| Hillcrest Newsletter | ||
Meetings are held the first Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. -
12:00 noon Speakers for March 1 Meeting: Carolyn N. Graham and David Domenici Carolyn N. Graham has served as the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders for the District of Columbia since December 1999. She is the senior policy advisor to the Mayor on children, youth, family and elderly issues. Ms. Graham has responsibility for the health and human services cluster of agencies. These agencies include the Departments of Human Services, Health, Mental Health, and Parks and Recreation; the Office of Human Rights; the Office on Aging; the DC Public Library; and the Child and Family Services Agency. Her experience covers critical public policy issues in the areas of health and human service delivery and neighborhood-based municipal services. Ms. Graham serves on the Board of Directors of both the National Urban Fellows and the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, a 501 C (3), not-for-profit organization founded by Mayor Williams to fund community-based child and youth development programs. Mr. David Domenici is the co-founder and the Executive Director of See Forever and its affiliated school, the Maya Angelou Public Charter School. He is a 1992 graduate of Stanford Law School. He served for eight years as the volunteer director of DCWorks, a summer pre-college program for at-risk teens from DC, Philadelphia, and New York. His work experience includes one year of teaching school in DC, an internship at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, two years in finance on Wall Street, and three years in general practice at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. David is a 1998 Echoing Green Fellow, a member of the 1998-99 Washington Post Principals Leadership Institute, and a 2002 Ashoka Fellow. Back to top Highlights for February Meeting More than 70 members and guests were in attendance. Education Committee Chair Carrie Thornhill discussed plans for upcoming visits to two area schools: Anne Beers Elementary in March, and SEED Public Charter School in April. Miles Steele III asked for volunteers for the upcoming joint musical show with the Palisades Civic Association, tentatively scheduled for early July. Herbert R. Tillery, Deputy Mayor for Operations, said that his office is focusing on DC government workforce development and retention; solidifying organizational processes; and improving service delivery. He discussed a number of initiatives including:
Back to top DC Taxpayers: File Electronically for Accurate Returns, Faster Refunds Mayor Anthony A. Williams and the DC Office of Tax and Revenue are making tax filing easier for District taxpayers as they kick off the 2003 tax filing season. District taxpayers are encouraged to file their tax returns through the District's free online Electronic Taxpayer Service Center, where they can also pay taxes owed or track the status of their refunds. When filing, taxpayers are encouraged to take advantage of the DC Earned Income Tax Credit, which is 25 percent of the federal credit, and the new deduction for contributions to the DC College Savings Plan, which allows District taxpayers to deduct up to $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 if married filing jointly. "We are streamlining processes to be more responsive to District taxpayer requests for an easier, less cumbersome tax filing process. We continue to focus on friendlier service and efficiency from the inside, in order to provide taxpayers the information and services they need to meet their tax obligations," said Mayor Williams. Visit cfo.washingtondc.gov then "Taxpayer Service Center". The site is secure and easy to use. Tracking the status of refunds is available by using your Social Security number and the dollar amount of the refund claimed on your tax return. Taxpayers must also enter their adjusted gross income to complete the request. When using eTSC, taxpayers are encouraged to use the direct deposit option if they are owed a refund. Back to top Plan, Prepare And Protect Devastating acts, such as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, have left many concerned about the possibility of future incidents in the United States and their potential impact. They have raised uncertainty about what might happen next, increasing stress levels. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to prepare for the unexpected and reduce the stress that you may feel now and later should another emergency arise. Taking preparatory action can reassure you and your children that you can exert a measure of control even in the face of such events. Finding out what can happen is the first step. Once you have determined the events possible and their potential in your community, it is important that you discuss them with your family or household. Develop a disaster plan together. Listed below are some of the web sites that provide useful information:http://redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/unexpected.html; http://dcema.dc.gov/info/guide.shtm; http://www.fema.gov/areyouready and http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/ Back to top Shine the Light At several PSA meetings, Lt. Simms suggested that shining a light at vandals often sends them running. I have seen it work. Please Note: I always call the police when I see suspicious activity. But in a couple of cases when I saw that the criminals were just about to break in a car or destroy property, shining the light at them stopped it cold! Lt. Sims also suggested that neighbors can use flashlights to signal each other from house to house, when vandals are 'cruising' the streets. Just the sight of it confuses them, and they most often flee. It really does work! Jim Byers, Commissioner, ANC 7B05 Back to top Telephone Scam Don't respond to e-mails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to call an 80" phone number. Here's how it works--You receive a msg on your answering machine or pager which asks you to call a number beginning with 809. The reason may vary; however, if you call from the U.S. you may be charged $2425.00 per minute. 809 is not in the U.S. Willard Poteat Information Chair Back to top Welcome New Members Back to top Get Notified through Email If you have email and would like to be reminded of events in our neighborhood, send your email address to Kathy Chamberlain at kechamber@erols.com. Of course you can always check the Community Events Calendar. All Hillcrest Community Civic Association events are on the calendar. |
