Three representatives of State Farm Insurance visited The Unity Council’s VITA site on April 6th, 2017, to award a check of $25,000. CEO Chris Iglesias accepted the generous award, surrounded by staff and interns from the Workforce Development department. The grant award was presented by State Farm’s Oakland territory Agency Field Leader, and Unity Council Board Director, Ashish Dhawan; and two local State Farm agents, Fernando Valenzuela and Jose Cano. State Farm has been a generous supporter of The Unity Council’s programs for over 10 years, through grants and sponsorships, all of which contribute to the critical job training and economic asset building programs that The Unity Council provides.
The VITA program, which helps over 700 low-to-moderate income individuals get free tax-preparation, is a few weeks away from wrapping up the tax season. So far in this tax season, the team of twenty-four volunteers have helped return a total federal refund sum of over $1 Million to the community. With 80% of the clients speaking a language other than English at home, this program is critical to providing a financial boost to up to thousands of residents in the area.
