Schedulers needed for tax-aide program

Last year in the Greater Portland area, nearly 5,000 individuals took advantage of the AARP Tax-Aide program. With parts of the Affordable Care Act as well as changes to the Property Tax Fairness Credit in Maine, the demand for this program will be greater than ever. To enable this program to run effectively and efficiently, appointment schedulers are needed. Appointment schedulers are critical members of the local AARP Tax-Aide team, which includes volunteers of all ages.

Appointment schedulers are needed from mid-January through April 15. Schedulers may volunteer for four or eight hours a week. Schedulers will be provided with a “script” to use when talking with and making appointments for taxpayers. Volunteers are also reimbursed for mileage.

AARP Tax-Aide is a national service of the AARP Foundation and offered in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service. It is an volunteer-run program with the mission of providing high-quality free tax preparation and electronic filing of both federal and state of Maine income tax returns for low and moderate income taxpayers.

To volunteer or learn more, contact Joan Jagolinzer at jagolinzer@gwi.net.

St. Joe’s offers lifeguard review course, Jan. 18-19

Saint Joseph’s College will offer a two-day lifeguard re-certification training course on Jan. 18 and 19 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Harold Alfond Center pool. The course is a blended learning course that combines online learning with on-site skills sessions to practice skills and demonstrate competency. The cost is $160.

Class members are required to hold a current American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED course certificate, have successfully completed a CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer course within the past two years, have proof of this prior training, and bring a valid picture identification and CPR mask.

Prerequisites for the training include the ability to swim 300 yards continuously demonstrating breath control and rhythmic breathing, complete a 20-yard back-and-forth swim with surface dive to retrieve a 10-pound object from a depth of seven to 10 feet, under one minute and 40 seconds, and tread water for two minutes using only the legs.

Registration takes place online at www.sjcme.edu. For more information, contact Renee Daigle at 893-6615 or rdaigle@sjcme.edu.

Jan. 12 event explores college transition

Join Shelli Pride, College Transitions coordinator for Windham-Raymond Adult Education, on Monday, Jan. 12 from 6-7 p.m. in the adult education office at Windham High School to find out the benefits of enrolling in a college transitions program.

The program provides prospective college students a wealth of benefits, including one-on-one college advising; access to college tours; free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) workshops; college preparations courses; college application fee waivers; and free Accuplacer testing.

The open house on Jan. 12 will give students an opportunity to meet the College Transitions coordinator and learn more about the various opportunities the Transitions program can provide. For more information, visit www.windham.maineadulted.org or call Pride at 892-1819 or email shpride@rsu14.org.