With many thanks...

By Eloisa Herrero

Last Friday, during the United Way Day of Action about one hundred volunteers joined forces hoping to change somebody's  life for the better. Our volunteers worked very hard on a very humid Texas day. They delivered fans, did yard work, built an outdoor classroom, painted a fence and a playroom, did some home repairs, collected items, etc.

  

During the day, we heard stories about how much people appreciated the volunteers' hard work. One volunteer even said that for the first time she "experienced" United Way".

Today, at the GLUW office, we received a thank you note from one of the households where some home repairs were done. We would like to share this wonderful thank you note.

The impact of the day goes so much farther than simply mowing a yard or repairing a home. We join this homeowner and the hundreds of other lives touched in thanking the volunteers and local organizations who made such a huge difference in our community. 

That is what it means to LIVE UNITED.

Let’s Hear it for Team Spirit!

By Beckie Moore

Have you noticed that we spend an inordinate amount of time brainstorming about team building activities that could be implemented in order to generate unity within our organization and/or business and yet we fail to put the plans in motion?

Thanks to Barry Hamblett and his amazing company family at Bates Container, I was privileged to witness team building at its best! A generous dose of team spirit was alive and well throughout the day! All of this excitement took place at a company picnic. No fancy dinner or extravagantly appointed venue…simply people enjoying spending time with each other! 

At their invitation, I joined their picnic and had a blast shaking hands, playing games and “dressing” people in United Way gear. Thank you, Bates Container, for sharing your team spirit with me. After all, isn't that what it’s all about? Keep sharing your TEAM SPIRIT as you LIVE UNITED in our community! It is contagious!

Taxes 101 for students who take summer jobs.

 From IRS.gov

Many students take a job in the summer after school lets out. If it’s your first job it gives you a chance to learn about the working world. That includes taxes we pay to support the place where we live, our state and our nation. Here are eight things that students who take a summer job should know about taxes:

1.     Don’t be surprised when your employer withholds taxes from your paychecks. That’s how you pay your taxes when you’re an employee. If you’re self-employed, you may have to pay estimated taxes directly to the IRS on certain dates during the year. This is how our pay-as-you-go tax system works.

2.     As a new employee, you’ll need to fill out a Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. Your employer will use it to figure how much federal income tax to withhold from your pay. The IRS Withholding Calculator tool on IRS.gov can help you fill out the form.

3.     Keep in mind that all tip income is taxable. If you get tips, you must keep a daily log so you can report them. You MUST report $20 or more in cash tips in any one month to your employer. And you must report all of your yearly tips on your tax return.

4.     Money you earn doing work for others is taxable. Some work you do may count as self-employment. This can include jobs like baby-sitting and lawn mowing. Keep good records of expenses related to your work. You may be able to deduct (subtract) those costs from your income on your tax return. A deduction may help lower your taxes.

5.     If you’re in ROTC, your active duty pay, such as pay you get for summer camp, is taxable. A subsistence allowance you get while in advanced training isn't taxable.

6.     You may not earn enough from your summer job to owe income tax. But your employer usually must withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from your pay. If you’re self-employed, you may have to pay them yourself. They count toward your coverage under the Social Security system.

7.     If you’re a newspaper carrier or distributor, special rules apply. If you meet certain conditions, you’re considered self-employed. If you don’t meet those conditions and are under age 18, you are usually exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes.

8.     You may not earn enough money from your summer job to be required to file a tax return. Even if that’s true, you may still want to file. For example, if your employer withheld income tax from your pay, you’ll have to file a return to get your taxes refunded. You can prepare and e-file your tax return for free using      myfreetaxes.com or let our VITA volunteers help you!

 For more information call 903-236-9211.

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.