Tax helper program needs two good organizers
Published 11:26 pm Monday, July 20, 2009
One or two volunteers are needed to be district coordinators for the AARP Tax-Aide Program in Snohomish and Island counties. You don’t have to be a tax preparer, just a good organizer.
“All the tax work, training, the recruiting, the publicity and site organization is all done by us (local coordinators), we just need an official boss,” says coordinator Laura Little.
There are 18 sites that will be supervised.
“If we get two people they can split the district into two parts and not feel so overwhelmed,” she says. “There is training through AARP that usually takes place in October, and the person (or people) would be working in some form from September to May, but nothing like a 40-hour job. Our former district coordinator is also available to help train and to answer questions from anyone who may be interested.”
Get in touch by the end of July. Call Neil Kendall at 425-931-3103, or e-mail gpnwneil@comcast.net.
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They’ve found their place, but it’s all over the map. The very eclectic A Gathering Grove plans a party Saturday at 2820 Oakes Ave., Everett.
Here is the schedule: 1 p.m., cake and coffee; 1 to 5 p.m., intuitive readers offer private consultations; 7 p.m., music by Skinny White Chick with Vixy and Tony.
And find chair massage for a reasonable price and art for sale.
Owners Shannon Bath and Steve Kropf call this a spiritual book shop and coffee house. They belong to the Everett Chamber of Commerce and Washington State Holistic Chamber of Commerce. They support Go Girls Music Network.
And in the Everett area, they are the only approved dealer of Girl Scouts of America merchandise.
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How often are we asked to vote on God’s work?
Halting a plague — that’s a 9.
Thwarting pestilence — an 8 for sure.
At Faith Lutheran Church in Everett, the congregation would like your votes for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America video contest called “God’s work. Our hands.”
They hope to win a $5,000 ministry grant.
Register and vote at www.godsworkourhands.org/register.php.
Once you get registered, search for “Everett.” Watch as local folks make quilts for people in the Guatemalan highlands.
Pastor Kari Reiten said at the opening of the video you’ll watch her squint into the sun.
“Push past that part,” Reiten says. “You’ll be glad you did.”
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Lisa Bos-Almengor, SCORE (Step up Community Relations) coordinator for H&R Block, recently participated in a Relay for Life fundraiser with the American Cancer Society.
Her team walked in memory of district manager Jan Gingrich, who died of lung cancer.
“We had a great turnout,” Bos-Almengor says. “It was very emotional. The first lap is done by survivors of cancer. They get a purple T-shirt and a medal. They all walk the first lap together while everyone gives them a standing ovation all the way around the track. Very moving.”
She said seeing the reality of the disease really hit hard.
“We had our own survivor from H&R Block come and walk and this just really opened up everyone’s eyes and hearts to how destructive this is,” she says. “We all had a lot of fun and a lot of tears. This is something we are definitely going to continue to do every year.”
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.
