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Robin Gilbert latest Helping Teachers Teach winner

Robin Gilbert, special education teacher at Little Milligan Elementary, is the latest Northeast Community Credit Union Helping Teacher’s Teach grant winner.

Gilbert applied for the Helping Teacher’s Teach grant to start a music enrichment program for the K-8 students at Little Milligan. A parent volunteer provides music instruction. The school has a small assortment of instruments for the students to use, including guitars, drums, and one flute.

Items needed for the program are music stands, recorders and left-handed guitars. Gilbert said Little Milligan will hold fundraisers to purchase items not covered by the Helping Teachers Teach grant.

“Music is a universal language,” Gilbert said. “Music has been found to improve brain function and increase learning ability. Furthermore, music will allow our students a social creative outlet for social-emotional stresses.”

Northeast Community Credit Union awards $300 every month to a classroom to be utilized for classroom needs, classroom activities, and academic enrichment.  Helping Teachers Teach is open to teachers within Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, Sullivan and Washington counties who are members of Northeast Community Credit Union. Area teachers may become members at any NCCU location and can download the grant application on the credit union’s website:  www.BeMyCU.org.

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IRS Imposter Scams: What You Need to Know

Have you heard about IRS Imposter Scams?

Here’s how they work:

You get a call from someone who says she’s from the IRS. She says that you owe back taxes. She threatens to sue you, arrest or deport you, or revoke your license if you don’t pay right away. She tells you to put money on a prepaid debit card and give her the card numbers.

The caller may know some of your Social Security number. And your called ID might show a Washington, DC area code. But is it really the IRS calling?

No. The real IRS won’t ask you to pay with prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. They also won’t ask for a credit card over the phone. And when the IRS first contacts you about unpaid taxes, they do it by mail, not by phone. And caller IDs can be faked.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Stop. Don’t wire money or pay with a prepaid debit card. Once you send it, the money is gone. If you have tax questions, go to irs.gov or call the IRS at 800-829-1040.
  2.  Pass this information on to a friend. You may not have gotten one of these calls, but the chances are you know someone who has.

Please report scams.

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

  • Call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
  • Go online: ftc.gov/complaint

Your complaint can help protect other people. By filing a complaint, you can help the FTC’s investigators identify the imposters and stop them before they can get someone’s hard-earned money. It really makes a difference.

Want to know more? Sign up for scam alerts at ftc.gov/subscribe

 

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NCCU makes contribution to Shepherd’s Inn

Northeast Community Credit Union recently donated $500 to the Shepherd’s Inn.

The Shepherd’s Inn is Carter County’s only safe house and emergency shelter for women and their children who are seeking shelter from domestic violence or temporary homelessness.

The Shepherd’s Inn began providing emergency shelter to women and children in 1997. Since then, thousands of clients have received confidential emergency shelter, meals and other forms of aid.

Donations to Shepherd’s Inn can be made by mail to P.O. Box 2214, Elizabethton, TN 37644 or by contacting Shepherd’s Inn at (423) 542-1080.

Northeast Community Credit Union has been serving the community since October 1952 when it was chartered as a credit union by the State of Tennessee. Northeast Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative. It is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Carter, Johnson, Washington, Unicoi and Sullivan counties along with their immediate family members.

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NCCU donates to United Way

Northeast Community Credit Union presented a $500 donation to the United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County and Johnson County as part of their annual partnership with the non-profit agency.

The United Way relies on community donations to provide assistance to thousands of individuals through partnerships with other non-profit community organizations.

These partnerships include Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, Assistance and Resources Ministries, Elizabethton Senior Citizens Center, 211 Contact Ministries, Adult Day Services, American Red Cross, Elizabethton Neighborhood Service Center, Personal Support Services, and the Boy Scouts Sequoyah Council.

United Way Director Crystal Carter said it was community efforts that kept the United Way campaign on track. NCCU’s donation will be used to help fund literacy projects sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County in the United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County and Johnson County service area.

To donate to United Way or for more information, call 423-543-6975 or email, director@uwayecc.org

Northeast Community Credit Union has been serving the community since October 1952 when it was chartered as a credit union by the State of Tennessee. Northeast Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative. It is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Carter, Johnson, Washington, Unicoi and Sullivan counties along with their immediate family members.

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NCCU donates to Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter

Northeast Community Credit Union’s Board of Directors includes the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter in their community sponsorship efforts. NCCU Electronic Services Manager Regina Chambers recently presented a $500 donation as part of the annual partnership to ECCAS Director Shannon Posada.

Posada said the donation will be used to cover the day-to-day expenses at the animal shelter – including pet adoption sponsorships, pet and cleaning supplies, medical care, food and toys for the pets and more.

NCCU also serves as a donation drop-off point for supplies for the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter. Donation boxes for pet food and supplies can be found at all four Northeast Community Credit Union locations.

Northeast Community Credit Union has been serving the community since October 1952 when it was chartered as a credit union by the State of Tennessee. Northeast Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative. It is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Carter, Johnson, Washington, Unicoi and Sullivan counties along with their immediate family members.

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Katarina Finney latest Helping Teachers Teach winner

Katarina Finney, fifth grade teacher at Mountain City Elementary, is the latest Northeast Community Credit Union Helping Teacher’s Teach winner.

Finney applied for the Helping Teachers Teach grant to help promote fifth-grade science. The award will be split between STEM activities for classes, new flexible seating options and literature promoting science education.

“This project will enhance the learning experience of my students by making science more engaging and hands-on,” Finney said. “I believe it will promote higher student motivation and better work quality.”

Northeast Community Credit Union awards $300 every month to a classroom to be utilized for classroom needs, classroom activities, and academic enrichment. Helping Teachers Teach is open to teachers within Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, Sullivan and Washington counties who are members of Northeast Community Credit Union.

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NCCU Donates to Recovery Soldiers Ministries

Northeast Community Credit Union’s Board of Directors includes Recovery Soldiers Ministries in their Man accepts donation check from womancommunity sponsorship efforts. NCCU Community Engagement Director Kathy Campbell recently presented a $500 donation as part of the annual partnership to Recovery Soldiers Ministries Program Director Ben Cole.

“Recovery Soldiers Ministries provides a tremendous service to our community,” Campbell said. “We want to support them as they continue to help those in need. We are all about sharing, caring, and giving back in our communities. That’s the real credit union difference.”

Recovery Soldiers Ministries is a faith-based recovery program to help individuals overcome addiction. Students in the program live on campus for a structured year-long inpatient program. Currently, Cole said approximately 30 people are registered in the program. NCCU’s sponsorship will help to defray the cost of operating the recovery program.

“This is going to change lives,” Cole said. “It is a God-send, a real blessing. There are tremendous expenses that go into running a recovery program. Northeast Community Credit Union’s donation will help us continue to meet day-to-day needs.”

Along with the inpatient program, Recovery Soldiers Ministries has outpatient sessions to deal with struggles in all areas of life and conducts weekly worship services led by Cole and RSM President Josh Scalf. The ministry also has a thrift store to help support their programs.

Northeast Community Credit Union has been serving the community since October 1952 when it was chartered as a credit union by the State of Tennessee. Northeast Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative. It is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Carter, Johnson, Washington, Unicoi and Sullivan counties along with their immediate family members.

For more information on Recovery Soldiers Ministries visit https://recoverysoldiersministries.org.

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SCAM ALERT: Mortgage Postcard Scam

SCAM ALERT: Postcards are showing up in the area claiming to have important “time sensitive” information on your mortgage. These are a scam. If you receive one of these postcards, you do not need to call the 1-800 number on the card and you do not need to take any further action. Simply throw the card away.

 

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NCCU sponsors new Kids Like Us program

Northeast Community Credit Union is helping to sponsor the Kids Like Us Community Learning Check Presentation PhotoCenter’s Magic Movement Program.

KLS Director Lisa Lyons explained the Center is partnering with local businesses and individuals to provide a fitness and nutrition program for students at Kids Like Us. Kids Like Us is a community center that provides educational and social opportunities for individuals of varying abilities in Northeast Tennessee.

“Fitness and healthy living are something our clients struggle with,” Lyons said. “Some of them are overweight. It is hard for them to go to the gym because of sensory issues.”

Lyons is working to bring the gym to them. She has partnered with local personal trainers, physical therapists, gyms and nutritionists to create a healthy living program for Kids Like Us clients.

The professionals will come to the KLU center, help develop an on-site gym and a program for the clients to follow. They will also address nutrition and healthier eating choices. On days the volunteers can’t come to center, students will use a large-screen TV to take part in interactive training programs and activities.

NCCU also sponsors the Kids Like Us Teen Apartment which helps teens at KLU learn socialization and occupational skills as well as learn independent living skills.

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Abbreviating 2020 could leave you open to fraud

The new year is giving scammers an easy way to forge documents, but you can protect yourself with an easy New Year’s resolution: Stop abbreviating the year.

Why? This year’s abbreviation is easily changeable and could be used against you. The concern is that scammers could easily manipulate a document dated “1/1/20” into “1/1/2000” or even “1/1/2021.”

Writing out the full date “could possibly protect you and prevent legal issues on paperwork,” according to Hamilton County, Ohio, Auditor Dusty Rhodes.

While it’s early in the year for examples of this kind of fraud to emerge, the threat is real according to Ira Rheingold, the executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

In a message emailed to USA TODAY Thursday, Rheingold said scammers could use the method to establish an unpaid debt or to attempt to cash an old check.

“Say you agreed to make payments beginning on 1/15/20. The bad guy could theoretically establish that you began owing your obligation on 1/15/2019, and try to collect additional $$$,” Rheingold wrote.

In the future, post-dating could be a problem too. For example, a check dated “1/1/20” could become “1/1/2021” next year, possibly making the uncashed check active again, Rheingold wrote. A similar method could be used for debts that are past the statute of limits.

The solution is easy: There’s no harm in writing the full date. Writing the month out can also help.

Write this: January 15, 2020. Not this: 1/15/20.

–Article originally published on USAToday.com