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Our E-Update, Calendar of Events and E-Update ResourcesTM, along with many
supplemental updates of information during the week, now are available at
www.facebook.com/TransformationIni
You do not have to be a Facebook user to access the Page but do need to be a user
to access other than basic features.
Like our Page and then click on Get Notifications in the dropdown menu next
to Like to obtain the latest updates. Otherwise, Facebook picks and chooses
what information you receive on your News Feed and Timeline based on
algorithms it chooses.
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New:
Activities Submission - Organizations are encouraged to submit information about ongoing services and activities, along with special events, as soon as possible after establishing a
date to maximize publicity and to help individuals and other organizations with planning
processes for their own events.
Formats for submission should be similar to and include all information as that shown on the
current, accompanying Calendar of Events. Further information about submissions appears
at the end of this E-Update and the Calendar. Information should be submitted to
bps461@msn.com. Don't let your important activity be left unknown.
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Free Local Income Tax Preparation Now Available, Along with Preparation Software Through
Friday, April 15
Free income tax preparation sites throughout the region are
providing income tax preparation services for individuals who
generally make $54,000 or less annually, persons with
disabilities, the elderly and limited English speaking taxpayers
who need assistance in preparing their own returns.
In addition, the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also is providing free tax preparation
software to aid individuals having less than $62,000 in 2015 income.
The free services take particular note of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that provides
up to $6,269 to an individual or couple with three or more qualifying children and earning
less than $53,506, all based on a sliding scale.
The IRS estimates that one out of five individuals who have earned money during a year
and qualify for the benefit, which can be more than that paid in taxes, fail to file for it.
Further information on the ETIC is available at www.irs.gov/Credits-&Deductions/Individuals/Earned-Income-Tax-Credit/EITC-Income-Limits-Maximum-CreditAmounts-Next-Year.
Information and searchable databases for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax
Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) preparers are available at www.irs.gov/Individuals/FreeTax-Return-Preparation-for-You-by-Volunteers.
Information on Free File software is available at www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-YourFederal-Taxes-for-Free.
Rep. Milne to Host Prescription Drug Take Back and Recycling Saturday, April 30
Pennsylvania Rep. Duane Milne will host his
annual Shredding, Recycling and Prescription
Drug Take Back Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in
the Penn State Great Valley Parking Lot, 30 East
Swedesford Road, Malvern.
The event, which traditionally has resulted in the highest collection of unused prescription
drugs in the area during the biannual Drug Enforcement Administrations nationallypromoted activity, also will include document shredding and small electronics and items
recycling.
Improper appropriation of unused prescription drugs from home medicine cabinets has been
identified as a leading cause of teenage and adult migration to heroin use in the Philadelphia
area and other parts of the country. Flushing of medicines has resulted in measurable
amounts being found in municipal water supplies.
Law enforcement officials coordinate Take Back activities at police departments,
supermarkets, drug stores and other locations that schedule the event from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m., with further information, including a searchable database of national locations
available starting Friday, April 1, at
www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html.
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Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan recently reported that nearly two tons of
unused prescription drugs were collected last year through year-around secure drop boxes
at 19 county locations.
He reported 57 overdose deaths in 2015, with 42 involving prescription drugs.
Nationwide, more people are dying from prescription drug overdoses than from overdoses of
any and all illegal drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines, he said.
A searchable database of Pennsylvania drop box locations, including hours of collection, is
available at https://apps.ddap.pa.gov/GetHelpNow/PillDrop.aspx.
Additional information for the Milne event is available at
www.duanemilne.com/Display/SiteFiles/92/OtherDocuments/Milne%20Recylcing%20flyer%
202%2016%2016.pdf, dmilne@pahousegop.com or (610) 251-1070.
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Kennett Area Bridging the Community meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesdays of
January, March, May, July, September and November at various community locations with
any interested individual or organization welcome to attend and share information on
resources and needs that can build "bridges" toward a more integrated Kennett area
community. On March 9, the meeting will be at Kaolin Mushroom/South Mill, 649 South
Street, Kennett Square. Additional information is available from Joan Holliday at
dochollisv@aol.com or (610) 717-2180. Minutes from prior meetings are available at
www.bridgingcommunity.com/bridging.php.
Coatesville Area Resource Network (CARN) meets from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on the third
Wednesday of the month, except August and December, in the fourth floor conference room
at Brandywine Health Center at 744 East Lincoln Highway, Coatesville. Representatives of
community organizations hear presentations from various services providers, discuss ways
to develop effective systems of care, help identify solutions to specific issues, and exchange
information about current and upcoming activities. Further information is available from
Kathryn Spurlock at ccch@comcast.net or at (610) 380-7111 x16.
Berks-Lancaster-Lebanon Counties LINK to Aging and Disability Resources
meetsfrom 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at various Lancaster
area locations, and from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the third Tuesdays of the month at
various locations in Berks County for services cross-trainings and exchange of information
on creating a one-stop, no-wrong-door resources for older adults and adults with
disabilities, including consumers, family members and others, seeking information about
local resources. On March 17, it will meet at the Denver Borough Municipal Building, 501
Main Street, for presentations by Geriatric & Dementia Care Consulting on Dementia is
Everywhere, Good Communication is Essential and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Blindness
and Visual Services. Further information is available at
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Communities That Care (CTC) groups in several Chester County school districts provide
networking opportunities for community organizations and individuals that use a planning
and mobilization model to promote healthy youth development and prevent and reduce
negative youth health and behavior issues that may include substance abuse, delinquency,
teen pregnancy, school drop-out, and violence.
West Chester CTC meets from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the second Thursday of each
month of the school year at the West Chester Area School District Spellman
Administrative Building, 829 Paoli Pike, West Chester. On March 10, Jacki Smiro,
Parent Coordinator NOPE Task Force, Chester County Chapter, will discuss the groups
work. Lunch is provided by reserving at rsvp@wcctc.org or (610) 359-5817.
Downingtown Area CTC meets from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the
month from September through May. Further information and registration available at
dtownctc@umly.org or (610) 458-9090 x2827.
Coatesville CTC Community Prevention Board, a body coterminous with the Coatesville
Youth Initiative Steering Committee, meets periodically in the fourth floor Community
Room, Brandywine Health Foundation, 744 East Lincoln Highway, Coatesville. Further
information and requested lunch reservations are available from Jarvis Berry, CTC
community mobilizer, at Jarvis@coatesvilleyouthinitiative.org or (610) 380-0200.
UPDATED THIS WEEK: Support Groups for Unemployed and Underemployed Ongoing
Several networking/support groups (open to everyone) are available at area churches for
persons who are unemployed or unemployed, with each providing its own variety of specific
services in support of those who attend:
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the Biblical disciple known as the Son of Encouragement. Weekly sessions are part
of the churchs Care Monday, that includes a prayer group that meets at the same
time in the Prayer Lobby (Portico Entrance), with intercession for those attending the
Barnabas Group and the churchs other Care Ministries, including DivorceCare for
those coping with separation or divorce, even years later; Mending Hearts for those
with prodigal children and other family members; and various offerings focused on
assistance in healing and coping. Further information on Job-Seeker Group activities
is available at barnabasgroup@cfdownington.com or (610) 363-7171.
Malvern Penn State Great Valleys Alumni Association and My Career Transitions
(MCT), an all-volunteer job counseling group, meets from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
the second Saturday of the month, except August and December, in 130 Main
Building, Penn State Great Valley, 30 East Swedesford Road, Malvern, preceded by a
new member orientation at 8:30 a.m. On March 12, Cheryl Bonner, director of
alumni career services, will discuss Stand Out in the Crowd! Show Value to Potential
Employers! Further information and required registration are available at
http://mycareertransitions.com/new/?q=upcoming-meetings. Further information
and required registration are available at
http://mycareertransitions.com/new/?q=upcoming-meetings.
West Chester Unemployment support group meets bi-weekly from 5:45 p.m. to
7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 130 West Miner Street, West Chester, to
learn tips and techniques related to job searches. Further information is available
from Elisabeth Hartwell at ehartwell@firstpreswc.com, at (610) 696-0554.
West Chester BarnabasWC group meets from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Mondays,
except holidays, in the Community Room, Providence Church, 430 Hannum Avenue,
West Chester. Further information is available at www.barnabaswc.org or
info@barnabaswc.org.
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Downingtown -- 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays, in the
Parish Meeting Room Rear of the School Property, St. Joseph's Parish, 338 Manor
Avenue (Route 322). Information about the affiliate is available by leaving a
message at (610) 873-7117. On March 8, careers consultant Matt Levy will discuss
Using Social Media to Enhance Your Job Search. On March 22, job coach Amy
Dinning, re-scheduled from February due to weather will discuss The Power of
Connecting. Further information and required registration for limited seating are
available at www.josephspeople.org/retreat.
Upper Uwchlan Township 7 p.m. on the first and third Mondays at the School
Education Center, St. Elizabeths Catholic Church, 100 Fellowship Road, Chester
Springs. Further information is available at (610) 321-1200 or at
david.bolz@verizon.net.
Reading 7 p.m. to 8:30 pm. on the first and third Wednesdays at St Catharine's of
Siena Parish Center. 2427 Perkiomen Avenue, Reading. Further information is
available from John Senick, facilitator, at (610) 779-4005.
West Grove 6:45 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month in the new Parish
Life Center, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 300 State Road, West
Grove. On March 30, Ernie Russom, executive Director with the Westview
Associates staffing solutions, will discuss Discovering the Hidden Job Market. Further
information is available from John Colgan at johnfcolgan@gmail.com.
Additional information on all St. Josephs People chapters is available at
www.josephspeople.org.
UPDATED THIS WEEK: Free Job Assistance Workshops and Job Opening Report March
Unemployed and underemployed persons seeking education and training in career planning,
along with employment assistance for veterans, ex-offenders and persons with disabilities,
can take advantage of a broad series of services and monthly workshops offered by the
Pennsylvania Department of Labor CareerLink at its Exton offices in Suite 500, 479 Thomas
Jones Way in the Oaklands Corporate Center.
These trainings include an orientation presentation as to services PA CareerLink has to offer.
A calendar of PA CareerLink-Chester County workshops for the current month, including onsite job recruitment opportunities, is available at http://pachestercounty2.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/32586.
The March Job Openings Report is available at http://pachestercounty2.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/32585, with daily job opening updates
are available through www.cwds.state.pa.us.
Websites for additional county PA CareerLink offices in the area, at which many services are
available to out-of-county residents, include:
Berks: www.co.berks.pa.us/Dept/CareerLink/Pages/default.aspx
Delaware: www.delcoworks.org
Lancaster: www.jobs4lancaster.com
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Montgomery: www.montcopa.org/index.aspx?NID=1024
Free Online Training Available for Health Care Professionals Aiding Veterans
Health care professionals now have a free online course developed by the federal
Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Defense (DoD) to help serve veterans and service
members.
The eight-hour Military Culture: Core Competencies for Health Care Professionals training
covers a variety of topics through interactive features, video vignettes, case examples and
treatment planning scenarios.
Each of the four modules within the course was developed using research, surveys and
extensive interviews with service members and veterans.
Information and registration for the training, along with other military culture-related
materials, are available at www.deploymentpsych.org/Military-Culture.
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poor
pregnancy outcomes.
Reports of Pennsylvanians who have traveled being tested
and one of the mosquito species that carry the Zika virus
living in Pennsylvania followed at
www.facebook.com/TransformationIni/posts/987238388008079.
Experts aren't predicting widespread transmission of the virus within the United States,
according to reports, with the greatest concern associated with out-of-country travel, such
as to the Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro. Further CDC information is available at
www.cdc.gov/zika.
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Jones has alleged, based on volunteer efforts through his Transformation Initiative and
Transformation Initiative Emergency Preparedness Facebook pages, that the county
system can achieve major improvements overnight with little effort or increased costs but
it first has to come out of denial as to deficiencies.
County officials previously have said there is no intent to change its current practices.
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Several Area High Schools Rate Among Pennsylvanias Best Based on SAT Scores
Several area high schools are ranked among tops in the state last year based on the
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores for reading, math and writing.
Pennsylvania Department of Education says that schools in our reporting area held six of the
seven top spots, with Downingtown STEM Academy second with a composite average score
of 1837, followed by Conestoga Senior High School in Tredyffrin-Easttown School District at
1820, Unionville High School in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District with 1786,
Harriton Senior High School in Lower Marion School District at 1777, Radnor Senior High
School at 1771, and Lower Merion High School at 1744.
The clear overall leader state-wide was Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and
Demonstration School in Philadelphia at 1993.
The complete sortable list is available at www.education.pa.gov/K12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/Pages/SAT-and-ACT.aspx#.VrT_OVIaL-t.
Homeless Students Exist in Every County and Most School Districts in Pennsylvania
Every county in the state and 96 percent of school districts in Pennsylvania have homeless
students, according to a report for the state Department of Education.
PennLive analyzed the data at
www.pennlive.com/news/2016/02/by_the_numbers_how_many_homele.html, along with a
look at life for the states 22,000 homeless schoolchildren at
www.pennlive.com/news/2016/02/working_title_homeless_student.html#incart_river_index
and the ten numbers behind the spike in homeless students at
www.pennlive.com/news/2016/02/pennsylvanias_homeless_student.html#0.
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More than three million U.S. women are at risk of causing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
(FASD) in unborn children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
In a new report, the agency warns that "alcohol use during pregnancy, even within the first
few weeks and before a woman knows she is pregnant, can cause lasting physical,
behavioral, and intellectual disabilities (FASD) that can last for a childs lifetime."
Sexually active women who stop using birth control should stop drinking alcohol, the CDC
says, but most keep drinking.
"There is no known safe amount of alcohol even beer or wine that is safe for a woman
to drink at any stage of pregnancy," according to the warning.
The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0202-alcohol-exposedpregnancy.html.
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FTC Unveils New Website for Reporting and Recovery from Identity Theft
U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has debuted a new website that is said to make it
easier to report and recover from identify theft.
The initiative, at www.IdentityTheft.gov provides a personal recovery plan that walks one
through each recovery step, tracks progress and adapts to changing situations and pre-fills
letters and forms for easier reporting.
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AlertBerks, developed by tip411, can be downloaded at no charge via the Google Play Store,
iTunes App Store, or by visiting the Crime Alert Berks County Web site at
www.alertberks.org.
Further information is available at www.bctv.org/special_reports/safety/crime-alertberkscounty-launches-tip/article_51ee8ace-b55b-11e5-baa823552383f307.html#.VpeOrMTuKmg.facebook or (877) 373-9913.
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Please Note: New and Updated tags refer only to the time of appearance of information
in these E-Updates. Some on-going activities may have been in existence for some time
and are being listed for awareness.
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Blessings
Casey
Casey Jones
Transformation Initiative
Building Healthy Communities Through Healthy Families
(610) 707-1494 / bps461@msn.com
2009-2016 Casey Jones, Transformation Initiative for Building Healthy Communities Through Healthy Families.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal or non-commercial uses only.
Information provided is designed to highlight activities within the broader community that can help
enhance Christian principles relative to development of healthy children, individual and family
relationships.
Recipients are encouraged to print and post this Calendar to employee and public bulletin boards
for benefit of others.
Activities included in this publication are gathered from various submissions and other sources. No
representation is made as to their accuracy or value.
Persons wishing to be included in future e-mailings of updates, should request inclusion by sending
an e-mail with Subscribe in the Subject line, along with your name, organization, community and
where you heard about the publications to bps461@msn.com.
General Guidelines for Information Submission:
Submission up to two to three months prior to the event is encouraged to increase exposure to new
subscribers, individuals who only may read the list periodically, and for other organizations that want
to avoid scheduling opposite an event or may want to collaborate with others in the area. For annual
events, even longer lead times may be appropriate. Our deadline generally is the Friday before the
week of publication.
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A general idea of the information needed (many submit too little for the consumer to understand what
actually is occurring and why they should consider attending) can be obtained by perusing the
publications or using the following guide:
Please use full names followed, if appropriate, by acronyms in parenthesis.
Name of Event:
Date(s) - Include both day(s) of week and actual dates:
Times (Starting and ending):
Location (Including any applicable room number, particularly in a large facility, and a
MapQuest or Google Maps searchable address:
Sponsoring Organization(s), if not part of the location address:
Participant Eligibility (Ages, gender, etc.):
Description of Activities and, as applicable, the presenter and the purpose of the event (Two to
three descriptive sentences with the most appealing information; please avoid superfluous
words such as "wonderful", "great", etc.):
Any Fees, including free-will offerings:
Contact name, e-mail, telephone, along with any web page that is focused primarily on the
specific activity:
Any registration requirements.
We generally use only free activities of a non-commercial nature or those in which a very small,
optional materials fee is charged.
Fund-raising activities generally are not published unless there is a good mixture of free
activities also available, including free admission, with a participant having the choice of
purchasing incidental items such as food or crafts.
Church events generally are published only if they are separate from normal weekly worship
services.
Due to the wide variety of activities available, decisions on publication ultimately are determined on a
case-by-case basis in context with focus of the publications.