About Us
Led by our Executive Director, Susan Sauls (upper left), the VIC’s mission is to serve as the connector for those in need to the resources they need through involvement in financial literacy, family support, and nonprofit coalition-building programs.
We believe that a student’s success starts with a good night’s sleep. To foster the success of our future leaders, volunteers throughout the community come together to build beds for children in our community that do not have them. This program was started in 2011 and VIC has evolved the program to partner with Henderson County’s Habitat for Humanity
On October 28, 2017, volunteers assembled and painted 70 beds. This was increased from the 10 beds that were built in 2015. Inspirational messages were written on the multiple support slats in each of the beds. Also included in this project are “bedtime baskets”: hygiene products, stuffed toys, sheets, pillows, and blankets.
As of 2019, 160 beds have been assembled for Henderson County Youth without them.
Qualified and selected children of families in need of financial assistance receive gifts specially selected by volunteers who shop and wrap them. Families that are registered with VIC do not receive assistance from other community Christmas programs. We adopt all the children in the family. Very few programs in our community are able to adopt children over the age of 12. We are fortunate to have the community support that allows our program to adopt all ages.
The Volunteer and Information Center and United Way of Henderson County, in partnership with the Green River Asset Building Coalition (GRABC), will provide a Volunteer Tax Assistance Site (VITA) in Henderson County for the 2018/19 tax year.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals. All of our tax preparation services including filing electronically is free of charge.
or years, the Community Resource Guide (“CRG”) was produced in over 100 pages as a book that was then made available to agencies for a fee of $50. Now, the CRG is available online, it’s free, and it’s for everyone. Find the right community agency for your needs and bookmark or favorite the new site, www.hendersonkycrg.com.
The Agency Coalition Tracking System (ACTS) is a database of those who have received need-based aid throughout the community through our partner agencies. Our 35 member agencies access this database, which is maintained and updated by VIC, to prevent fraud and abuse of resources in an era where there is constantly fewer of them. In summer 2018, the system was upgraded from a phone-fax-mail system to a purely electronic one for faster access and better information.
ACTS is now online only. Members will have received an email with the link to the online, viewable ACTS. Members needing a new link to for ACTS access or the client reporting tool click here.
New Updates Coming Soon.
Financial empowerment is the key to a thriving community. Bank on provides knowledge and tools to the “unbanked,” those who live without access to mainstream financial institutions and are forced to rely on expensive check-cashing services. In May 2011, our community partners announced this program that:
Now, every resident in Henderson has the chance to open an account with the bank or credit union that works best for them, and to start saving for the future. Volunteers are needed to help teach Bank on Henderson classes in the community. Training is provided. Call our office today to become a volunteer.
The last thing any student should have to think of on the first day of school is whether or not he or she has appropriate clothes. For the 2017-2018 academic year, dozens of students were able to walk in the classroom on the first day in a new set of clothes. With uniform dress codes implemented in the elementary and middle schools in Henderson County, each student was provided 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, 2 shirts, undergarments, and socks. Due to partnering with only one vendor, VIC was able to control the cost to only $75 per child.
This program is made possible through a strategic partnership with the Henderson County School District’s Family Resource Coordinators and Youth Services Centers. Families register through their school’s office and are selected based on need.