City Of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County And Impact46 Partner To Fund Lawrenceville Response Center | PATCH LAWRENCEVILLE

by Corey Burres | Feb 19, 2021

City Of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County And Impact46 Partner To Fund Lawrenceville Response Center | PATCH LAWRENCEVILLE

The City of Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County partner with Impact46 to provide $525,000 in funding for the Lawrenceville Response Center (LRC). The Lawrenceville City Council unanimously finalized support at a special called meeting on Wednesday, February 10. Gwinnett County will secure their support for the project through the C.A.R.E.S. Act…

The LRC utilizes collaborative strategy with comprehensive and coordinated services with multiple partners, including Lawrenceville Co-Operative Ministry, Georgia Center for Opportunity, Lawrenceville Employment Assistance Program (LEAP), Families First, and the Gwinnett Housing Corporation. 2021 Funding partners include: Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, The Scott Hudgens Family Foundation, Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, The United Way, and private donors.

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Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | THE CITIZENS

by Corey Burres | Feb 19, 2021

Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | THE CITIZENS

A measure that would increase foster care adoption tax credits could result in a state revenue loss of $4.8 million over the next five years, according to fiscal researchers.

House Bill 114, introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves, R-Marietta, would increase the annual tax incentive for adopting a foster child from $2,000 to $6,000. According to a fiscal note from the Department of Audits and Accounts, the proposal could decrease state tax revenues by $400,000 in fiscal year 2022 and grow to up to $1.5 million by fiscal year 2026.

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Corey Burres, vice president of communications for the nonpartisan think tank Georgia Center for Opportunity, said “foster care and adoption are crucial parts of” creating “flourishing communities.”

“These bills are a great first step forward in helping the thousands of Georgia kids waiting to be adopted each year,” said Burres, who also is a respite foster care parent. “We hope to see the foster community empowered through the current legislative session, so all of Georgia’s children can flourish – no matter their circumstances.”

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Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | TIMES-GEORGIAN

by Corey Burres | Feb 19, 2021

Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | TIMES-GEORGIAN

A measure that would increase foster care adoption tax credits could result in a state revenue loss of $4.8 million over the next five years, according to fiscal researchers.

House Bill 114, introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves, R-Marietta, would increase the annual tax incentive for adopting a foster child from $2,000 to $6,000. According to a fiscal note from the Department of Audits and Accounts, the proposal could decrease state tax revenues by $400,000 in fiscal year 2022 and grow to up to $1.5 million by fiscal year 2026.

…

Corey Burres, vice president of communications for the nonpartisan think tank Georgia Center for Opportunity, said “foster care and adoption are crucial parts of” creating “flourishing communities.”

“These bills are a great first step forward in helping the thousands of Georgia kids waiting to be adopted each year,” said Burres, who also is a respite foster care parent. “We hope to see the foster community empowered through the current legislative session, so all of Georgia’s children can flourish – no matter their circumstances.”

Read the full article here

Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | HENRY HERALD

by Corey Burres | Feb 19, 2021

Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | HENRY HERALD

A measure that would increase foster care adoption tax credits could result in a state revenue loss of $4.8 million over the next five years, according to fiscal researchers.

House Bill 114, introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves, R-Marietta, would increase the annual tax incentive for adopting a foster child from $2,000 to $6,000. According to a fiscal note from the Department of Audits and Accounts, the proposal could decrease state tax revenues by $400,000 in fiscal year 2022 and grow to up to $1.5 million by fiscal year 2026.

…

Corey Burres, vice president of communications for the nonpartisan think tank Georgia Center for Opportunity, said “foster care and adoption are crucial parts of” creating “flourishing communities.”

“These bills are a great first step forward in helping the thousands of Georgia kids waiting to be adopted each year,” said Burres, who also is a respite foster care parent. “We hope to see the foster community empowered through the current legislative session, so all of Georgia’s children can flourish – no matter their circumstances.”

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Reflections of a Newlywed

by Joyce Mayberry | Feb 16, 2021

Reflections of a Newlywed

Reflections of a Newlywed: Lessons Learned From One Year Of Marriage

A little more than a year ago you all reached out to my husband, Harold, and me on our exciting new journey as a married couple. We are so grateful for all of the wisdom that you shared with us.

Since we have been married a year now, and as an ode to National Marriage Week, I thought you may be wondering how we are doing. We are doing great!

Here are just a few of the nuggets of wisdom passed onto us, which we really relied on this first year:

Overcome stressors in your marriage by making your marriage a priority
Never criticize your marriage in public and keep your marriage off of social media
Be intentional about serving in your marriage
Pray together
Never end an apology with “but”
Life is going to happen no matter what’s going on, so share these things with your partner.

“We are bringing you along with in a new life together. And, we’re going to be learning along the way.”

The gift of this advice was timely and helped us overcome unforeseen challenges that arrived after the wedding.

I have only shared this with a small group of people, however, shortly after we were married, Harold suffered a stroke. It was traumatic for us both. I thought to myself, “we just got together, Lord please don’t take him from me.” We had a tough hill to climb, but we were both strong mentally and we leaned on each other to get through it. Now that Harold is a lot better, he said he drew his strength from us, and we both realized it made us stronger.

What did we learn from all of this:

1) We learned that mental support is needed just as much as medical support. It’s like a diet without exercise..

2) We learned well-being as a couple is also just as important as it is for individuals.

3) We also learned that community and a social network helps you get through it all.

Our community provided us with strong advice and principles which we continue to integrate into our marriage. We talk a lot about community at Georgia Center for Opportunity, which is why we think it is important for you to experience community in our Family Life Education classes. In these classes we equip and empower you with the knowledge and skills that help you to become resilient.

As Harold and I continue our marital journey, we hope these words of wisdom will help improve the quality of all of your relationships. For those looking for a little extra nudge, The Family Life Classes are available along with our Healthy@Home, and Thriving Together series on our website.