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FocusFirst Reaches
Incredible Milestone
After two-and-a-half years of service and more than 500 college students participating, FocusFirst recently reached a milestone: 20,000 children screened! As a result of the incredible collaboration among FocusFirst, Sight Savers of Alabama and Vision Research Corporation, the State of Alabama does a better job of caring for the vision needs of underserved children than any other state in the country. To read more recent coverage of FocusFirst in The Dothan Eagle, please click here.
Used with permission of The Dothan Eagle.
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Impact Job Positions Available
Impact relies on talented recent college graduates in order to continue the success of each of its unique initiatives. We are currently in the process of recruiting and hiring for several AmeriCorps*VISTA positions for the upcoming 2007-08 academic year. Please see the attached job descriptions and contact Stephen Black directly at sblack@impactalabama.org for more information.
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Save the Date
Impact will be hosting its annual SpeakFirst fundraising event on Wednesday, May 9th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at a local Birmingham venue. Please mark your calendars and join us in honoring our SpeakFirst students and their accomplishments to date.
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Impact Awarded Grant from State Farm's National Service-Learning Foundation
On February 26, 2007, Impact was selected as one of 44 organizations across the country to receive a generous service-learning grant from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. Notably, Impact was one of only two organizations to be awarded separate grants for two distinct initiatives. Both the SaveFirst and SpeakFirst programs were awarded funding from State Farm.
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IMPACT: A Successful Start in 2007
SaveFirst Initiative Successfully Completes First Tax Preparation Season
As February ended, the SaveFirst Tax Preparation and Financial Literacy Initiative celebrated the completion of its inaugural year of service. More than 100 trained college, graduate, and law students prepared more than 280 tax returns for working families at five community-based sites in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.
In just four weeks, SaveFirst students saved working families over $50,000 in tax preparation fees, enabling them to keep a larger portion of their refund to provide for their families. Moreover, SaveFirst helped to bring $350,000 in refunds (including Earned Income Tax Credits) to these families, much of which will go directly into their local communities.
SaveFirst sponsored two service learning courses that combined academic coursework with a requirement of service at SaveFirst sites. Forty students from The University of Alabama and sixteen from Birmingham-Southern College enrolled in these courses. These students discussed and reflected on issues such as perceptions and misperceptions of those living in poverty and current policies affecting working families. Through their direct service at SaveFirst sites located directly in communities of need, students then gained firsthand experience and the ability to think more critically about those issues introduced in the classroom.
For more information about Impact and its "signature" initiatives, please visit our website at www.impactalabama.org or email Stephen Black at sblack@impactalabama.org.
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