RealSense Prosperity Campaign,WorkSource Selected as One of Three Model Workforce Partnerships by The Department of Labor and The National Disability Institute The RealSense Prosperity Campaign announces that RealSense and its long-time partner, WorkSource , were selected as a model workforce partnership to present during a “webinar” or national, web-based seminar hosted by U.S. Department of Labor and the National Disability Institute in February. The webinar, attended by about 300 people across the country, highlighted working relationships with workforce and community prosperity organizations that help those who are low income and/or disabled become more prosperous. “Because we work together to help those who are low income and those with disabilities get extra money in their hands, it’s a perfect blend of our core missions,” said Kaye Schmitz, RealSense Prosperity Campaign Executive Director, who presented the RealSense portion of the material on the webinar. “Jacksonville was one of three cities in the country to present the highlights of their coalitions and partnerships with Workforce organizations.” The other coalitions were in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan. The RealSense Prosperity Campaign began to specifically target the disabled population in 2007 and opened a free tax preparation site at the Independent Living Resource Center on Art Museum Drive, where RealSense helps pay for American Sign-Language interpreters to translate for tax preparers and tax payers. RealSense is working to pull together many different populations who need the financial services it provides. “It was an honor to be chosen because they [the U.S Department of Labor and the National Disability Institute] were trying to figure out how workforce organizations, which handle employment issues for those receiving federal assistance (usually low- to moderate-income), work with community prosperity organizations,” said Anna Brost-Gibson,WorkSource Center Director and RealSense Volunteer Site Coordinator. Anna represented the WorkSource portion of the webinar during the Jacksonville part of the presentation. “It’s a perfect fit for us,” she continued, “because the populations that we serve overlap those that RealSense serves including the working poor who may make just a little bit too much to get public assistance but not enough to really get ahead. That’s why the government created EITC – to give struggling families a boost. People with disabilities fall into that category. Within each of our WorkSource centers we have a Disability Navigator to help clients with disabilities understand what is available to them.”