Page 2 - March 2013 ~ Lafayette Today
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Free Tax Preparation
Meals on Wheels
Free tax preparation for the 2013 tax season is available from AARP’s Tax-Aide and United Way’s Earn It, Keep It, Save It (EKS) programs. All tax preparers are trained and certified by the IRS. While both programs serve taxpayers of any age, Tax-Aide does not have an income limit for whom they can serve. EKS can only serve individuals whose incomes do not exceed $50,000. For information or to make an appointment for the Tax-Aide sites serving the Walnut Creek area, please call (925) 943-5851 for the Walnut Creek Senior Club site, (925) 405-6278 for the Walnut Creek Grace Presbyterian Church site, or (925) 979-5013 for the Walnut Creek St. Paul’s Episcopal Church site. For general information and other site locations, call (925) 726-3199. For information on EKS sites, call 2-1-1 or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org. To complete your tax return, Tax-Aide will need you to bring to the appointment your • Social Security Card or ITIN letter for all individuals to be listed on the return • Photo ID for yourself and spouse • Copies of all W-2s • 1098s and 1099s • Other income and deductions • Your 2011 Tax Return.
Seniors in your community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services has been supporting seniors in YOUR neighborhood since 1968. Two of our programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers, and we need your help now more than ever. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers deliver meals to local homebound seniors through regular two hour shifts once per week or as substitute drivers. Friendly Visitors volunteers provide weekly one-hour companionship visits to isolated seniors. To volunteer for either program, please call (925)937-8311.
Lafayette Improvement Association Lafayette Improvement Association (LIA), Lafayette’s first community service organization founded in 1911, is seeking board members. The LIA is a non-profit organization and the steward of the Lafayette’s Town Hall building. We are looking for individuals who have a strong commitment to preserving this historic community resource and have experience working in fundraising and marketing. Community members who are interested in learning more about the LIA can visit www.lia-ca.org and contact LafayetteImprovementAssoc@gmail.com for more information.
Bunny Brunch Family fun awaits you at the annual Bunny Brunch to be held on Saturday, March 30th at 11AM at the Lafayette Community Center, Live Oak Room located at 500 St. Mary’s Road. Ticket price includes a pancake breakfast, an engaging and entertaining children’s show put on by “Sheriff of Fun,� Michael Goldstein, an exciting egg hunt for the kids, ARF’s Pet Hug Pack, and a visit from the Big Bunny! Tickets are on sale and can be purchased for the advanced sale price of $7 per person. Tickets at the door are $9 per person, but space is limited, so purchase tickets early before it sells out! For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Lafayette Community Center at (925) 284-2232 or visit www.lafayetterec.org.
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Host Families Sought for French Students
A Toast to Tutoring
For the eighth consecutive year, students from a large high school in the South of France are coming to Danville. Every visit by the students has been better than the last. The students will arrive on April 20th and depart May 2nd. The teens stay with local families and have a full itinerary of activities during the days and only require your attention in the evenings and one weekend. The visit is an ideal opportunity to experience another culture and hopefully consider visiting France in return. Anyone interested in hosting a student (or students!) is welcome to participate. For more information or to find out about past year’s programs, please contact Martine Causse (teacher in charge of the group), at caussefly@wanadoo.fr or dachary.martine@orange.fr. There are many happy local host families ready to discuss any questions with you. The local contact is Danville parent Kevin Dimler, who can be reached at kevindimler@gmail.com or 925-718-5052.
A Benefit for the Buena Vista Tutorial Program
There’s More to Girl Scout Cookies than What’s in the Box By Lafayette Girl Scouts Service Unit 326
Buena Vista Auxiliary of Assistance LeagueÂŽ of Diablo Valley is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that operates the Buena Vista Tutorial Program, an early-intervention literacy program for elementary age schoolchildren in Contra Costa County. To date, the tutorial program has helped over 3,600 children improve their reading skills in a private, differentiated learning environment. Buena Vista Auxiliary is thrilled to be hosting this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Toast to Tutoringâ&#x20AC;? at Round Hill Country Club (located at 3169 Round Hill Road, Alamo) and to be celebrating 25 years of service in our local community. The event will be held Friday, April 12th from 6pm-10pm and will feature wine and beer tasting, seated dinner and silent and live auctions. For more information please visit www.atoasttotutoring.org. In 1988, a small group of women from Contra Costa County wanted to make a difference â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Buena Vista ES¸ZZ >]eS` EOaV Wb T]` Auxiliary was born. For the first six years, Buena Vista g]c O\R PZOab OZZ ]T bV]aS Auxiliary aided Assistance \Oabg Q]PeSPa T`][ bVS All outdoor living LeagueÂŽ of Diablo Valley in SOdSa ]T g]c` V][S Ob areas power washed their many volunteer efforts. \] ORRWbW]\OZ QVO`US With this experience, they starting at $249 were inspired to start their own program focusing on Â&#x2019; 4@73<2:G @3:7/0:3 A3@D713 children's literacy. In 1993, the Â&#x2019; :713<A32 0=<232 Buena Vista Tutorial Program 7<AC@32 &!!"$ was launched at Meadow Â&#x2019; 4@33 1=<AC:B/B7=<A Homes Elementary School in Concord. Twelve children participated that first year. Since then, over 3,600 children in Contra Costa County have been served. Currently 2319A Â&#x2019; 2@7D3E/GA Â&#x2019; 43<13A Â&#x2019; 4:/5AB=<3 12 elementary schools in the >/B7=A Â&#x2019; ABC11= Â&#x2019; 0@719E=@9 Â&#x2019; E/:9E/GA 6=CA7<5 3FB3@7=@A Â&#x2019; =CB2==@ 4C@<7BC@3 Mount Diablo Unified and Walnut Creek School Districts ' # '#! !#!% participate in our program.
GET READY AB/7<32 >/B7=FOR SPRING!
Green box means Thin Mints, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all! The updated boxes detail how the easy-to-inhale cookies play a key role of a Lafayette Girl Scout building The Five Skills: Goal Setting, Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics. Goal Setting & Decision Making. The process starts with each Troop and Girl Scout determining individual and team sales goals. How many boxes of cookies to get a cool toy or digital tablet? Will the Troop use the money earned or save it? Troops even apply their funds to trips or community projects and donations. Twin Canyon Camp in the Lafayette hillside was purchased with cookie sales money back in 1954, proof that what girls accomplish today can make a lasting impact. Business Ethics. Superbowl Sunday doubled as cookie delivery day with an initial order of nearly 3,000 cases unloaded at Stanley Middle Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gym. Lafayette Girl Scouts, parents and the community-at-large worked
See Cookies continued on page 17