Children’s Savings Accounts

May 25, 2016 by

The Basic Idea: Help children, youth and their families save towards the purchase of an appreciating asset upon reaching adulthood so that economic status will not be a barrier to the young person’s path to success. How it works: Children and youth are provided with a specialized savings account that they can access and use […]

Filed Under: Action Ideas, Goal 1: Families set short-term and long-term financial goals, and attain them., Goal 1: Family members establish a financial cushion by regularly building their savings over time., Goal 2: Families use reasonably priced services, accounts and products for their savings, checking and other financial transactions., Grow It Action Ideas, Keep It Action Ideas

Mighty Bold Manistique

September 25, 2015 by

Rural places face significant health challenges in the United States. According to data from CountyHealthRankings.org, rural places rank worse on health behaviors, health outcomes, and access to clinical care than their urban counterparts. So it takes some mighty bold thinking and acting for a small town to create a healthier community in just five years.

Filed Under: Action Alert, Earn It, Feature, Keep It

Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Pays Off for Rural America

January 13, 2015 by

$24 billion is a great deal of asset-building change. That’s the annual dollar value of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) claims for working families in rural America*. EITC is one of those critical poverty-fighting tax benefits that rewards work for low- and moderate-income working people. At lower incomes, the more a family earns, the more […]

Filed Under: Action Alert, Feature, Goal 5: Families file tax returns annually., Goal 6: Families secure all tax benefits for which they qualify, starting with those that reward work – the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.

Internet Access Campaign

November 14, 2014 by

The Basic Idea: Help low-income people get Internet access to increase their ability to access information and services.

Filed Under: Action Ideas, Goal 7: Families know about and take full advantage of the wide range of available public and private services that help reduce their cost of living., Keep It Action Ideas

Remittances

October 20, 2014 by

The Basic Idea: Provide an affordable alternative to high cost money transfer operators (MTOs) for immigrants living in the U.S. to remit much needed funds to their family and friends abroad.

Filed Under: Action Ideas, Goal 7: Families know about and take full advantage of the wide range of available public and private services that help reduce their cost of living., Keep It, Keep It Action Ideas

Town Welcome Center

October 20, 2014 by

The Basic Idea: Help your community grow and thrive by creating a space and/or resource to connect new residents with culturally competent services, resources and opportunities.

Filed Under: Action Ideas, Goal 2: Job seekers have the basic workplace skills—communication, language, math and technology—to succeed in jobs in their region., Goal 6: Family members increasingly participate in community activities and hold leadership roles., Goal 7: Families know about and take full advantage of the wide range of available public and private services that help reduce their cost of living., Grow It Action Ideas

Sizing Up Rural … For Sizing Down

July 3, 2014 by

Over the past 10 years, the national obesity rate has increased – from less than 15 percent in 1990 to over 30 percent in 2010.  So has the dialogue about what to do about it. While a groundswell of inspiring media stories feature communities taking on obesity through farmers markets and walking trails, few stories […]

Filed Under: Action Alert, Feature, Goal 7: Families know about and take full advantage of the wide range of available public and private services that help reduce their cost of living.

Five Ways to Help Rural Families Get Health Coverage by March 31

March 12, 2014 by

At the RuFES Action Network, we are always looking for creative and practical ideas to help families Earn it, Keep it and Grow it. One of our Framework’s 28 family-focused goals, Keep It Goal 8, motivates us to find ways to ensure that, “families have ready access to affordable basic goods and services,” including health care. Almost always, affordable health care starts with […]

Filed Under: Action Alert, Goal 8: Families have ready access to affordable basic goods and services – food, clothing, housing, household goods, and health care.

Integrating Affordable Health Insurance Enrollment into Tax Prep Programs

January 8, 2014 by

A virtual peer learning series for rural practitioners – The RuFES Action Network recognizes that there are some opportunities where a little help from your friends can make a big difference. Integrating affordable health insurance enrollment into tax prep programs is one of those opportunities. This year only, health insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act will overlap with […]

Filed Under: Action Alert, Goal 5: Families file tax returns annually., Goal 6: Families secure all tax benefits for which they qualify, starting with those that reward work – the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.

Combining Tax Prep and Affordable Health Insurance

November 26, 2013 by

A Wealthier and Healthier Tax Time The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) launch in October brought big changes to the coming tax-filing season.  This year only, health insurance enrollment under ACA will overlap with tax season.  While penalties will apply in future tax seasons, this year, families can enroll in health insurance and get the coverage […]

Filed Under: Goal 2: Families use reasonably priced services, accounts and products for their savings, checking and other financial transactions., Goal 5: Families file tax returns annually., Goal 6: Families secure all tax benefits for which they qualify, starting with those that reward work – the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit., Goal 7: Families know about and take full advantage of the wide range of available public and private services that help reduce their cost of living., Goal 8: Families have ready access to affordable basic goods and services – food, clothing, housing, household goods, and health care., Goal 8: Workers hold jobs that pay wages and offer benefits that support a stable family life., ReFresher Webinar
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