 On May 26, the Maryland Community Action Partnership awarded the Community Action Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) team, headed by Taunya Johnson and Eduardo Mendes, with an award for their kindness, knowledge, and professional service over the past year. Ms. Johnson and Mr. Mendes are pictured above with Sharon Strauss, Executive Director of Community Action.
Lilia Rivas won Volunteer of the Year for the financial education program she has developed for families served by the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center, in the Long Branch area of Silver Spring. Ms. Rivas' leadership, initiative, and dedication to delivering long-lasting results for the community were cited as reasons for her award.
|
Tiffany Jones, Chair of the Community Action Board, also won MCAP's Volunteer of the Year for her knowledge and leadership. We congratulate our colleagues and volunteers on their accomplishments!
|
Community Action Board Celebrates CAI Graduates
On May 25, eighteen participants from the 2020-2021 Community Advocacy Institute (CAI) graduated from the program during a virtual ceremony. County Executive Marc Elrich, Maryland Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins, Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz, Councilmember Sidney Katz, and DHHS Director Dr. Raymond Crowel, all participated in the event, sharing remarks with the graduates, including Freida Williams (above). Community Action Board Chair Tiffany Jones led the ceremony, with Vice Chair Lisette Engel presenting the graduates. To learn more about this year’s graduates, please read the graduation program, which includes personal statements about what the CAI meant to the participants and how they plan to continue their advocacy work.
The CAI was established by the Community Action Board to provide free advocacy training for lower-income County residents. This year’s 18 graduates join the 66 graduates of the first four years of the program and will become members of the CAI alumni group. CAI participants attend monthly workshops during the eight-month program and are required to complete an advocacy project (testifying before County Council or submitting written testimony). Recruitment for the 2021-2022 program will begin in July.
 |
From: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021
There have been important changes to the Child Tax Credit that will help many families receive advance payments starting this summer. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 expands the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for tax year 2021 only.
The expanded credit means:
- The credit amounts will increase for many taxpayers.
- The credit for qualifying children is fully refundable, which means that taxpayers can benefit from the credit even if they don't have earned income or don't owe any income taxes.
- The credit will include children who turn age 17 in 2021.
- Taxpayers may receive part of their credit in 2021 before filing their 2021 tax return.
For tax year 2021, families claiming the CTC will receive up to $3,000 per qualifying child between the ages of 6 and 17 at the end of 2021. They will receive $3,600 per qualifying child under age 6 at the end of 2021. Under the prior law, the amount of the CTC was up to $2,000 per qualifying child under the age of 17 at the end of the year.
The increased amounts are reduced (phased out), for incomes over $150,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return and qualifying widows or widowers, $112,500 for heads of household, and $75,000 for all other taxpayers.
Advance payments of the 2021 Child Tax Credit will be made regularly from July through December to eligible taxpayers who have a main home in the United States for more than half the year. The total of the advance payments will be up to 50 percent of the Child Tax Credit. Advance payments will be estimated from information included in eligible taxpayers' 2020 tax returns (or their 2019 returns if the 2020 returns are not filed and processed yet).
The IRS urges people with children to file their 2020 tax returns as soon as possible to make sure they're eligible for the appropriate amount of the CTC as well as any other tax credits they're eligible for, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Filing electronically with direct deposit also can speed refunds and future advance CTC payments.
Eligible taxpayers do not need to take any action now other than to file their 2020 tax return if they have not done so.
Eligible taxpayers who do not want to receive advance payment of the 2021 Child Tax Credit will have the opportunity to decline receiving advance payments. Taxpayers will also have the opportunity to update information about changes in their income, filing status or the number of qualifying children. More details on how to take these steps will be announced soon.
The IRS also urges community groups, non-profits, associations, education groups and anyone else with connections to people with children to share this critical information about the CTC. The IRS will be providing additional materials and information that can be easily shared by social media, email and other methods.
 |
In honor of Community Action Month, staff and board members celebrated our agency’s fantastic volunteers for the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Community Action’s VITA volunteers were instrumental in providing an entirely virtual tax assistance model this year. TESS volunteers provided critical services to residents, supporting the Financial Counseling Program, Standby Guardianship Program, TESS senior newsletter, seniors Groceries 2 Go program, parenting education program, and MLK Day of Service. VITA staff, TESS staff, and the Community Action Board all recorded Thank You messages for the agency’s volunteers. The Community Action website includes links to the celebratory events.
On May 20, contract partners, Board members, contract monitors and other Community Action staff gathered online to recognize the hard work our contract partners have contributed to our community over the past year. Executive Director Sharon Strauss and Community Action Board Chair Tiffany Jones (right) kicked off the event with congratulatory messages of appreciation of our partners.
|
Program Manager Aizat Oladapo (left) introduced a slide show featuring the many ways that partners serve community residents, including Asylum Works assisting
people in becoming U.S. citizens, KindWorks donating homemade soup and refurbished computers, IMPACT Silver Spring’s sewing circle and community garden in Wheaton, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington’s after-school program for Silver Creek Middle School students in Rosemary Hills, and many online workshops, lessons, and meetings. Community Action is proud to work with such generous and dedicated contract partners. A recording of the event is online, and more information about our partnerships is on our website.
|
On April 29, staff from the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center celebrated with nine Long Branch area families who participated in a parenting class this spring. Altogether the participating families have twelve children. The Judy Center and TESS loaned games and toys for parents to support their kids during the gathering.
|
Nicole Gurland, the TESS Parenting Group Coordinator volunteer, prepared a lesson activity with a “Reward Certificate” for parents to give to their children, stickers and a gold seal. Parents received Mother’s Day giftbags donated by KindWorks and filled scarves, lotions, candles. TESS provided for gifts for children, including sidewalk chalk, bubbles and more! Everyone enjoyed snacks. To close the event, TESS staff member Monica Goldberg led a parent activity on Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Activity on the importance of breathing.
|
|
