More FREE opportunities...

Family Support Line Sponsors a Free Workshop for Parents and Others Who Care for Children

On Saturday, February 25, 2012, from 9:00a.m. to 11:30a.m. Mary Hove, MS, Education and Training Director, from Family Support Line will present a workshop: Talking to Children About Personal Safety to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. During the workshop, the following will be discussed: the signs of abuse, the behaviors of offenders, how to talk to children about personal safety, how to respond to abuse, the effects of abuse and how to support an abused child, and how to keep children safe.

This FREE workshop will be held at Reformation Lutheran Church located at 102 W. Rose Tree Road in Media. Registration/coffee is at 9:00a.m. and the workshop will begin at 9:30a.m. Directions to Reformation can be found at http://www.relcmedia.org/. Please call Family Support Line at 610-891-5276 to reserve your spot. Further information can be found by visiting: http://www.familysupportline.org/

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Residents can get ‘fiscally fit’ with FREE info

Library Foundation of Delaware County receives grant to offer ‘MoneySmart’ education

Delaware County libraries will soon play an important role in helping residents better understand and plan their finances through a new program called MoneySmart@your library.

Delaware County Council and the Delaware County Library System (DCLS) announced that the County’s member libraries will offer a series of presentations and materials that will provide FREE, reliable and unbiased financial information to help people of all ages and economic levels to get “fiscally fit.”

The Library Foundation of Delaware County, in cooperation with DCLS, was awarded a $97,470 grant to provide a two-year financial education program on three separate levels. The first level of education will focus on basic financial literacy skills, the second will offer information to assist parents in teaching financial literacy to their children, and the third will focus on investor education.

The Library Foundation of Delaware County is one of 16 public libraries nationwide selected for the grant by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation.

DCLS will work with a variety of organizations, including CLARIFI (formerly Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley) and the Pennsylvania Securities Commission, to present programs in local libraries over a two-year period, starting this spring.  In addition, the grant will fund the purchase of books and eBooks to help county residents manage their money more effectively.

“The MoneySmart program will be a great resource for our residents, especially during tough economic times when people need to manage their money very carefully,” said County Councilman John McBlain, Council’s liaison to DCLS. “This is one more example of how important our libraries are to the community, as a place where people can easily access many resources, including computer access.”

David Belanger, DCLS director, said he is pleased that Delaware County was selected among libraries across the country for participation in this important financial education program.

“We look forward to using this grant to create innovative programs that will help residents in Delaware County prosper,” Belanger said. “We hope to launch the events in April of this year, so people should stay tuned for more news on this program. A full schedule of all events will be posted on the DCLS website.”

The national program, titled Smart Investing @ your library, is a grant-funded program developed collaboratively by the American Library Association and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. The program addresses the growing need for unbiased financial and investor education at the grassroots level. Since its launch in 2007, participating libraries and their community partners have helped people nationwide find the information they need to improve their financial decisions.

Through the program, library visitors are empowered to make smart financial decisions, both for long-term investing and day-to-day money matters.

In Delaware County, the program will focus on helping people who might not have easy access to financial and investment consulting.

“In an era of economic uncertainty, it is Council’s hope that the MoneySmart@your library program will give residents the tools they need to take charge and gain confidence in becoming engineers of their financial futures,” said Councilman McBlain.

The Delaware County Library System is the department of county government responsible for providing support services and leadership activities for 26 member libraries.  More information on DCLS can be found at http://www.delcolibraries.org/.

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79th Wilmington International Exhibition of Photography (WIEP) an Extraordinary Visual Experience

The 79th Wilmington International Exhibition of Photography (WIEP) opens on Sunday, February 26 at 12 noon. WIEP is a juried exhibition presented by the Delaware Photographic Society. This year 3787 images were submitted by 478 photographers from 39 countries and 300 of the best prints will be on display at Arsht Hall, on the University of Delaware's Wilmington Campus, 2700 Pennsylvania Avenue. The exhibition is open Sundays from noon to 5:00 pm. Projected image presentations will be shown on Sunday, February 26 and Sunday, March 4 at 1, 2, and 3 pm.  FREE admission and parking.

Monday through Friday, prints may be independently viewed at Arsht Hall during regular business hours beginning at 9:00 am. The exhibition is closed on Saturday.

This event is recognized by the Photographic Society of America and is made possible, in part, by grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

For additional information on this event visit www.wiep-photo.org or call 610-358-5191.

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Williams, PathWaysPA, ShopRite to Host Free Tax Assistance Event

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 16, 2012 — State Sen. Anthony H. Williams, PathWaysPA, and Brown’s ShopRite will host a free tax return and property tax/rent rebate preparation event on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at Brown’s ShopRite, located in Penrose Plaza at 2946 Island Ave. in Philadelphia.

Individuals will receive help filing their income tax returns (1040EZ, Form 1040A, or basic Form 1040 federal income tax returns).

“As we enter tax return season, this event is a good opportunity to get ahead of the April 17 filing deadline and receive free extra assistance filling out tax returns or property tax and rent rebates,” Williams said. “I’m grateful to PathWaysPA for offering this helpful free service and to Brown’s ShopRite for providing the location of this event.”

Williams’ staff will also be available to provide on-site constituent services, including any state government matters like PACE and PACENET, public utilities, driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations and more.

Individuals should bring their identification and Social Security card; copies of 2011 rent receipts or receipts for paid property and school taxes or year-end mortgage statement if their taxes are paid through their mortgage company; statements of income, including W-2s, Social Security, pensions, etc.; and a checking or savings account number and bank routing number for those who want direct deposit for their rebate.

Space is limited, so sign up in advance by calling ShopRite at 215-492-1333 or Williams’ district office at 215-492-2980.

More information on Sen. Anthony H. Williams may be found on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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