applebees flyer link -Ross Freeman

A little about myself; I am going to be a senior at Ball State University this year. At Ball State I am earning a degree in general studies with two minors: a minor in business management and another minor in organizational communication. I grew up in the little a very little town just north of Ft. Wayne named Albion. This town is so small that it only has one stop light and it is basically surrounded by nothing but fields. So naturally as a kid I lived outdoors and I was an avid fisherman and hunter. Now that I’m in college my favorite past times are a bit different, I enjoy video games, golf, and working on cars.

A little over a month ago I proposed to my girlfriend of three years. Her name is Ann and she said yes! So now, either by choice or not, my biggest past time activity is wedding planning with Ann. We have a lot of fun planning together, and she now has me watching wedding T.V. such as: Say Yes to the Dress, Four Weddings, My Fair Wedding, and Bridezilla.

I look forward to a great summer with everyone!

Stay well,

Ross Freeman

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(Posted Friday afternoon) With the possibility of a government shutdown at midnight tonight, SCCAP still doesn’t have information on whether a shutdown would affect the agency’s programs and staff.

Currently, we have not had any direction from the State of Indiana on whether Community Action Agencies in the state will be closed in the event of a shutdown.  The state is not releasing any information as they, too, are holding out until midnight in the hopes of a resolution.

In the event that the government does shut down, and our agency is closed due to the shutdown, we will be notifying staff by the following methods:

• Utilizing the “telephone tree” where department heads are notified and they, in turn, call their staff,
• Posting updates on this blog,
• Notifying local media.

If the agency is closed in the event of a shutdown, staff must remain away from the workplace unless and until you are told to return to work.  Also, if our agency is shutdown, staff will not be permitted to serve as an unpaid volunteer.  This means staff must not perform work for the agency from home or anywhere else, even if you have an agency cellphone or laptop or have remote access to the agency’s network.

If the agency is closed in the event of a shutdown, further communication regarding updates will be sent to staff via the above methods.

If staff has not been contacted over the weekend by telephone, or information has not been published on this blog site or in the media, the agency will be open on normal business hours on Monday and staff will report to work as normal.

If SCCAP or any of its programs are closed on Monday because of a shutdown, the agency will have signs on its doors and information on its voice mail system for callers. We also encourage clients to follow this blog, our agency website – http://www.insccap.org/ - and local media for any updates.

The first opportunity at SCCAP for people to have their taxes done for free and to see if they qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit is tomorrow (Tuesday) from 4 to 7. Service will be first-come, first-served.

For more information, including a complete schedule and list of locations, visit the United Way of Monroe County website or call 211.

WHO:

•           Barry Lessow, United Way of Monroe County

•           Mayor Mark Kruzan, City of Bloomington

•           Eloise Erickson, Internal Revenue Service

•           Todd Lare, South Central Community Action Program

•           Sara Laughlin, Monroe County Public Library

WHAT:   EITC Awareness Day is a national effort to increase knowledge about the Earned Income Tax Credit. EITC is a financial boost for working people hit by hard economic times, yet is often overlooked by those who need it most.

WHEN:   Friday, January 28, 2011; 11am

WHERE:   City Hall at Showers Plaza, Atrium

WHY:   EITC Awareness Day is particularly important in today’s economy; more workers may qualify due to reduced incomes. EITC can make their lives a little easier. The credit can increase their federal income tax refunds from $2 to more than $5,666 depending on individual circumstances, but only four out of five eligible people claim and get their EITC. Individuals and families must know about the credit, then file and specifically claim it.

Residents can receive free help determining their EITC eligibility and claiming the credit at eight volunteer tax sites in Monroe and Owen Counties. The Free Community Tax Service helps low- to moderate-income residents file their federal and state tax returns for free. Eligible residents can file their taxes for free and receive 100% of their refund quickly and easily — usually in just 10 days or less.

United Way of Monroe County is a nonprofit organization that improves people’s lives by addressing critical needs today and working to reduce those needs tomorrow. Through its Community Action Fund and grant opportunities, United Way works with 24 member agencies and community partners to focus resources on the building blocks for a better life: education, earnings, and the essentials. You can find more information at www.monroeunitedway.org.

Quiz Bowl is double elimination this year, and the first two rounds are tonight. We have a first round bye, but then we compete in the second round tonight between 8:50P-9:30P. Super late! We’ll be the Public Library tonight for it, but for those of you don’t want to stay out so late, it will be on television, on CATS. You should be able to catch us live sometime after 9P (probably close to 9:20).

Regardless if we win or that other thing that I don’t know the word to, we will return in April to compete. Our team has changed quite a bit from last year. Sky Adams and Jason Keller have moved on to new opportunities, so the new Sky is Monica Miley and the new Jason Keller is Abbey Bonner. Myself and Bethany have returned to the team, but to make things more complicated, we have switched brains. Andrew Hollis is our bench player.

For those who need to be reminded of Quiz Bowl, here’s a link to us last year beating the reigning champs in the first round!

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_iZSfSfDZI

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9DMEm1SYko

Come see us live out our nerd dreams!

 Cheers,

Eddy, Bethany, Monica, Abbey, and Andrew

With Bloomington blanketed in several inches of snow today, we’d like to thank all the people who have helped keep the business of helping people rolling today at the South Central Community Action Program. We appreciate your positive attitudes and camaraderie in making the best out of this slippery situation.

Before the doors at SCCAP opened to the public this morning, members of our weatherization staff chipped in to shovel our sidewalks so clients and customers would be safe. Kathy Potts of our Head Start staff, wearing her dashing wide-brimmed navy hat with chin strap, went above and beyond in brushing the snow off people’s cars that had accumulated since they’d arrived at our office.    

With a couple of cars stuck in the parking lots and hills around the main SCCAP office today, groups of staff went out and pushed them back onto the road. One car belonging to a Head Start parent needed staff members to stand on the back of it to get it rolling up the hills (pictured above).   

In the office’s front lobby, it was a busy day with many people visiting us to seek energy assistance. Much of Bloomington was pretty slow today, but not here. Many local people are struggling this winter and we’re glad to be able help them, particularly during this season of cold weather and high utility bills.