Sapphire – Bright Star for Women in Need

Seeing New York Times best selling author Sapphire at yesterday’s United Way Women’s Leadership Luncheon, renewed my belief that one woman can make a difference.

Bright, passionate and honest, Sapphire gave an amazing keynote address that touched on her experiences from living and teaching school in Harlem in the 1980s. Her novel, Push – which draws on this time – inspired the recent Oscar-winning film, Precious.

The book and film tell the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones, an overweight teenager who overcomes poverty, AIDS and other seemingly insurmountable problems to create a better life.

Oprah, who co-produced the film, said, “None of us who see the movie can now walk through the world and allow the Preciouses of the world to be invisible.”

Sapphire talked candidly about incest, illiteracy, teen pregnancy, domestic violence, AIDS and other tragedies endured by her students, whose stories she said “broke open the seeds of the world.”

Though difficult to talk – and write – about, Sapphire said she was compelled to write Push, in part, to break the code of silence and create change.

“As a teacher and an artist, I took it upon myself to tell the stories of what I saw,” Sapphire said. “I owed it to my precious students who were pushing daily to survive.”

Describing education as “transformational,” she urged everyone to work together to help women, particularly young girls, succeed. “We know that 90% of poor women on welfare are able to earn a living wage within two years of completing college,” Sapphire said.

Many in the room were visibly moved by Sapphire’s words, which concluded with a heartfelt message about women’s ability to influence change. Deflecting applause, she said, “I clap for you. I clap for the solutions you are creating. I clap for the work you’re doing every day.”

Call it a halo effect, but the work we do here at United Way – seems just a little more meaningful.

Inspired to Give, Advocate or Volunteer on behalf of local women and children in need? Click here to learn more.

Mary D'Ottavio works in Heart of Florida United Way's Marketing Department.

Home Free….Way to Go, Olivia!

Just ran into Olivia, a terrific lady who volunteers in our United Way 2-1-1 call center. She shared a great story about receiving an unexpected $700 windfall, compliments of EITC, which helped her pay off her mortgage.

Talk about being home free! We’ve been saying all along that EITC ­(Earned Income Tax Credit), can make a huge difference in people’s live – and Olivia is the proof.

As a retired special needs teacher, Olivia isn't exactly rolling in dough. She's worked hard all of her life and every dollar counts. Satisfying the mortgage on her Habitat for Humanity home is an amazing achievement that will free up money for other important needs. It also lets her do more of what she loves most – serving as a community volunteer.

Like so many people, Olivia had never heard of EITC before.

It was only by offering information to 2-1-1 callers that she found out that she might qualify for a refund, which this year ranges from $457 to $5,657.

And get this – in all the years she’s been paying to have her taxes done by a BIG NAME TAX PREPARER, the trusted experts never once mentioned a word about EITC. Seems a little odd, given that the program’s been around since 1975 and helps an estimated 5 million hardworking people every year.

After visiting one of 30 local FREE tax prep sites, Olivia learned that she even qualified for a retroactive refund from last year. She said the whole process took 45 minutes, the full refund arrived in 10 days and she didn’t have to spend a dime.

“With the economy as bad as it is, EITC is a real blessing,” Olivia said. “Getting your taxes done for free makes it even better!”

After a lifetime of giving to others, it’s great to know that something good came back to Olivia.

Mary D'Ottavio works in Heart of Florida United Way's marketing department.