MAY 2008
Bank Note$ - News You Can Bank On
A Note From
Arlene Kulzer, President & CEO
Dear Friends,
I came across a quote that I thought was especially meaningful. "I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." The words are attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.
Much of this issue of Bank Note$ is devoted to taking action and being prepared -from financial planning to helping head off a hunger crisis among local at risk school children. Because we are a community bank with clients who are greatly involved in and connected to the West Valley, we share in many conversations with you as both clients and private citizens exchanging views about mutual concerns and common values.
At all times we strive to provide you with the best possible banking service experience. However, we are also committed to providing you with a variety of useful information that will help increase your knowledge about local non-profit and civic events so you can fully engage with your friends and neighbors in the West Valley. You are not just thinkers, you are doers - professionally, personally, and within every kind of charitable and community service activity imaginable.
We are here to help you financially prepare for the milestones in your life - additions to your family; planning for college; buying that first home; purchasing a lot in the White Mountains; preparing for retirement, etc., etc. Think of the ACB staff first. Let us be your financial solutions provider. Please pick up the phone and telephone - let me direct you to one of our many competent staff members, or, if we don't have the product or service to fit your need, let us introduce you to one of our many business partners.
Keep this number handy, and please use it often: 623-776-0800.
Best Wishes,
ACB Volunteer of the Month: Carolee Terpstra
Dr. Rebecca Wilks writes, "I have the pleasure of nominating Carolee Terpstra for ACB Volunteer of the Month. Carolee has been a Rotarian for 12 years, holding each of the annually rotating club offices at least once and was the first female
president of the Sun City Del Sol club. She now serves at the district level as the Rotary Foundation District Co-Chair."
She continues, "She has traveled to seven Rotary International meetings worldwide, and is a member of the Travel Hosting Fellowship, welcoming people from many countries into her home. She and her husband, Gerritt, have hosted three high school youth exchange students, and eight participants in Group Study Exchange (a month-long vocational and cultural exchange). She has tutored primary school kids with All-Star Kids Tutoring."
Dr. Wilks remarks that Carolee's greatest passion is helping Guatemalan school children, and that "she recently completed her sixth trip through rural Guatemala with Cooperative for Education (coeduc.org) helping to establish sustainable textbook and computer center programs. For years she has found creative ways to support this program. During her first trip to Guatemala, she found that a school needed a roof, and she raised money to make this a reality. She has sold thousands of dollars in Guatemalan handcrafts and her own hand-made jewelry to fund the project, and has written successful grants well into the six-figure range."
In closing, Dr. Wilks comments, "Though all of this is certainly impressive, her [Carolee's] strongest qualification for the award is more ephemeral. She is the first to volunteer for whatever might need to be done, and truly thinks of everyone else's needs before her own. She is tremendously loving and generous in all that she does. Last month, after years of invitations, I joined Carolee in Guatemala. I am moved by the memory of her outpouring of love to the children there. She has truly earned her nickname, 'the queen of tears'."
Summer Food Service Program Feeds Valley Students
When the last school bell rings in May dismissing hundreds of thousands of Arizona's students, many will not welcome the vacation. For an increasing number of children who do not have the daily nourishment of a school meal, summer means hunger. According to current statistics, more than 12 percent of Arizona households are considered "food insecure," and more than 300,000 children in Arizona live below federal poverty guidelines.
The Summer Food Service Program available at many public schools in Arizona offers real help to children at risk. Students of all ages are welcome for a basic yet nutritious breakfast and lunch. Some summer recreation programs also offer a brown bag cold lunch. At some schools, adults accompanying children are often able to be served lunch, too, depending on supplies; other facilities charge a nominal fee for adult meals.
The full list of participating schools is anticipated to be posted on the Arizona Department of Education Web site at www.ade.az.gov/health-safety/cnp/sfp by June 1. Schools will also send flyers to parents informing them of the program.
To support the Summer Food Service Program, or to obtain more information, contact:
Katrina Klatt, NSLP Nutrition Director
Arizona Department of Education
(602) 542-8700
Introducing Health Savings Accounts
Do you have a High Deductible Health Plan? Are you concerned about the ever-increasing costs of health care? Would you like an easy and secure way to set aside dollars for health care expenses? A Health Savings Account (HSA) may be just what you need.
The constant changes in health insurance plans and their costs can be overwhelming. As a way to help manage expenses, many employers and individuals opt for a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and save money by paying lower monthly health insurance premiums. Whether you're single or married, or carry insurance coverage for your children, an emergency medical visit or a regularly scheduled medical appointment under an HDHP could increase your financial burden. An HSA account may help eliminate some of these financial burdens.
Bank client June Shaffer of Arizona Life Lines Insurance Services says, "In order to set up a Health Savings Account, you must first have a health insurance policy that was sold specifically as a Health Savings Account-qualified plan. You do not have to be self-employed, as was the case until three years ago. You simply have to be covered by an HSA-qualified plan. What many consumers do not understand is that you cannot have an HSA account if you do not have the insurance first."
She adds, "The entire contribution to the HSA account, used or not, is 100 percent tax deductible. Unlike many plans set up by employers, these are not 'use it or lose it' plans: the funds cannot be touched by anyone other than the account holder, and any money left in the account at the end of the year carries forward into the next year."
For more information contact ACB's Desiree Bendtin at 623-776-0800, ext. 101, or email Desiree.bendtin@arrowheadcommunitybank.com.
Available: Scenic Views in the Cool Country
Acreage in Williams, Arizona's Mountain Rose Ranch is for sale by an ACB client. Two 10-acre properties. One borders a national forest and is one of the best lots in the sub-division with views of San Francisco Peak. It features mature Ponderosa pines and would be an ideal site for a custom home. The property is fenced, has a cinder rock driveway, a 12' x 24' barn, and underground utilities. The second property offers 10 acres priced right for horse country in the pines. It is accessed by both a county maintained road on the east side and a private rode on the west side. The entire Mountain Rose Ranch development is surrounded by national forest with miles and miles of trails and easy access.
For complete information, contact William J. Miller at Williams Realty, 928-635-0408, 928-699-1701 (cell), email billmiller@earthlink.net, or visit www.williamsazrealty.com.
Footlights and Fun
Registration is now underway for The Academy for Young Performers, to be held at Arizona Broadway Theatre from mid-June to July 2008. The program is open to students entering grades 1 through 12, and features daily workshops in mask making, creative movement, vocal performance, and theatrical arts. The theatre is located at 7701 W. Paradise Lane (just off Loop 101 and West Bell Road) in Peoria.
For more information or to register for ABT's Academy for Young Performers, contact Joseph Martinez, managing artistic director, at 623-776-8400, ext. 111, or visit www.azbroadwaytheatre.com.
Economic Stimulus Payments
The Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service (FMS) will begin issuing approximately 130 million Economic Stimulus Payments on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service in early May 2008. The majority of the payments will be issued to eligible taxpayers during an 11-week period starting May 2nd and concluding on July 11th. Approximately 30 to 45 million of the payments will be made by Direct
Deposit to taxpayers who file a 2007 tax return and provide bank account information. Taxpayers who do not provide bank account information on a 2007 tax return will receive payment by paper check.
General information on the Economic Stimulus Payments is located at www.IRS.gov including a distribution schedule based on the last two digits of the taxpayer Social Security Number. Questions regarding the Economic Stimulus Payments should be directed to the IRS website or to 1-800-829-1040.
(Unknown, contributed by Shawn Pensinger, Director of Public Relations/Marketing Ashley Furniture HomeStore)
