What: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, in which volunteers provide free, basic income tax preparation services to community members with low-to-moderate incomes.

When: Training is scheduled for Jan. 10, 17 and 24 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. If you can’t make it to all three days of training, online or flexible training dates are available.

Where: Laramie County Community College Training Center, Room 130, 1400 E. College Drive.

Sponsor: Cheyenne/Laramie County Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Coalition

Other ways to help: Some volunteers help organize tax sites, while others do publicity for a site.

For more information: To find out more about the VITA program, call Rod Hottle with United Way of Laramie County at 638-8904, Manny Martinez of the Internal Revenue Service at 633-0812 or Tom Patras with the IRS at 633-0866.

What: Donations to help people as they are released from state prisons and local jails.

When: Year-round

Sponsor: Bethel Outreach Ministries

How to donate: Send checks to Bethel Outreach Ministries, 1601 Capitol Ave. #310, Cheyenne, WY 82001.

More information: Jail and prison inmates are put back onto the streets with $10 and the clothing they arrived in. Bethel Outreach Ministries puts them in touch with other needs groups, helps them find a place to stay, offers food boxes to any who are hungry, provides some furnishings, helps with finding employment and has a pastor to provide counseling, if it is requested.

Bethel also helps those who need treatment for addiction to get into the Oxford House program.

What: Holiday Gift Basket Collaborative sponsored by Laramie County Community Partnership

When: Ongoing

How to donate: Donate through the Attention Homes Inc. Web site at www.attentionhomes.com. Monetary donations are accepted in the form of credit cards online, or you can indicate that you have items to donate by clicking on the red box at the bottom of the Web page.

More information: As of Tuesday, 33 families were in need of clothing, coats, furniture, food, housing/rent/utility assistance, gasoline for their vehicles, cleaning supplies and toys for their children.

What: All Media Blood Drive at United Blood Services

When: Through Jan. 2

Where: United Blood Services, 112 E. Eighth Ave.

More information: The Wyoming Tribune Eagle has joined with other local print and broadcast media to promote blood and platelet donation at the local blood bank.

Donors during this time period will be entered into a drawing for prizes that will be awarded after the two-week donation period ends.

Also, all donors will get a special commemorative long-sleeve T-shirt sponsored by generous local businesses.

To make an appointment: Call 307-638-3326 or visit www.unitedbloodservices.com.

What: Chick-Fil-A Cheesecake Sale to benefit Youth Alternatives/Special Friends

When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20

Where: Frontier Mall, 1400 Dell Range Blvd., inside main entrance near Country Buffet

Cost: Cheesecakes cost $24 each, and $9 of every cheesecake sold will be donated to Youth Alternatives/Special Friends.

More information: No pre-ordering is required; customers simply pick up and pay for cheesecakes as supplies last. Customers who wish to support Youth Alternatives/Special Friends but already have a planned Christmas dessert can still buy cheesecakes now and save them in the freezer for up to six months.

For more information: Contact owner-operator Justin Lentz at 631-2826.

What: American Red Cross National Day of Giving

When: All day Saturday, Dec. 13

Where: Nationwide, including in Wyoming

More information: American Red Cross of Wyoming employees and volunteers, as well as strategically placed collection cans, will be located throughout communities.

You also can give by visiting www.redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Charity luncheon raises $17,000 for two local groups

The third annual Santa’s Little Helpers Charity Luncheon, hosted by Texas Roadhouse in Cheyenne, set a record this year, serving more than 2,500 meals and raising about $17,000 for two local groups.

The four-day event, which offered a free lunch to residents in exchange for a monetary donation to local nonprofit organizations, united more than 200 volunteers and empowered them to make a difference in their community by becoming servers, hosts and cooks for the day.

Habitat for Humanity of Laramie County received $10,000 in donations for its Women Build Project, and The Salvation Army got $7,000 in donations for its Angel Tree Program and daily food program.

Hobbs Elementary students top $1,700 for Pearl Harbor

Students at Hobbs Elementary raised more than $1,700 during a “Pennies for Pearl Harbor” fund drive.

They collected coins to help pay for upgrades at the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii.

The student council at Hobbs started the project on Veterans Day and had hoped to raise about $500. They also learned more about the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

What: Reindeer Run 5K Walk/Run

When: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13

Where: Lions Park, Cheyenne.

Sponsor: Cheyenne’s Central High DECA, a nonprofit organization of business-bound and marketing students.

Who benefits: Money raised will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Cost/more information: The entry fee for early registration is $18. It will cost $20 to register on the day of the race. Runners should arrive 30 minutes early to register.
Food and beverages will be provided before and after the race for participants.  Registration forms are available at the Foot of the Rockies and at Cheyenne’s Central High.

For more information: Call 771-2680.

If you haven’t already seen the link at the right side of this blog or in the print edition of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, check out our big list of ways you can make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate during this holiday season.

This list kicked off our “Everyone gives, Everyone gains” project a little more than a year ago, and I’m so pleased to be able to say the project continues stronger than ever a year later. Although it would nice to not need it at all, it is nice to hear back from the folks at community nonprofits that it has made a difference.

Of course, you, our readers, are the real ones making a difference every day in southeast Wyoming. Thanks for all that you do, and keep up the great work! Happy Holidays to all!

~ Brian