April 8, 2009

Governors Across the Country Join Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver in Promoting Existing Federal Resources through WE Connect Campaign

As part of his continued commitment to connect working families with valuable resources, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced that states including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and New York will be partnering with First Lady Maria Shriver’s WE Connect Campaign, in a groundbreaking effort to extend the new federal WEb connector tool across the country. The Governor made the announcement at the San Diego Food Bank, where he also encouraged Californians to take full advantage of federal tax credits and connect to programs they may be eligible for as Tax Day draws near.

“These are tough times for people across our great state. Families across this country are struggling and stretching every dollar to make ends meet. The global crisis is hitting workers from all segments of society, many of whom never dreamed they’d be in such a dire situation,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Through WE Connect, we have connected over 10 million Californians and their families to many great programs to help them push through these dark nights, until the brighter days come along.”

First Lady Maria Shriver said, “This is a time when across the country we are faced with rising unemployment, home foreclosures and fear that individuals and their families may not be able to put food on the table. The new federal WEb Connector will link millions of more Americans to existing resources that they may not have otherwise known they were eligible for. I’m thrilled to have these great leaders join in this bipartisan effort and look forward to more states coming on board in the coming months.”

In February, Shriver called on our nation’s Governors to launch a national effort to increase the number of people who utilize the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other existing resources to help lift families out of poverty. The First Lady offered Governors and their spouses three tools they can use in their own efforts to raise awareness about critical programs, all at no cost:

• Federal WEb Connector: Developed by Intuit, the federal WEb Connector is an innovative web tool made available to all states and serves as a one-stop-shop online resource, where people can determine if they qualify for five federal programs,including the EITC, Food Stamps, the Child Tax Credit, the Child Care Credit and WIC.  This tool makes it easy for families to learn about programs that can put money directly in their pockets, all at the click of a mouse. 
• WE Connect Public Service Announcement: The WE Connect PSAfeatures celebrities such as Bono, Heidi Klum and many others encouraging individuals to become a Connector and help spread the word about these important programs. The PSA can be viewed at weconnect.net; and
• La Opinion WE Connect supplement as an example of an effective media partnership that can be emulated in other states. Close to 10 million individuals have been reached in California through the supplement by distributing them in schools, libraries, non-profits, churches and hundreds of other organizations that share our commitment to helping working families.

“The Earned Income Tax Credit is the best pro-job, pro-family and anti-poverty tax relief ever devised,” said Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. “During these difficult economic times, WE Connect provides an essential service to struggling taxpayers by enabling them to quickly tap into important information about this vital tax credit and other benefits.”

New York Governor David Paterson added, “During this economic crisis, it is more important than ever for us to give working families the resources they need to help make ends meet. Often, families don’t know enough about available programs and it is government’s responsibility to ensure that critical services find their way to those most in need. Initiatives like WE Connect do just that. In New York, our Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance has led that charge by bringing together information about New York’s services under one web portal: http://www.otda.state.ny.us/main/workingfamilies. We are pleased to partner with California - under the leadership of First Lady Maria Shriver - and also with our colleagues in Illinois and Kansas as we raise awareness about the network of programs that can help families through these difficult times.”

“I am excited to offer this new tool to link Kansans with tax benefits,” said Kansas’ State Treasurer Dennis McKinney. “WE Connect Kansas will help to make state government more accessible to the people.”

As one of the most innovative statewide efforts promoting the EITC, WE Connect uses all available channels to reach out to the over 625,000 eligible families in California. The campaign partners with community organizations, statewide programs and major corporations to reach working families where they shop, eat, work, live and learn.  Through partnerships with these states and more to come, WE Connect will reach millions of more families across the country.

Intuit and its Financial Freedom Foundation participate in this partnership by providing both financial and in-kind support. Last year, Intuit introduced the WEb Connector, a free, online resource that enables Californians to see if they qualify for public benefit programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and low cost gas and electric services.  This year, Intuit has added three new eligibility sections to the WEb Connector tool - federal Child Tax Credit (CTC), Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and other no cost and low cost health insurance programs, consistent with the First Lady’s commitment to helping Californians.

“Intuit and our Financial Freedom Foundation are honored to participate in this innovative public-private-not for profit partnership to help bring unclaimed federal dollars back into our local communities where our neighbors and fellow citizens need help the most,” said Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit.  “This program reflects one of Intuit’s core operating values—We Care and Give Back - and we are excited to work with these governors and more as we extend our partnership to additional states in the coming months.”

The governor also took the opportunity to promote California’s Food Stamp Program. Last week, his administration announced that participants in California’s Food Stamp Program will receive a 13.6 percent increase in their monthly benefits beginning in April, as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds. The Food Stamp program is an existing resource promoted through the WE Connect campaign. 

For more information on the WE Connect campaign visit: www.WEConnect.net.