ProLiteracy Urges President Obama to Remember Adults at Lowest Level of Literacy

Syracuse, New York (PRWEB) January 27, 2012

ProLiteracy, the oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing adult literacy and basic education, today commended President Obama for his call to states to require all students to stay in high school until graduation or age 18 and his commitment to support community colleges.

Additionally, ProLiteracy supports the President?s national training initiative, announced during Tuesday?s State of the Union speech that will equip 2 million Americans with the skills necessary to lead directly to jobs.

However, the President omitted mention of the more than 30 million American adults who function at the lowest levels of literacy, who struggle to fill out job applications or take drivers exams, and who need basic education and literacy skills before they can pass a high school equivalency exam or enroll in post-secondary institutions.

?A logical place to start with the President?s national training initiative is reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, which provides job training funds for adults, dislocated workers, and youth, and is the major source of federal funding for adult literacy and basic education programs,? said David C. Harvey, president and CEO of ProLiteracy.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, individuals who are at the lowest level of literacy have a higher unemployment rate--more than 14 percent--than the national average of 8.5 percent.

?Basic education and literacy for all adults and workforce development are inextricably linked,? said Harvey. ?Helping people get the skills they need to find jobs, earn wages, strengthen communities, and strengthen our economy means reauthorizing WIA and including the lowest level adult learners in any education or jobs training efforts.?

CONTACT: Amy Schmitz, aschmitz(at)proliteracy(dot)org, (315) 422-9121, ext. 285/cell (315) 412-4118

About ProLiteracy

ProLiteracy is the largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the cause of adult literacy and basic education. ProLiteracy champions the power of literacy to improve the lives of adults and their families, communities, and societies. It works with adult new readers and learners and with local and national organizations to help adults gain the reading, writing, math, computer, and English skills they need to be successful. ProLiteracy advocates on behalf of adult learners and the programs that serve them, provides training and professional development, and publishes materials used in adult literacy and basic education instruction. ProLiteracy has 1,100 member programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and works with 52 nongovernmental organizations in more than 31 developing countries. For more information, please visit ProLiteracy.org.

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Goodwill Urges Families to Explore Valuable Tax Credits this Tax Season

Rockville, MD (PRWEB) January 27, 2012

American workers with low to moderate incomes may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a federal tax credit that provides a financial boost for employees in a recovering economy. In recognition of EITC Awareness Day, Goodwill? is encouraging people who earned less than $ 49,078 to see if they qualify for EITC. In doing so, they could receive as much as a $ 5,751 tax credit from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Even if they do not need to file federal tax returns based on salary, these workers must still file in order to claim the credit.

As part of Goodwill?s partnership with the IRS, more than 100 Goodwill agencies nationwide are promoting the EITC in their local communities. In addition, eighty-nine local Goodwill agencies are operating Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites to provide free tax preparation services to workers who qualify for the EITC. Through its efforts, Goodwill aims to help workers use this tax credit to keep more of their paychecks and provide more financial stability for themselves and their families.

?Only four out of five eligible Americans claim and receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, ? said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. ?Goodwill?s VITA sites provide the free services individuals, with our without children, need to claim the tax credit they have already earned.?

The EITC has been in existence for more than 37 years. It is essential that workers research to find out if they qualify, especially if their financial, marital and parental statuses have changed in the past year. The tax credit can mean a tax return of up to $ 5,751, a vital amount that will help families pay for household expenses like childcare or housing, and it can also be put toward long-term investments such as a college education or retirement. The IRS estimates that certain populations who qualify for the EITC may be missing out on thousands of dollars each year by not filing for this credit. These include the following workers who are living in rural areas; self employed; receiving certain disability pensions or have children with disabilities; not proficient in English; grandparents raising their grandchildren; recently divorced, unemployed or have experienced other changes to their marital, financial or parental status; as well as those who do not have a qualifying child.????

Goodwill?s mission is to provide job training, and career and community-based services to people with disabilities, those who lack education or work experience and others who face challenges to finding employment. Goodwill aims to not only help people earn jobs, but also to encourage them to take advantage of the services and tax credits they?ve earned to strengthen their financial stability and better care for their families.

Goodwill advises people to steer clear of refund anticipation loans (RALs), which rank among the most avoidable tax-time expenses. According to the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer Law Center, RALs ? short-term, high-interest loans ? drained $ 664 million from the pockets of nearly 7.2 million American taxpayers in 2009.

?Millions of workers will qualify for the EITC for the first time this year and it may provide a family the financial boost it needs to live above the poverty line,? said Gibbons. ?Goodwill wants workers with low and moderate incomes, including those who come from rural or non-traditional families, to inquire about and claim this valuable tax credit. ?

To learn more about EITC or to see if you qualify, visit the IRS?s EITC homepage.

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of North America's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, 2009). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,600 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2010, 2.4 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 84 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at http://www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Twitter: @GoodwillIntl. Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

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