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Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region Presented $20,000 to CAN Council’s CASA Program
SAGINAW, Mich. – The Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region presented a $20,000 donation to the CAN Council’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in honor of the CASA program’s 20th anniversary.
The Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region and the CAN Council have been intertwined for over 40 years. The League donated $40,000 to CAN Council in 2002 to help start the CASA program.
“The Junior League’s members have remained among our strongest champions over the years,” Emily Yeager, CAN Council’s President and CEO, said. “This gift in recognition of our 20 years of service will propel us into our next 20 years and ensure our advocacy for the community’s most vulnerable children. The Junior League’s contribution is a reminder of the value this community places on our children – and all this community can do on its very own to protect them.”
CASAs are highly-trained volunteers who serve as a voice for children in Bay and Saginaw County who are in the system due to abuse and neglect. The first CASA case assigned in Saginaw County was on May 30, 2002.
“The League is excited to be able to give back again to this program,” Danielle Thurman, Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region’s 2021-2022 President, said. “What this organization does for the children in our community is not measurable.”
About Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region
For 88 years, the Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region has been dedicated to women’s training and development and community action. For more information, visit www.jlgreatlakesbay.org.
About CAN Council’s CASA program
CASA volunteers advocate on behalf of one child or family at a time, as opposed to the full caseloads managed by DHHS workers and lawyer-guardians ad litem. These volunteers stay with each case until it’s closed and the child or sibling group is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many of these children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence in their lives. For more information, visit https://cancouncil.org/programsservices/casa/.
What It Is
The Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit for Working Families (Michigan EITC) is a tax benefit for working individuals with income below a certain level. Beginning the 2022 tax year, the credit amount increased from 6% to up to 30% (see Michigan Compiled Law 206.272). The Michigan tax credit is similar to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (federal EITC).
How It Benefits You
Get money back on taxes you’ve already paid! A tax credit usually means more money in your pocket because it reduces the amount of tax you owe.
Even if you do not owe tax, both the Michigan EITC and the federal EITC could lead to a tax refund! This extra income can help Michiganders care for their families, meet living expenses, or save for a rainy day.
Credit Amount
The Michigan EITC provides tax credit up to $2,080. Your eligible credit amount depends on several factors – including your income, filing status, number of “qualifying children”, and/or if you are disabled.
Getting the Michigan EITC for Working Families
To claim the Michigan EITC for Working Families, you must:
- Have “earned income” – that is taxable earnings and wages you get by working for someone else or by working for yourself/owning a business/operating a farm.
- AND Verify your federal EITC eligibility;
- If you qualify for the federal EITC, you qualify for the Michigan EITC if:
- you are a Michigan resident or part-year resident. You do not need positive Michigan taxable income to qualify.
- you are a nonresident and you have taxable Michigan income.
- Use the IRS’ Qualification Assistant to verify your federal EITC eligibility. The federal EITC Qualification Assistant is available in English and Spanish.
- If you do not qualify for the federal EITC, you do not qualify for the Michigan EITC.
- If you qualify for the federal EITC, you qualify for the Michigan EITC if:
- AND file your federal income tax return with the IRS;
- You must file, even if you do not owe tax or are otherwise not required to file.
- You must claim the federal EITC.
- AND file the Michigan individual income Tax Return (MI-1040).
- You must file, even if you do not owe tax or are otherwise not required to file.
- You must claim the Michigan EITC.
Can I Get Free Tax Help?
You are responsible for what’s on your tax return – even when someone else prepares it for you. You should interview and choose a tax preparer carefully. If you pay someone to prepare your tax return, the preparer must sign it and enter their Preparer Tax Identification Number. Don’t ever sign a blank tax return. Find out how to work with a tax preparer to claim the EITC.
The IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals. Generally, you can get this help from VITA/TCE if any of the following are true:
- Your income is $60,000 or less
- You are a person with a disability
- You speak limited or no English
- You are age 60 or older
A majority of the TCE sites are operated by the AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide program. AARP Tax-Aide sites do not have income or age restrictions but will only prepare basic returns. Visit Free Tax Preparation for Qualifying Taxpayers for more information, to find a site near you, or prepare for a tax appointment.
In addition, the federal government offers free, electronic tax support to individuals with modest income. Through the Free File Alliance, (a partnership between the IRS and a group of private-sector tax preparation companies), free online tax preparation and electronic filing through services are available exclusively through the IRS website. This IRS Free File allows for no cost filing of your federal income tax return online using guided tax preparation software. Browse the list of providers to find a service that includes the federal EITC filing as well as free filing of a state income tax return.