The Al Día newspaper has published a voting rights guide created by The Committee of Seventy, Congreso and Ceiba. The guide is available in English and Spanish. Read it today - May 19 - for important tips before going to the polls!
Telemundo interviews Ceiba Executive Director about Voting Rights
Know your voting rights! Get ready to vote on May 19 by watching this Telemundo interview with Ceiba Executive Director Will Gonzalez.
The interview (in Spanish) brings you useful and up-to-date information about your rights as a voter. In this additional interview, Will Gonzalez, speaks further about voting rights and Philadelphia's commitment to prevent voter fraud.
International Business Times quotes Ceiba's Executive Director on Health & Taxes
An April 14, 2015 International Business Times article about tax penalties for people without health insurance quoted Ceiba Executive director Will Gonzalez:
"I don't think the fine has been the nudge factor that it was designed to be," said Will Gonzalez, executive director of Ceiba, a coalition of Latino community organizations in Philadelphia that offers free tax preparation as part of its services. "I still think that there's a need to help people understand the [enrollment] process more."
The article, including additional comments by Will Gonzalez, can be read in its entirety on the International Business Times website
Philadelphia Inquirer & KYW News Radio Highlight Ceiba's Health and Taxes Days
The government announced a special time period to enroll in health insurance while filing taxes and Ceiba responded by offering additional days where clients can take advantage of free of two-in-one services. The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW News Radio highlighted Ceiba's efforts.
Complete text of the Inquirer article is available on Philly.com.
Visit KYW News Radio for their full article or click to listen to the radio version.
"When nonprofit executive Will Gonzalez heard about the special enrollment period allowing people to buy health insurance when they file their income tax returs, he knew what he had to do. 'We're planning for more health and taxes days,' said Gonzalez, executive director Ceiba... On Feb. 20, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that from March 15 to April 30, uninsured people can buy a plan on the Affordable Care Act marketplace - www.healthcare.gov - when they file their tax returns."
Ceiba will offer three additional tax preparation sessions with the opportunity to enroll in health insurance on March 19 and 26 and April 2. The sessions will take place at Concilio. Call (215) 627-3100 for an appointment.
Al Día asks, "Plastic or Cash?" Ceiba responds...
Will Gonzalez, Executive Director, and Diego Tapia, Program Director, give commentary on the credit and debt in this Al Día newspaper article. Full text (in Spanish) available here. (January 11-17, 2015 edition.)
Ceiba & HBA Organize Successful Expungement Clinic
More than 150 people came to the Norris Square Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, to participate in a free legal Expungement Clinic to clear their criminal records. The event was organized by Ceiba and the Hispanic Bar Association of PA (HBAPA) with the support from the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE). Univision covered the event and the news clip (in Spanish) is available here.
Expungement is the process by which some criminal records are sealed and destroyed. This applies mostly to arrests where there are no convictions and to summary offense convictions such as disorderly conduct, reckless driving, and some retail theft offenses that are usually punishable only by a fine. A 2009 law permits people to clear their record of convictions for summary offenses if they have been free of arrest or prosecution for at least five years. The goal of the clinic was to provide information to community residents about the Expungement Process, screen people for pro bono representation, and assign pro bono cases to volunteer attorneys
Eleven volunteer attorneys and 10 law students prepared 110 intakes for people interested in pro bono representation to expunge their criminal record. The next steps of the process will be to:
• Review the intakes and determine which applicants can be offered pro bono representation
• Distribute the accepted applications among the volunteer attorneys
• Draft the Expungement petitions
• Represent clients at petition hearing
Thanks to Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE), clients whose income falls below 200% of the poverty line are eligible to have their court filing fees waived.
People accepted for pro bono representation will be contacted by the end of November. The drafting of Expungement petitions will take place in December and January. Petition hearings are expected to take place in February and March.
Contact PLSE (www.plsephilly.org) or (215) 995-1230 for information about additional Expungement Clinics in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Eagles Honor Ceiba
Ceiba was honored with the 2014 Eagles Hispanic Leadership Award.
The award recognized the "positive impact... made to our local Hispanic community, while exhibiting outstanding leadership characteristics and success in elevating and empowering the local Hispanic community." Will accepted the award on September 21, 2014 on the field before the Eagles football game
AL DIA Selects Ceiba Executive Director as Agent of Change
AL DIA Newspaper Selects Ceiba Executive Director Will Gonzalez as an Agent of Change.
Click here or on the photo below to view the full story.
Radio El Zol Announces Ceiba's Free Tax Preparation Services
Listen to this announcment (in Spanish) from radio station El Zol to learn about Ceiba's free tax preparation services. Ceiba will be in four locations this tax season. Make your appointment and come do your taxes with us!
Univisión: Ceiba helps voters get photo ID
On September 21, 2012 Ceiba joined forces with other Latino organizations in Philadelphia to provide free assistance to voters in need of photo identification. Under a new Pennsylvania law, all voters will be required to present photo ID in order to be able to vote.
The clinic, which took place at Congreso, provided information and help on how to get an acceptable form of ID to vote. For those people who had their documents with them, the clinic provided free transportation to the PennDOT offices so that they could apply for their state-issued photo ID that same day.
Univisión was on site to interview clinic organizers and participants. See the full video of the Univisión news report here. (Video in Spanish.)
For more information about how to get acceptable photo ID before November's elections, download this resource list or call (267) 765-2260 for more infomation about the next voter ID clinic which will take place Friday, September 28 from 10am to 4pm at Congreso.
Ceiba Leaders Honored by Philadelphia Business Journal
On August 9, 2012 Ceiba Executive Director Will Gonzalez and Ceiba board member Luis Mora were honored with Minority Business Leaders Awards presented by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
An article in the Philadelphia Business Journal on August 10, 2012 provided highlights of the event:
"As part of this year’s Minority Business Leader Awards breakfast on Aug. 9 at the Crystal Tea Room, we asked the honorees to share what famous person they would change places with for a day if they could.
Their answers say a lot about what made them contenders for this award... Will Gonzalez, who said the people he admires most are Dream Act youth activists, has been no slouch himself. He’s been advocating for the city’s Latino population for more than 20 years as the head of various cultural and civil rights organizations and has helped hundreds of Latino residents become homeowners."
Visit the Philadelphia Business Journal online for the full article about the awards ceremony.
Ceiba Informs Community About New Voter ID Law
On July 13, 2012 Ceiba Executive Director Will Gonzalez spoke at a press conference to inform the community about a new Voter ID law and to share information about how to obtain a valid birth certificate and photo ID.
A new law requiring voters in Pennsylvania to present photo identification goes into effect in November. People without an ID that meets the requirements will need to obtain one before the November election in order to vote.
One of the required documents to apply for a state-issued ID is a valid birth certificate - a problem for Puerto Ricans who haven't replaced their birth certificates after Puerto Rico voided birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010.
For more information about the event and about the Voter ID law, read this City Paper article or visit the Committee of Seventy website.
Ceiba Leaders Win 2012 Minority Business Leader Awards
Ceiba Executive Director Will Gonzalez and Ceiba board member Luis Mora of Finanta have been selected as winners in the 2012 Minority Business Leader Awards Program. The awards offer recognition to top level corporate executives and advocates of ethnic backgrounds.
The Philadelphia Business Journal and presenting sponsor Wells Fargo will recognize Will Gonzalez, Luis Mora, and fellow honorees on Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 7:30am at the Crystal Tea Room in the Wannamaker Building and in a print supplement in the August 10, 2012 issue of the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Guests are invited to purchase tickets for the event online with the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Ceiba Intern Speaks with KYW NewsRadio
Andy Saxon joined Ceiba as an intern through the Exelon Foundation Veterans Training & Employment Program run by Project H.O.M.E. of Philadelphia.
In his seven months at Ceiba he provided support to staff and programs and became certified as a VITA tax preparer. Andy took on the responsibility of Resource Manager at Ceiba's tax site, helping tax clients get free copies of their credit reports, purchase savings bonds, open bank accounts and low-cost pre-paid debit cards, and access public benefits.
On May 15, 2012 Ceiba joined Andy, Project H.O.M.E., PECO, and the Exelon Foundation in celebrating the graduation of the second class of veteran interns.
Andy spoke to KYW Radio about his experience in the program and is quoted in this article.
El Sol Latino: "Todos a Pagar Impuestos"
En febrero del 2012 El Sol Latino entrevistó a Will Gonzalez, el director ejecutivo de Ceiba. Este artículo provee información sobre el número ITIN y describe cómo uno puede solicitar el ITIN sin costo en las oficinas de Ceiba.
In February 2012 the newspaper El Sol Latino interviewed Will Gonzalez, Ceiba's executive director. This article (in Spanish) provides information about the ITIN number and describes how to apply for an ITIN at no cost with Ceiba.
LISC Grant Supports Ceiba's Tax Preparation Effort
Read about Ceiba in LISC's article: Microgrant Supports Free Tax Preparation for SCI-EN
Ceiba's 2010-2011 tax preparation efforts in the Eastern North Philadelphia Sustainable Communities Initiative Zone were supported in part by a grant from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
Ceiba's Executive Director Will Gonzalez and Ceiba tax client Carmen Alvarez spoke to LISC about tax preparation and about connecting clients to additional financial services.
“They gave me housing counseling. The connected me with a United Way program that matched some of my savings so I could buy a home. They helped me get a home inspector,” Alvarez said. “They helped make it happen.”