The Community Place- Media Room

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (January 26, 2006) – Ellen Stubbs and William Griffin, two Rochester seniors active in the community, look forward to this time of year. For over 30 years the two, along with countless volunteers, have helped prepare taxes for the needy, the elderly, and anyone else in need of assistance. Their efforts, which they began with just a few other volunteers, have helped thousands of Rochester residents prepare their taxes and get the money and assistance they deserve.

“We saw a need in the community and we felt like it was our duty to address it,” said Ms. Stubbs. “It’s what people in the community do- they help their neighbors.”

The work of Ms. Stubbs and Mr. Griffin has led to them to partner with The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. (CPGR), a nonprofit provider of neighborhood-based services. For the past three years, Stubbs and Griffin have worked with CPGR employees and volunteers to provide tax preparation assistance to community members at CPGR’s sites in the northeast sector of the city.

The partners have since linked up with the C.A.S.H. (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) Program, a United Way-led coalition that helps working families improve long-term economic well-being. CPGR is an official C.A.S.H. site location, and offers tax preparation services from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday through April 13 th.

Ms. Stubbs and Mr. Griffin are still right on the front lines helping to coordinate the effort and prepare taxes. And while their efforts have grown to include many partners, the basic foundation of their work in still intact- neighbors helping neighbors.

The C.A.S.H. Program is a United Way-led community initiative that helps working families get the money and assistance they’ve earned by providing programs designed to help improve economic well-being, including free tax return preparation, free credit reports, home-buying programs, and much more. For more information on the C.A.S.H. Program visit www.uwrochester.org or call (585)242-6485.

The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc. is a nonprofit human services agency that provides a variety of programs and services to individuals, families, children, the aging, and the developmentally disabled living in Rochester’s Northeast Quadrant. As a self-empowerment agency, CPGR’s ultimate goal is client self-sufficiency. CPGR was formed in 2001 after the merger of the former Lewis Street Center, Genesee Settlement House, and Eastside Community Center. CPGR is headquartered at 57 Central Park, Rochester; its other main locations are 145 Parsells Avenue, Rochester and 500 Carter Street, Rochester. For more information on CPGR please visit www.communityplace.org.