LIFT

LIFT-Evanston will provide free tax preparation services beginning February 1, 2010, where trained LIFT volunteers will be available to help Evanston community prepare tax returns electronically and identify their eligibility for tax credits.

LIFT will join Commongood Careers, the Building Moving Project, and a select group of nonprofit leaders to engage in a dialogue about collective opportunities, challenges and strategies, and the role that talent and leadership will play in nonprofit strength during these pivotal times.

This series of breakfast conversations will convene in the coming weeks in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., culminating in a report on the strategic themes and findings of these sessions, scheduled for release in March 2010.

In a press release from the Chicago Mayor's Office, Mayor Daley noted the importance of workforce training and development programs like LIFT-Chicago as crucial to the economic future of the city of Chicago. His remarks came at the opening of the new Chicago Workforce Center.

LIFT-Evanston was recently awarded a root2fruit grant from the Evanston Community Foundation.  The grant will support in part LIFT’s move to bigger office space to meet the client and volunteer demand in Evanston.  With this new space comes increased potential for LIFT-Evanston to strengthen its impact in the community in a number of ways, including more client meetings and extended VITA tax site hours for working families.

LIFT joined several nonprofit and policy leaders at the Center for American Progress Action Fund's event "Doing Good is Good for the Recovery" to discuss how investments in national service can spur economic development and curb the youth unemployment rate. LIFT CEO Kirsten Lodal commented on LIFT's relationship with AmeriCorps and the value of full-time AmeriCorps members in delivering year-round social services to community members.