My Internship Experience with GLUW

By Ryan Jacobs

         

My internship with Greater Longview United Way has been a life-changing and humbling experience. This internship has shown me the different sides of people I had the chance to work with, and how to handle the stress that comes along with different types of situations. The internship also taught me patience and how to cope with everyday situations in the workplace. The experience I received from this internship is incredible. I have worked on many projects that I never had the opportunity to work on. In my internship, I have gained so much experience from the projects I have worked on and from all the people that I was able to interact with.

Although this internship can have the tendency to get stressful at times, the staff at United Way is so helpful and willing to lend a hand. They are always willing to give up a few minutes of their busy schedule to help out with a little project, and they are not afraid to go the extra mile to get a project done. The workers at Longview United Way have a true heart for serving the community.

 Longview United Way is a non-profit organization aimed to help the community of Longview and surrounding areas of Gregg County. The people who work at United Way have a heart for the community and are willing to go beyond expectations to help out a people they have never met before. They care about other people’s future and where the people will go in life. The workers at United Way are not afraid to dig down deep and find resources to help the people who cannot help themselves.

This internship has been a great experience for me and I would recommend the internship to anyone who would like to gain experience with all sorts of projects. The staff is kind and considerate and creates an encouraging atmosphere to anyone who walks in the door.  

2013 GLUW Volunteer of the Year

By Eloisa Herrero

Don Knoop, a retired professor from LeTourneau University, has volunteered for the Home Repairs initiative for the last 4 years.  He was one of the first volunteers and has always been a true champion of the project.

Don Knoop plays a very important role in the success of GLUW Home repairs initiative by providing initial on-site assessment of the homes, calculating the estimate cost of the repairs, coordinating volunteers for some of the projects, securing materials and serving on the repair teams.  His endless talents and commitment have helped to improve the lives of more than 50 families in Longview.

Don Knoop not only volunteers for Greater Longview United Way, but also for many other organizations in Longview. Therefore, he is a perfect example of what LIVE UNITED means!

Greater Longview United Way Recognition Volunteer

Susan McWhorter

Susan McWhorter has served as a volunteer tax preparer for the Greater Longview United Way Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) for the past five years. As an accountant, her expertise has been invaluable to the program.

For the past two years, Susan has served as one of three site coordinators and is the only volunteer site coordinator for the VITA program. This position requires more training and commitment than any other VITA volunteer position.

Susan is passionate about helping people and VITA clients appreciate her patience and vast knowledge. She makes everyone feel welcome with her ready smile.

In addition to her dedication to the VITA program, Susan has been a volunteer for many other organizations over the past 30 years; including: American Heart Association, Camp Fire (now SeeSaw Children’s Place), Leadership Longview, Junior League and Junior Achievement.

Susan gives of her time and talents unselfishly to the United Way and her community.

My United Way Experience

By: Jason Montgomery

It has now been two weeks since I have started working as the Marketing Intern at Greater Longview United Way and already I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work here. I have been able to dive right in to projects such as radio and television advertising as well as plenty of hours in the community filing free income tax returns. It has been an incredible experience already and I cannot wait to see all that is in store for me in the weeks to come.

My first three days on the job not only solidified my doubts that everything you learn in college will be used at some point in your career, but it also had me hitting the books for the first time for work rather than school. You see, part of the job description was becoming VITA certified (Volunteer Income Tax Assistant). This means that my accounting professor Mrs. Bellamy gets the final laugh because I guess I did become an accountant instead of a marketer first after all. Within those first three days I passed the IRS certified Ethics and Basic Exams, which would allows me to volunteer at the VITA site that weekend.

The VITA program is an incredible program and since it is so amazing I am going to pitch it right now just because of the profound impact it has on the community of Longview. People young and old come out and take certification tests in order to be able to volunteer their free time to fill out the community’s income tax returns for free. It is an incredible service that helps the community to grow by increasing the amount of money that families can save. I cannot begin to tell you how great it feels to know that you are saving these people money and that they will now be able to use it to get themselves necessities for everyday life. It only took me four hours to realize the need for me to become intermediate certified so that I can help out even more.
The next week was right in line with what I have been learning for the past year, marketing and advertising to a specific target audience. I have done a plethora of projects in school and some extracurricular marketing, but this was the first time it was real life marketing and advertising to a different target market other than one that I currently fit into. Now it was time for me to use all that I have learned and apply it accordingly. So far it has been a blast to be creating public service announcements for VITA to be aired on the radio, coordinating television commercials with local news companies, and creating thank you advertisements to the people that donate their time for the community. It is one thing to come up with an idea and a completely different thing to get out there and make it come to life.

Everything that I have done over the past two weeks has further backed my decision to seek a career path in marketing and keeps me excited and anxious to see all the possibilities that I have to make a difference in the community.

Be a VITA Volunteer!

2012 is here….and the tax season is around the corner. But some working families in our communities don’t think about tax returns; they are focused on getting the next meal on the table and paying this month’s rent. Wouldn't it be great to help some of these families receive the tax benefits they are due? Unfortunately, many low income families who qualify let federal funds go unclaimed not knowing about the programs, not knowing how to apply, or because they are overwhelmed by the tax preparation process.

You don’t have to be a tax expert to help. Greater Longview United Way offers the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, a successful, proven strategy that mobilizes and trains volunteers to provide free tax service to working individuals and their families. VITA assists taxpayers who are struggling to make ends meet by saving them the cost of tax preparation and helping them claim all tax credits for which they are eligible.

In 2011, GLUW VITA volunteers helped return a total of $506,573 to its clients, in tax refunds and in refundable credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child & Dependent Care Tax Credits. Each VITA client saved on tax preparation fees plus fees associated with refund anticipation loans.Behind every return there is a story. Volunteers hear these stories and experience first-hand how they are making a difference every time they volunteer. Greeters, screeners, tax preparers and quality review volunteers appreciate how their specific role contributes to these families’ financial stability. All volunteers receive free training.VITA is central to increasing the number of families who are financially stable and can have a ripple effect into the U.S. economy, as families that receive these funds typically spend them on the necessities of life.

United Way aims to cut by half the number of low-income families who are financially unstable by 2018. Can you think of a better way to spend the tax season this year? Contact us at 903-758-0191 to become a VITA volunteer!

Thanks to our Longview Mayor Jay Dean and all the people involved for LIVING UNITED!

By Eloisa Herrero

Early this week we received a call in our office informing us that Mayor Jay Dean would implement a program to help - mainly elderly and disabled people - beat the 100-degree weather. Great news for people in need of an air conditioning window unit!

It really caught my attention that several different sectors of the community such as government officials, nonprofit agencies, private companies and Longview residents were mobilized to make this program possible. That is a lot of people LIVING UNITED in Longview!

Mr. Dean mentioned in a news conference that the program was not going to solve the problem completely but it would help about 250 families. I think helping one family to deal with this heat is great, helping 250 families is awesome! Helping one family at the time is all it takes to advance the common good.

If we can beat the heat in Longview, we can beat anything if we LIVE UNITED!

2011 Special Volunteer Recognition

Amy Taylor is Senior Manager – Human Resources for Neiman Marcus. Amy has been a United Way volunteer for more than 10 years. She began volunteering in the Industrial, Communications and Utilities division of the United Way campaign. She has led that division for the past two years and served as a co-chair prior to that. In addition, Amy has served as Secretary of the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee; and as a member of the Communications Committee, the Leadership Development Committee and a Community Solutions team. Amy is active on the Board of Directors of Longview Child Development Center, LeTourneau Presidential Advisory Committee and the Longview 2020 Board, in addition to her service to GLUW. Amy is a multi-talented and energetic leader for United Way. She has been a tremendous asset to the organization by helping raise funds, assisting in the distribution of funds and ensuring the future of the Greater Longview United Way through her tireless efforts.