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SAVE THE DATE
FOR FPP EVENTS
December 5, 2012
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST
The End of Social Security Checks: The 2013 Transition to Electronic Payments
Reserve your Webinar seat now!
May 29-31, 2013
5th Annual FPP State Conference
Meeting Location: Portofino Bay Hotel Universal Orlando, Orlando, Florida
Visit the FPP website to learn more.
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THE FLORIDA PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP (FPP)
| The Florida Prosperity Partnership (FPP), was formally established in March 2009, evolving from a number of parallel and earlier efforts to create a statewide coalition dedicated to improving the financial stability and capability for low-to-moderate income Floridians.
FPP PURPOSE: To convene individuals and organizations with the desire to leverage their talent, resources, and passion to improve the prosperity of Florida's families.
FPP VISION: All Floridians have equal opportunities to attain financial stability.
FPP MISSION: Establish a statewide collaboration holistically focused on providing life-enhancing services to Floridians.
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FPP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Janet Hamer, Chair
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Daniella Levine, Vice-Chair
Catalyst Miami
Sandra Bernard-Bastien,
Children's Services Council of Broward
Ted Granger, Treasurer
United Way of Florida
Evan Goldman
CSC of Broward County
George Owen
Regions Bank
Maureen Quinlan
United Way of Marion County
Mike Smith
TD Bank
FPP BOARD MEMBERS
Ron Albert
IRS
Anika Coney
Hillsborough County Dept. of FAS
Dr. Michael Gutter
University of Florida, IFAS
Dorothy Inman-Johnson
Capital Area Community Action Agency
Valerie Hendriex-Jenkins
Wells Fargo
Iris Jones
BB&T Bank
Mike Kennedy
Suncoast Community Capital
Roger Mercado
United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Co.
Katie Metz
National Disability Institute
Rosa Morgan
Community Assets Inc.
Joan Nelson
Heart of Florida United Way
Kasha Owers
United Way of Palm Beach County
Felipe Pinzon
Hispanic Unity of Florida
Ron Sharpe
United Way of Northwest Florida
Ellen Stoffer
United Way Suncoast
Barbara Travis
Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas
Jeff Winkler
Real$ense Prosperity Campaign
FPP STAFF
Kaye Schmitz
President and CEO
Bill Mills
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Pat Nelms
Community Education/Program Manager Penny Zaphel
Coordinator of Special Projects Emilie Pennington Graphics Designer Lynn Gill Bookkeeper THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS 
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT
By Kaye Schmitz
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Greetings!
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KAYE SCHMITZ
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We're winding down the year, but not FPP activities! In November, we held the final FPP Regional Meeting for the year at the Juvenile Welfare Board in Clearwater. Not only was the meeting very well attended by FPP members, but we also had a special presentation by Russell Krumnow from Opportunity Nation, based in Washington, DC. Thanks to Russell for making the trip to join us and thanks to Eddie Burch, Juvenile Welfare Board, and Ellen Stoffer and Kara Moore, United Way Suncoast, for hosting. Thanks, too, to the University of Florida IFAS team and IBERIABANK for sponsoring all of the food that was served at all seven of the meetings. This final meeting of 2012 was the 61st Regional Meeting conducted by the FPP since our inception. We've come a long way... 
UPCOMING MEETINGS December doesn't slow down, with even more meetings taking place all over the state that include ongoing work with the Financial Stability Partnership project in Lakeland, led by United Way of Central Florida, a meeting with a community delegation in Pensacola that includes the Mayor--arranged by FPP Board Member Valerie Hendriex Jenkins, Wells Fargo Bank, and a meeting with Florida Representative Jimmy Patronis in Panama City (schedule not finalized) along with Robin Warren and others from the Florida Council on Economic Education to continue work on language in the Sunshine State Standards Act that would require personal financial education for Florida High School Students.
The FPP Board of Directors will also meet in Orlando for final FPP planning for 2013. The Board Meeting will take place at the Portofino Bay Hotel, so we will also be able to do preliminary planning for the 5th Annual FPP State Training Conference.
THE 5TH ANNUAL FPP CONFERENCE Speaking of the conference, PNC Bank was the first to commit to being a sponsor at the 2013 conference and they more than doubled their previous sponsorship level by pledging $2,500. A special thanks to Michele Hartburg and Lucy Carr of PNC for making this sponsorship possible. Since PNC committed, Bank of America has also committed to a sponsorship at the $2,500 level and EverBank and Wells Fargo Bank have committed to sponsorships--level to be determined. All of their organization logos will be seen by every one of the 2013 conference attendees as soon as the registration site opens in February or March 2013. Don't miss out! Your logo can appear there, too. To sponsor the conference, please visit the FPP website at www.floridaprosperitypartnership.org. Remember that the conference workshop proposals are due much earlier for the 5th Annual Training Conference-by January 15, 2013. Please go to the homepage of the FPP website to fill out the request for workshop proposals at the upcoming conference. We already have more than half a dozen proposals in the works for new and different topics. Since we will have fewer workshop slots in next years' conference, please don't wait-get your proposal in early. FPP MEMBERSHIP DUES Please also remember that FPP Membership Dues will begin again in January 2013. Organizations with paid up dues get a discount on the Early Bird conference registration fee of $199! This is a $50 discount from the non-member Early Bird registration fee of $249. Registration rates will increase for both paid members and other attendees after March 31, 2013. The best news is that FPP membership fees have remained constant from what they were last year. As an example, a non-profit organization with an organizational budget of more than $1 million will still only pay $175 to become an FPP member. That's a pretty great deal! 
As we bring 2012 to a close, all of us at the Florida Prosperity Partnership wish you and your family a wonderful and safe holiday season. |
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BANK ON FLORIDA
By Bill Mills, Bank On Florida Director
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BILL MILLS
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As we end this year and look forward to next year, I would like to remind you of a few things that will be coming up with Bank On programs. We will soon have trainings scheduled for Bank On Greater Orlando and Bank On Volusia/Flagler. The trainings are for financial institution employees as well as community organization employees. We will also have some launch dates for Greater Orlando, Volusia/Flagler, and Tampa Bay. They are all working hard to launch for tax season and the upcoming end to Treasury Department checks
Speaking about the end to Treasury Department checks, there is an interesting webinar coming up from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC). Here is the information, if you are interested:
In March 2013, most individuals who are currently receiving Social Security, disability and veterans' benefits, and other federal payments by paper check will be required to change to electronic payment. This webinar will address what will happen next year, what options seniors have, and how you can help them make the transition. We will also discuss new protections for bank accounts, the Direct Express prepaid card, and privately purchased prepaid cards.
SPEAKERS: Walt Henderson, Director, EFT Strategy Division, U.S. Department of the Treasury Margot Saunders, Of Counsel, National Consumer Law Center Lauren Saunders, Managing Attorney, National Consumer Law Center
Additional sponsorship for this Webinar is provided by a grant from the Administration on Aging. This webinar is part of a series of National Elder Rights Training Project webinars for the National Legal Resource Center.
There is no charge for this webinar. All time listings are in Eastern Standard Time.
If you have any questions email |
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FPP ADVOCACY
By Evan Goldman and Ted Granger
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TED GRANGER AND
EVAN GOLDMA
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With the New Year approaching, we here at the Florida Prosperity Partnership aspire to make meaningful resolutions. We aspire to make sure all Florida families are "fiscally fit." We also aspire to support a creative federal initiative, aptly titled, the ASPIRE Act. It provides access to college through the most powerful way possible - early intervention.
The ASPIRE Act would give every child a savings account at birth, with a balance of $500 and incentives to encourage additional deposits, scaled to income. The account funds could be used only for designated purposes: postsecondary education, homeownership (after age 25) or retirement (after age 59 ½). These accounts would promote savings behavior from a young age and enable the accumulation of assets that could serve as a foundation for the child's future.
Look for more information about this and other policy initiatives after the New Year! |
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DISABILITY NEWS
By Michael Rousch MS, National Program Director of the National Disability Institute & Katie Metz, Regional Specialist
 | MICHAEL ROUSCH AND
KATIE METZ |
The Changing Face of Benefits
By Katie Metz
Recently on November 7, Florida Prosperity Partnership joined National Disability Institute, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council for a conversation to highlight our work together in promoting benefits planning and asset development opportunities for persons with disabilities in the State of Florida.
The meeting was an opportunity to highlight the new tools which promote economic self-sufficiency for persons with disabilities. We first brought these tools to your attention in the November FPP Newsletter. However, we want to reiterate how beneficial these tools may be to beneficiaries, family members, and providers throughout the state of Florida with regard to public benefit programs. This FREE online course can also be used as a training tool for staff and FREE CEUs (pending agency approvals) from select agencies will be available.
The Changing Face of Benefits curriculum is available in two formats for your convenience. Download the curriculum as a workbook (PDF) by visiting www.realeconomicimpact.org/FL-benefits. National Disability Institute has also developed an e-learning version of The Changing Face of Benefits, and this online curriculum may be accessed by visiting www.floridabenefits.org
In addition to highlighting the new tools at our meeting, we discussed new opportunities to collaborate with organizations and continue to build a better economic future for all Floridians with disabilities. If you would like to know more about how you can become involved in this initiative please feel free to contact me at 904.716.7936 or kmetz@ndi-inc.org.
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MEMBER NEWS
 South Florida gets visit from IRS Oversight Board Chairman, Paul Cherecwich By Sandra Bernard-Bastien At the end of October, Paul Cherecwich, IRS Oversight Board Chairman, visited South Florida and met with a number of FPP partners. Chairman Cherecwich spoke at Hispanic Unity about role partners play in the IRS vision and then he heard from a number of organizations about their community work and their role with the IRS SPEC program.
Speaking at the meeting were FPP Board Members Sandra Bernard-Bastien, Children's Services Council; Kasha Owers, United Way of Palm Beach County; Felipe Pinzon, Hispanic Unity of Florida; Daniella Levine, Catalyst Miami; and Ron Albert, IRS SPEC Territory Manager for the Plantation Territory.
___________________ Step Up For Students:
How to qualify for a 2013-14 scholarship
Many families still don't know this option exists, but Florida has the nation's largest K-12 scholarship program giving low-income families the ability to choose the school that best meets their children's needs. This year, it is providing $4,335 scholarships to roughly 50,000 students in more than 1,300 private schools of their choosing. Families who qualify for the free or reduced-price school lunch program, children who are in foster care or who are homeless, could be eligible. Step Up For Students is a nonprofit organization that administers the scholarships, and it provides them on a first-come, first-served basis each new school year. Step Up has handed out all the available scholarships for 2012-13, but it will have even more to award in 2013-14 and wants parents/guardians to know when they can apply. Applications start in the early spring and parents/guardians can enter their contact information at the Step Up For Students website to be notified when they can start applying for the 2013-14 school year. TO LEARN MORE: Please visit www.StepUpForStudents.org, call 877-735-7837, email us at info@sufs.org, or click here for a flyer in English or Spanish ___________________ Funding Opportunity Announcement: Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Grant Program: Grants to Nonprofit Organizations (HRSA-13-255)
This competition is open to nonprofit organizations proposing to provide services under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grant program in the State of Florida or the State of Wyoming. Both the State of Florida and the State of Wyoming have relinquished MIECHV funds and are not participating in the MIECHV grant program under Section 511(c) of the Social Security Act (42U.S.C. § 711(c)). Accordingly, grant funding is being made available to qualified nonprofit organizations for the purposes described in this funding opportunity announcement (FOA).
Applicant nonprofit organizations must demonstrate that they will provide home visiting services as defined in this FOA to families in communities identified as being at risk either within the State of Florida or within the State of Wyoming and will meet further legal and program requirements. Applicants must identify the state in which they are applying to provide services. If an eligible entity wishes to apply to provide services in more than one state, a separate application must be filed for each state in which services are proposed to be provided.
Eligible applicants for this competitive grant opportunity are nonprofit organizations with an established record of providing early childhood home visiting programs or initiatives in a state or several states.
Apply Today!
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