PRESIDENT'S REPORT

Kaye Schmitz

It's almost Spring and activities are ramping up. Tax season is in full swing and the Florida legislature is ready to begin its 2011 Session. You've probably seen or guessed that Tallahassee is still transitioning to the new government, so getting things scheduled-and keeping them scheduled-has been somewhat of a challenge.  We regret having had to postpone the Florida Prosperity Caucus twice already, but we are working on either finding a new date for the Caucus or scheduling a related event with Florida legislators later in the year. So please stay tuned for more about that.   

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Join us! FPP Full Membership Call - March 14, 2011

Engage the Disability Community And Increase Your Participation Rate for VITA, IDA and Financial Education  

Date:                 Monday, March 14, 2011

Time:                1:30 P.M.

Duration:          1 hour and 30 minutes (for entire meeting)

Call in #:           1-866-699-3239      

Access Code:   963 281 949

Web Link:  

 https://ndi.webex.com/ndi/onstage/g.php?d=963281949&t=a

**Registration for attendance is mandatory to access the call.**

Description:  This webinar will introduce you to the growing workforce population of people with disabilities, familiarize you with community resources that can assist you in your outreach efforts, and teach you to to provide accessibility and accommodations assistance for one of the diverse communities the FPP is working with.  You will also hear some best practices from organizations that have been successful in reaching this new audience.

The call will consist of a short FPP business meeting where we will update you on the upcoming FPP Regional Meetings and Third Annual State Conference, immediately followed by the above webinar.  This webinar is brought to FPP members by the National Disability Institute through an initiative sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.  

Registration via the following web link is required for attendance:

https://ndi.webex.com/ndi/onstage/g.php?d=963281949&t=a

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Joint Grant Funded

I am happy to report that a joint grant for the University of Florida, led by Dr. Michael Gutter, and the FPP has been funded by the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund. The grant will aid in the creation of a statewide database that lists all services available to lower and middle income Floridians and will eventually be available for all service organizations to link to. One of us will be getting in touch with your organization in the near future so your programs and services can be included.  

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Update for the 3rd Annual FPP Conference

Great news!  Ray Boshara, currently from New America Foundation and soon to be from the Federal Reserve Board of Kansas City, has agreed to be the Thursday lunchtime Keynote Speaker at the upcoming FPP conference. Ray will not only deliver a rousing presentation, but he will also be available to sign copies of his most recent book. You won't want to miss either of those.

As we get closer to the conference, please remember to:

• Send in a workshop proposal; go to the FPP web site at www.floridaprosperitypartnership.org
  and fill out the form on the Home page
• Sponsor a ceramic piggy bank for $50 and enter it in the conference contest. To get your pig, please contact Krista Martin at United Way of Marion County at kmartin@uwmc.org.
• Send pictures to me at kayedschmitz@bellsouth.net, by May 1, 2011, that highlight your events, staff, clients, awards-or anything you like. Funny pictures are welcome.  We will put them into a video collage for the conference.
• Shoot a very short video of your clients-5 minutes or under-that illustrates this year's conference theme, "Looking Up In a Down Economy." Then send us your videos by May 1, 2011.  We will show them throughout the conference. Let your organization shine!    

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Thanks to those who have paid Membership Dues

Remember that paid up members will get discounts on FPP conference registration fees for each attendee in their organizations. Credit card payments are accepted on the FPP website, www.floridaprosperitypartnership.org, on the Membership page.

Checks may be sent to: 

Florida Prosperity Partnership
c/o Kaye Schmitz
180 Pinehurst Pointe Drive
St. Augustine, FL  32092

Or, click here:

Respectfully,

Kaye D. Schmitz

President /CEO

Ted Granger, left and Evan Goldman

For years, FPP members and others who worked with volunteers have voiced concern that potential volunteers are by-passing volunteer opportunities to assist with income tax preparation because of employer liability concerns. So recently, FPP membership, spearheaded by the United Way of Florida, drafted policy papers and requested legislative action to address the situation. As a result, last month Senator Evelyn Lynn filed SB 930 and Representative Charles McBurney, filed HB 647. The two bills clarify that Florida's Volunteer Protection Act shields nonprofit volunteers from liability even when they receive compensation from their employers during volunteer hours. This clarification should remove concerns that some employees and their employers have regarding their potential liability for innocent mistakes that are made while performing volunteer services. Its ramifications stretch far beyond income tax preparation to all areas of volunteerism. If passed, the bill will be a welcome relief to volunteers and their employers who have refrained from volunteering in the past and to nonprofit organizations that often struggle to engage volunteers.

 

Americorps and National Service Alert

Please join us in our efforts to save AmeriCorps and ALL National Service in Florida and America!  Congress is proposing to eliminate funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service, which is the federal agency that provides grant funds and National Service opportunities in our communities.  Call your Congressman today.  If you would like more information about Americorps in Florida go to this site: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/role_impact/state_profiles_detail.asp?tbl_profiles_state=FL 

By Bill Mills

Director of Strategic Initiatives

Courtesy of Richard Schramm

Free Parent Training - CSC Broward County

By Derek Tillman

FPP, W2W, and FPN

By Bill Mills

Ways to Work sponsored FPP at a booth for the Florida Philanthropic Network's 2011 Statewide Summit on Philanthropy. There were wonderful discussions on the philanthropists' visions for Florida's Future. It was great to hear that the FPP and many of the causes that we support are seen in the vision!

On the Road Again

By Iris Jones

The BB&T Bus Tour is on the road, spreading the news about BB&T's financial education programs, community programs, and VITA tax preparation in the area and pulling free credit reports. Community partners that participated in Jacksonville (see attached picture), were Real$ense Prosperity Campaign VITA sites, AARP Tax-Aide, Bank On Jacksonville, AmeriCorps volunteers from War on Poverty, Ready4Work, WorkSource, and HOPE for Housing, a  HUD Counseling Agency. A number of community leaders participated in the bus tour and faith-based partners included Gateway to Heaven Christian Center and Westside Church of Christ.  

"What's On The Menu?"

Volunteer USA Foundation's Free Parent Financial Workshop Opportunity

By Teecy Matthews

• Stress the basics of math with your child. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are the core skills to guarantee your child's success in financial literacy.
• Budgets are just as important to children as they are for adults. Work with your child to budget for items they need or want on a regular basis such as sports gear, books or itunes.
• Encourage savings! If your children want something big like a personal video game, work out a savings plan with them to reach that goal. It is a skill that will serve them well for a lifetime.

Dawn Lockhart

Congratulations to Family Foundations

By Kaye Schmitz

Congratulations to Dawn Lockhart and her Family Foundations team for receiving very prestigious recognition from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program. Dawn's team was lauded for establishing best practices in the nation for foreclosure prevention counseling. The award read, in part: 
 

"We selected your organization for contact based on loan performance data that we analyzed for a sample of clients served in 2009. That data showed that your organization was among the best performing NFMC organizations, nationally or in your state, in securing sustainable loan modifications or otherwise avoiding foreclosure for your clients."

FPP Executive Committee  

Janet Hamer
Board Chair,

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta,  

Jacksonville Branch
 
Daniella Levine
Board Vice-Chair,

Human Services Coalition
 
Sandra Bernard-Bastien
Board Secretary
The Children's Services Council
of Broward County
 
Ted Granger
Board Treasurer,

United Way of Florida  

Board Members 

Erbi Blanco-True
Great Florida Bank

Amanda Clements
United Way of the Big Bend

Anika Coney
Hillsborough County

Sokoya Finch
Florida Family Network

Evan Goldman
CSC of Broward County

Michael Gutter
University of Florida

Valerie Hendriex
Wachovia a Wells Fargo Company

Dorothy Inman-Johnson
Capital Area Community Action Agency

Iris Jones
BB&T Bank

Karen Landry
War on Poverty

Rosa Morgan
Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence

George Owen
Regions Bank

Kasha Owers
United Way of Palm Beach County

Felipe Pinzon
Hispanic Unity of Florida

Maureen Quinlan
United Way of Marion County

Brittany Richards
Heart of Florida United Way

Michael Roush
National Disability Institute

Mike Smith
TD Bank

Ellen Stoffer
United Way of Tampa Bay

Barbara Travis
Internal Revenue Service
 
FPP Staff
Kaye Schmitz
President and CEO

Bill Mills
Director of Strategic Initiatives

Penny Zaphel
Coordinator of Special Projects

To become a member of the FPP or submit articles for this newsletter, please contact Penny Zaphel at

floridaprosperitypartnership@gmail.com