Brighter Beginnings Leaps into Providing FREE Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program – VITA -  Through "Earn it! Keep it! Save it!"

Brighter Beginnings announces our 2010 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program through "Earn it! Keep it! Save it!"

Did you know that recent studies have shown that a $1,000 increase in income raises math test scores by 2.1% and reading test scores by 3.6% of a standard deviation1.  For families struggling to make ends meet on earnings from low-wage jobs, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has become an essential form of support, boosting the size of annual tax refunds by as much as several thousand dollars.  These are just two of the reasons that Brighter Beginnings has launched a Financial Education campaign as part of our on-going efforts to help promote our vision, where Every Family Matters and Every Child has opportunities to be Happy and Healthy.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It is a United Way of the Bay Area-led coalition that provides low to moderate-income families with free tax return preparation, assistance with filing tax credit claims, and access to asset building or income support resources such as public benefits or matched savings accounts.  Volunteers provide free tax assistance to those with household incomes below $52,000 in 2008. We also assist taxpayers in claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which can amount to as much as $4,700 per family. Across the Bay Area at more than 180 free sites, IRS-certified tax preparers are available to help individuals and families claim their maximum benefit and refund. Volunteers from all walks of life engage in their local communities to help us meet the enormous task of processing over 20,000 tax returns in 2007. By partnering with hundreds of community partners, we have grown the number of individuals and families that are now on the road to financial stability.

If you fit the criteria, you can get your taxes done FOR FREE by calling 877-427-7134 or go to the Earn It, Keep It, Save It website http://www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org/ for other days and sites.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED AT BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS:
Please join Brighter Beginnings’ exciting coalition of volunteers – we need Tax Preparers, Screeners, Interpreters and Greeters. We will provide training and link you to a local site to assist low-income families in your community. If you are interested, please contact Julie Cosenza at jcosenza@brighter-beginnings.org and put VITA in your subject line.

Our VITA sites will be open ten weeks from the first week in February through April 15th. We have sites in:

• Oakland, 2648 International, 3rd Floor: Thursdays 6:00-9:00PM and Saturdays in February from 1:00-4:00PM
• Richmond, 2727 Macdonald: Wednesday 6:00-9:00PM
• Antioch, 512 West 5th Street: Sundays 1:00-4:00PM

If you would like to learn more about the Earned Income Tax Credit and how that is helping our local economy, you can read more here: http://www.brookings.edu/metro/EITC/EITC-Homepage.aspx