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SAVE THE DATE
FOR FPP EVENTS
January 30, 2015
EITC Awareness Day
neighborhood tax preparation event
Hosted by: FPP Polk and the Financial Stability Partnership
Location: Parker Street Ministries, Lakeland, Florida
More Information
SAVE THE DATE
May 27-29, 2015
2015 FPP Conference, at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
SAVE THE DATE
FOR MEMBER EVENTS
April 1-3, 2015
The 2015 Annual Conference on Financial Education will take place April 9-11 at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, TX.
Registration
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THE FLORIDA PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP (FPP)
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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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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TD Bank
George Owen, Vice-Chair George Owen Consulting, LLC
Deana Lewis, Secretary SunTrust Bank
Rob Sansome, Treasurer TrueWealth Ventures, Inc.
Sandra Bernard-Bastien
Children's Services Council of Broward
Iris Jones BB&T Bank
Felipe Pinzon Hispanic Unity of Florida Maureen Quinlan Family Promise of Greater Orlando
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Bell Florida Council on Economic Education
Doug Brown Community Action Program Committee
Kamalah Fletcher Catalyst Miami
Dr. Michael Gutter University of Florida, IFAS
Sharon Hackney Florida Blue Foundation
Sherod Halliburton Manatee Community Federal Credit Union
Mike Kennedy Harvest United Methodist Church
Audrey Ljung Community Action Partnerships
Roger Mercado Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc.
Katie Metz National Disability Institute
Rosa Morgan Community Assets, Inc.
Joan Nelson Heart of Florida United Way
Joyce Odongo Wells Fargo Bank
Linda Rimmer Goodwill Industries of Central Florida
Ron Sharpe United Way of Northwest Florida Alice Vickers Florida Alliance for Consumer Protection Jeff Winkler Real$ense, an Initiative of United Way of Northeast Florida STAFF Kaye D. Schmitz President/CEO Bill Mills Vice President
Debbie Prescott Director, Polk County
Penny Zaphel Special Projects Coordinator Emilie Pennington Graphics Designer Thrude Legg 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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Welcome to 2015 and the first FPP newsletter of the year! As we begin 2015, I have two reminders for you. The first is a reminder about the FPP 7th Annual Training Conference, Oh, The Places We'll Go!, to be held from May 27-29 at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal in Orlando. Be sure to get your workshop proposals in by January 15, 2015. Access the template for proposals on the FPP website by clicking here and get them sent in right away. We have fewer slots this year, so get your ideas in early. We still have some sponsorship slots available, too. Don't forget-sponsoring organization logos appear on the registration website so don't miss this great opportunity. Your logo can appear there, too. To sponsor the conference, please visit the FPP website at www.FloridaProsperityPartnership.org. The second reminder is that, for your convenience, we will be sending invoices to FPP members who paid a membership fee in 2014 so you can renew your FPP membership for 2015. Organizations with paid up dues get the Early Bird conference registration fee! Or, instead of waiting for an invoice, click here to become an FPP member via PayPal or send a check to: Florida Prosperity Partnership; 180 Pinehurst Pointe Drive; St. Augustine, FL 32092; ATT: Kaye Schmitz.
 The FPP is hiring!
The FPP Board of Directors approved a line item for an FPP Grant Writer, to be hired as soon as possible in 2015. It is a contract position that will be paid via monthly stipend. If you are interested or know someone who would qualify, please contact me at kaye@floridaprosperitypartnership.org.
FPP Seventh Annual Statewide Training Conference
We are happy to report another sponsor for the 2015 FPP Training Conference-United Way of Central Florida at the Bronze Level. Special thanks to Scott Lonsberry and Penny Borgia at United Way for making this happen. To date, the conference sponsorships are as follows:
- SunTrust - Diamond Sponsor at the $10,000 level
- Bank of America - Gold Sponsor at the $5,000 level
- PNC Bank - Gold Sponsor at the $5,000 level
- First Bank - Bronze Sponsor at the $1,000 level
- United Way of Central Florida - Bronze Sponsor at the $1,000 level
If you want your organization to become a sponsor, please contact me at kaye@floridaprosperitypartnership.org or Bill Mills at bill@floridaprosperitypartnership.org. Please let us hear from you with Transportation Issues
Prior to the pre-FPP conference convening of the one-day Transportation Solutions Initiative on May 27, 2015, we will continue to solicit information from all areas of the state about what is and isn't working on the transportation front. Please access the survey at " Problems and Solutions Survey" and we will continue to collect the results. If you would like to join the committee working on this issue, please just get in touch with me at kaye@floridaprosperitypartnership.org. Next month we will introduce you to new FPP Board Members. Until then, please keep reading to find out about what's happening with the FPP Strategic Initiatives, and then take a look at other articles in Member News.
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STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
By Bill Mills, Director of Strategic Initiatives
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Bank On Florida
The interest in Bank On programs is again on the rise! Look for some upcoming information on additional Bank On programs. Also, if you have an interest in helping to get an initiative going in your area, let me know at Bill@FloridaProsperityPartnership.org.
Money Smart Train-the-Trainer
We are currently scheduling some classes for the new year, stay tuned for details. Are you interested in hosting a Money Smart Train-the-Trainer session? We are looking to get these on our calendar soon. Let me know at Bill@FloridaProsperityPartnership.org.
FreeFLTaxSites.org
We are now in the process of updating our FreeFLTaxSites.org web portal. Please verify that your organization's link is correct for your in-person VITA locations. If you have any changes, please email them to me at Bill@FloridaProsperityPartnership.org. We will again be promoting your sites statewide.
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POLK COUNTY
By Debbie Prescott, Director of Polk County
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DEBBIE PRESCOTT
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Time to Ring in the New Year and get tax season underway
Florida Prosperity Partnership Polk is especially excited about tax preparation this year for two reasons. 1) This is our first year leading our local tax coalition and 2) Thanks to our partnership with the United Way of Central Florida, The Walmart Foundation, and all of the partners at www.MyFreeTaxes.com we have additional resources to expand the tax program and increase awareness of the services available in Polk County.
In September 2014 FPP Polk hired a Special Project Coordinator to focus on the tax preparation program and created a college internship position to assist with managing the 2015 My Free Taxes program as well as recruit and engage more college students to volunteer as tax preparers and greeters. Group training / certification is scheduled in early January 2015 at the United Way of Central Florida offices. This will provide our volunteers with the skills and tools required to ensure all tax returns completed at the various VITA site are done in compliance with the IRS rules and regulations.
Advertising will take a leading role this year. The Citrus Connection (Polk's Bus system), LAMAR Electronic Billboards, local news papers, and a professional social media campaign with a measurable on-line landing page will be used to increase awareness for our tax program. We are looking forward to measuring the results of these efforts.
On January 30, 2015 -- EITC Awareness Day -- FPP Polk and the Financial Stability Partnership will host a neighborhood tax preparation event at Parker Street Ministries in Lakeland. This local organization serves over 150 families in an at risk neighborhood in Lakeland. This event is also open to the public.
The overarching goal is to show families how to create savings and educate taxpayers on the importance of financial fitness. This integration of services will allow us to change more lives by helping our clients to become financially fit and independent. Working with community partners allows us to organize our resources to reach more families.
FPP Polk is looking ahead to a fabulous tax program and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Congress Passes ABLE Act: Major Victory for Persons with Disabilities and Their Families
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 by a vote of 76 to 16. First introduced in 2006, and subsequent sessions of Congress, the ABLE Act will allow people with disabilities (with an age of onset up to 26 years old) and their families the opportunity to create a tax-exempt savings account that can be used for maintaining health, independence and quality of life.
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American Savings Promotion Act Signed Into Law!
On December 18, President Obama signed the American Savings Promotion Act into law!
The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives on September 15 and by the Senate on December 10, clears the way for all interested financial institutions to offer Prize-Linked Savings (PLS) products by removing barriers that currently prohibit banks and thrifts from offering them. Effectively, this means that more financial institutions can now offer PLS products to millions more financially vulnerable Americans. The bill had bipartisan support and was sponsored by Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark). Companion legislation was introduced by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). D2D is thrilled to see President Obama and Congress recognize the enormous potential that prize-linked savings offers for Americans, and applauds the efforts of all the Senators, Representatives, and organizations across the country that have come together to make this bill a reality. The next phase of the PLS story in the US is just starting, and, along with partners like you, D2D is committed to harness the full potential of this innovation to benefit financially vulnerable Americans.
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