Financial Fitness Day 3/31/12

Want to get your finances in shape? The Seattle-King County Asset-Building Collaborative, in conjunction with over 40 community organizations, is presenting the second annual Financial Fitness Day on Saturday, March 31st from 10 to 2 at the Rainier Community Center. The public is encouraged to attend this one-of-a kind event that combines workshops, one-on-one counseling, and other financial services in one location.

You can't afford to miss this opportunity to talk to an expert about:
• Credit and Debt
• Financial planning and investment management
• Mortgage and foreclosure
• Bankruptcy and consumer rights
• Starting a business
• Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
• Student Loans and FAFSA

At Financial Fitness Day, you will be able to:
• Have your tax return prepared (individual, small business and microenterprise)
• Print a free credit report
• Open a checking or savings account
• Create a budget and a plan to pay off debt
• Apply for public benefits (food, utilities, child care, health insurance)
• Shred financial documents to protect your identity

Free workshops all day on money management issues.
For more information and what to bring, call 888-864-8549 or visit skcabc.org/fitness_fair. Call or register online if you need child care or language interpretation services.

That’s Financial Fitness Day, this Saturday from 10am to 2pm, show up by 2 and you will be served. It’s at Rainier Community Center, which is at 4600 38th Avenue South, in Seattle— bus routes 7, 39 and 42. Please spread the word to your friends, family and networks by distributing the flyer.

WorkSource Hiring Event & Choice Career Fair 3/29

Greetings. If you or someone you know is looking for work, I want to let you know about two job fairs next Thursday March 29th, the WorkSource Hiring Event from 10 to 2 at the downtown YWCA and the Choice Career Fair, from 10:30 to 2 at Seattle Center Northwest Rooms.

At The WorkSource Hiring Event, the following companies will be hiring:
ACS, AlliedBarton, Amtrak, Aerotek, Bright Horizons, FedEx, Fred Meyers, Home Depot, King County Housing Authority, King County Metro, LOWES, Northwest Center, Pioneer Human Services, Safeway, Salem Communications, Swedish, UPS, Vigor Industries and others.

DRESS for Success and show up! That’s the WorkSource Hiring Event next Thursday, March 29th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Downtown YWCA at 2024 3RD Avenue in Seattle.

At the Choice Career Fair you can meet face to face with the hiring managers from some of the best employers in the greater Seattle area. Just walk in and start interviewing, it's that simple. You can save time, money and effort interviewing with dozens of local companies in one day and at one location. Free Admission, hundreds of Jobs, in most job categories. The recruiters at this event have many job titles they need to fill. For a list of job titles, maps and a line pass, please go to choicecareerfairs.com. That’s the Choice Career Fair next Thursday the 29th from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm at The Seattle Center Northwest Rooms Next to Key Arena at the Corner of 1st Ave. N & Republican Street in Seattle.

Job Fairs provide the opportunity to connect face-to-face with job recruiters who make hiring decisions and can help you network for other positions within an organization. You’ll want to Dress professionally and bring up-to-date copies of your resume. You may also want to prepare questions you want to ask the job recruiters and be prepared to answer their questions about your qualifications and work experience. After the job fair, don’t forget to follow up with job recruiters you met at companies you were interested in working for. Good Luck!

Make Change Debt Workshop 3/26

Hi, If you or someone you know are struggling with debt, I want to let you know about the Make Change! Debt Education Workshop, next Monday March 26th from 5 to 7 at the Montlake Library. This free two hour class will help you to address debt related issues, figure out when you need an attorney, what you can do on your own, and provide information on finding help.
Topics covered include:

Assessing your debt situation
Options for resolution
Available resources
Dealing with debt collectors
Your rights
Negotiating
Can they take my income?
How to respond to a collection lawsuit
Garnishments – the proper process
When do I need an attorney? Clinic? Direct Rep?
Should I file bankruptcy?
The consequences
The protections
Preparing to see an attorney for bankruptcy
Can I file bankruptcy on my own?

That’s Make Change! A Free Debt Education Workshop presented by The King County Bar Association. Monday, March 26, 2012 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at The Montlake Library, which is at 2401 24th Ave. E. To R.S.V.P. Please call (206) 267-7095 to reserve your spot. Spread the word about the debt education workshop by distributing the workshop flyer. For more information visit the King County Bar Association website.

CVM Client Outcome Request

As winter turns to spring our government funders want to know again how effective the Community Voice Mail program has been this quarter. As a nonprofit program that is primarily government funded, the free service we provide you depends on our ability to demonstrate that CVM has actually helped people connect to jobs, housing, social services, and healthcare and to communicate safely. So we need to hear from you: In the last 3 months, has Community Voice Mail helped you achieve any of the goals you hoped to accomplish when you first enrolled in the program, such as:
Have you found employment?
Have you secured Housing?
Have you connected to Social Services?
Have you accessed Health Care?
Have you found Safety from domestic violence?
Please press 4 after this message to let us know how CVM has helped you achieve your goals, since January 1st 2012. Thank you for your help in keeping this program going. Press 4 now and leave us a message about your winter outcomes. Thank you.

Two job fairs next week

Greetings. If you or someone you know is looking for work, I want to let you know about two job fairs next week, the Bellevue Career Fair, next Monday March 12th from 11 to 2PM at the Red Lion Hotel Bellevue and The Greenbridge Job and Resource Fair, next Tuesday March 13th from 10 to 2 at The YWCA Greenbridge Center in White Center.

The Bellevue Career Fair, presented by National Career Fairs, is free to the public, and all levels and types of employment are available including Administrative Support, Banking, Customer Service, Financial, Hospitality, Insurance, Real Estate, Food Service, Retail, Sales and many more. The Bellevue Career Fair is on Monday March 12th from 11 to 2 at the Red Lion Hotel Bellevue at 11211 Main Street, in Bellevue. For a list of companies who will be participating and to upload your resume, register at nationalcareerfairs.com.

The YWCA Greenbridge Job and Resource Fair is on Tuesday March 13th from 10 am to 1 PM. Bring your resume, dress professionally & be prepared to speak to company representatives from over 30 employers. Also learn about other community resources. The Job and Resource Fair will Feature: Airport Jobs, Swedish Medical Group, Macy’s, Safeway, Primerica, Port of Seattle, Lowes, Sam’s Club, NW Protective Service, Transportation Security Administration, King County Housing Authority, Centerplate, US Army, REMX Staffing, Seattle Fire Department, Highline Public School, Highline Community College, King County – Hazardous Management Program, Express Credit Union, Jobs Corps, Title V Program For Seniors, South Seattle Community College, Cares Of Washington, YWCA College Attainment Program, YWCA/ Family Self – Sufficiency Program ( FSS), Independent Electrical Contractor of Washington, Bank on Seattle King County, Start Zone, DSHS, Public Health – Seattle& King County, WorkSource- Veteran Representative, Center of Excellence For International Trade. That’s at the YWCA Greenbridge Center at 9720 8th Ave SW, in White Center. Call (206) 336-7000 for more information.

Job Fairs provide the opportunity to connect face-to-face with job recruiters who make hiring decisions and can help you network for other positions within an organization. You’ll want to Dress professionally and bring up-to-date copies of your resume. You may also want to prepare questions you want to ask the job recruiters and be prepared to answer their questions about your qualifications and work experience. After the job fair, don’t forget to follow up with job recruiters you met at companies you were interested in working for. Good Luck!

Free Tax Preparation Services

I want to let you know how you can get your income tax return prepared and filed for free at any one of 16 United Way of King County sponsored tax sites throughout King County up until April 17.

In addition to getting help filing your taxes, you may be eligible to receive a refund from the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit for working people with low and moderate incomes. This year, the maximum EITC credit you can receive as a single adult with no dependents is $464, or $3,094 with one qualifying child, $5,112 with two qualifying children and up to $5,751 with three or more qualifying children.

The free tax preparation service will be provided by IRS trained multilingual volunteers, and electronically filed for a fast refund. Free tax preparation is available to those who make less than $50,000 and need basic individual tax returns. Free tax prep allows low-income people to keep more of their hard-earned money and avoid paying unnecessary fees for commercial tax preparation and "rapid refund" loans. Being financially stable reduces the risk of becoming homeless. Multilingual tax preparers are available at several sites to serve customers who do not speak English. You don’t need an appointment. Sites operate on a drop-in basis and no appointments are set. Please arrive early for the best chance of being served. You can also sign up for certain public benefits like food stamps, and learn about opportunities to make the most of their tax refunds by opening or expanding savings accounts or putting a portion of their refund into a U.S. Savings Bond.

Here is the list/map of free tax preparation sites in king County.

For more information, simply dial 211 from any phone in King County (this is a free call, even from payphones) and tell the 211 operator that you want information about free tax preparation services. Or TEXT the word TAX and your 5-digit Zip Code to 57682 or e-mail EITC@uwkc.org or visit the free tax prep website unitedwayofkingcounty.org/taxhelp.