The Impact Staff Wishes You and Your Family a Wonderful Holiday Season!
  

FocusFirst
Off to a Successful Third Year

Since August 2006, FocusFirst staff and volunteers have provided vision screenings to over 4,000 children at 29 Head Start and daycare programs throughout the state of Alabama.  Of the results that have been analyzed to date, approximately 14% of the children have failed the FocusFirst screening and been referred for follow-up eye care.  This endeavor would not have been made possible without the assistance of 250 trained students at nine different college campuses across Alabama.

In accordance with our tremendous success to date, it is the goal of FocusFirst to reach Head Starts and daycares in all 67 counties in Alabama this year!

Photo used with permission of The Tuscaloosa News, published October 19, 2006.
  

Alternative Spring Break

March 18-22, 2006

FocusFirst is looking for up to 12 students from Birmingham-Southern College, Samford University, UAH, and Jacksonville State University to participate in a four-day Alternative Spring Break service project targeted at providing vision screenings to underserved children in the Southwest region of Alabama.

Participants will have opportunities for reflection by engaging in discussions on issues related to poverty and disparities in health care initiatives. 

If you are interested or would like additional information, please contact our FocusFirst Coordinator, Kenny Murray, at kmurray@impactalabama.org or (205) 934-0664.

  

In The News

SpeakFirst's 2006-2007 year is off to a great start! Four new freshman have been an exceptional addition to the team, and the seventeen debaters who currently represent SpeakFirst have won 57% of their in-state tournaments.  Head coach Daniel Ferguson has returned this year, and he is accompanied by full-time SpeakFirst Coordinators, Geoff Evans and Katie Dean. Stephen Black also continues to coach the team part-time.

In a recent editorial in The Birmingham News, Black commented on the inception of the SpeakFirst program, its progress and success since its initiation in 2004, and the controversy surrounding lack of access to higher education and affirmative action.  

Click here to read Black's article, published on Sunday, December 3, 2006.




Impact Launches SaveFirst Initiative



130 College Students Preparing Taxes and Conducting Financial Literacy Seminars for Low-Income Individuals

SaveFirst Mission

SaveFirst trains college and graduate students to (a) offer free tax preparation services and access to checking and savings accounts and Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) to low-income individuals who are eligible for an Earned Income Tax Credit refund and (b) plan, organize, and administer a series of educational seminars for low-income individuals on savings and investments.

Incredible Student Involvement

Thus far, approximately 130 students from four colleges spanning several disciplines, including business and law, have committed to being involved with the program.  This includes 70 students enrolled in a University of Alabama spring service-learning course and 17 students from a Birmingham-Southern Interim course, both taught by Stephen Black and Sarah Louise Smith.  We also have 60 additional volunteers from UA, BSC, Samford, and UAB.

Collaboration

SaveFirst is a collaborative effort among regional colleges and universities, the staff of Impact, the City of Birmingham Mayor's Office, the City of Tuscaloosa Mayor's Office, the Internal Revenue Service, regional banks, AARP, the Alabama Asset Building Coalition, the Northside Birmingham Weed and Seed Community Revitalization Initiative, and many other businesses and faith communities throughout the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa metropolitan regions.

SaveFirst Services

  • Tax Preparation: Trained students will provide free tax preparation services to low income individuals and families, targeting those eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit.  This assistance is provided at the locations listed below from January 15 - February 15, 2007.
  • Banking the Unbanked: In order to encourage the establishment of savings and the benefits of being banked, SaveFirst has partnered with local banks in order to offer clients checking accounts, savings accounts, and Individual Development Accounts.
  • Financial Literacy: To counteract abusive predatory lending practices, SaveFirst is offering a series of financial literacy seminars which will be offered each Saturday from January 20 - February 10, 2007.
  • Asset Building: SaveFirst will offer Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) to eligible participants through a collaboration with the Alabama Asset Building Coalition.

SaveFirst Locations

Central to the success of SaveFirst are the locations from which we serve the community.  We have chosen two sites in Birmingham and three in Tuscaloosa that are convenient and located in neighborhoods where our target population lives.

     Tuscaloosa:

  1. McDonald Hughes Community Center
  2. Tuscaloosa Housing Authority
  3. Boys & Girls Club in Alberta City

     Birmingham:

  1. Norwood Community Center (Northside Weed & Seed Zone)
  2. Smithfield Library

Contact: For additional information, please contact our SaveFirst Coordinator, Ms. Sarah Louise Smith, at slsmith@impactalabama.org or (205) 348-6494. 

Also, to learn more about Impact or the SaveFirst Initiative, please visit our website at www.impactalabama.org.