to over thirty families that were unable to participate in the County’s Holiday Giving program.
While the covid-19 pandemic required new protocol for safely collecting and distributing donations this year, our community’s outpouring of generosity is greatly appreciated during so many families’ time of need.
 Josue Canas, Office Services Coordinator of the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center, was recently honored for assisting Mass Care Operations of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Canas was honored by Guru Gobind Singh Foundation for participating in a food distribution project coordinated by Mass Care Operations, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and carried out by many community organizations.
For several months, the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation received approximately 39,000 pounds of staple foods each week from a vendor. Volunteers then portioned the rice, beans, and lentils into six-pound bags. The six-pound bags were then packaged into 72-pound boxes for 17 community organizations to distribute to food-insecure families.
The County’s Emergency Planner, Patrick Campbell said of Mr. Canas’ work, “Josue was a key part of our success.” Mr. Campbell noted that the Guru Gobind Singh site processed over half a million pounds of food.
“I would do a little of everything,” Mr. Canas said. “From packing, inspecting product quality, assigning and creating weekly distribution quantities, scheduling pick-up days, and helping to figuring out order quantities needed for vendors.”
Sharon Strauss, Executive Director of Community Action, said, “Congratulations to Josue for receiving this terrific honor! We are so proud of your dedicated work with Patrick and his team on the ‘frontlines’ to address hunger with our partners! Our Community Action colleagues, especially at TESS, go above and beyond every day. You make a difference and I am deeply grateful.”
VITA's Monthly Tax Tip: New things to consider in 2021
When people get ready to file their federal tax return there are new things to consider when it comes to which credits to claim and what deductions to take. These things can affect the size of any refund the taxpayer may receive.
Here are some new key things people should consider when filing their 2020 tax return.
Recovery rebate credit
Taxpayers may be able to claim the recovery rebate credit if they met the eligibility requirements in 2020 and one of the following applies to them:
• They didn't receive an Economic Impact Payment in 2020.
• They are single and their payment was less than $1,200.
• They are married, filed jointly for 2018 or 2019 and their payment was less than $2,400.
• They didn't receive $500 for each qualifying child.
Refund interest payment
People who received a federal tax refund in 2020 may have been paid interest. The IRS sent interest payments to individual taxpayers who timely filed their 2019 federal income tax returns and received refunds. Most interest payments were received separately from tax refunds. Interest payments are taxable and must be reported on 2020 federal income tax returns. In January 2021, the IRS will send a Form 1099-INT, Interest Income, to anyone who received interest of at least $10.
New charitable deduction allowance
New this year, taxpayers who don't itemize deductions can take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualifying organizations. For more information, people should review Publication 526, Charitable Contributions.
Other refund-related reminders
• Taxpayers shouldn’t rely on receiving a refund by a certain date, especially when making major purchases or paying bills. Some tax returns may require additional review and processing may take longer.
• Refunds for taxpayers claiming the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit can’t be issued before mid-February. This applies to the entire refund, not just the portion associated with this credit.
• The fastest and most secure way to receive a refund is to combine direct deposit with electronic filing, including the IRS Free File program. Taxpayers can track the status of their refund using the Where’s My Refund? tool.
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