Author Archives: uwirepr

Public Voting Open to Pick New (RED) Product to Fight AIDS in Africa

Winning Team to Be Announced May 10th

NEW YORK – April 19, 2010 –
Across the U.S., entries have been created and posted for “Pearson Presents the (RED) Challenge,” through which Principles of Marketing students have the opportunity to help fight AIDS in Africa. Starting today, the voting is now open to the public to help select the top ten entries.

Sponsored by Pearson, the authors of Marketing: Real People, Real Choices – Michael R. Solomon, Greg W. Marshall, Elnora W. Stuart – and (RED), the contest asked Principles of Marketing students to create their own marketing plans for a product targeted to college students that would fit into the (RED) product line and that would help raise awareness of and drive contributions to (RED)’s mission to help fight AIDS in Africa. Participating students pitched their proposed products in short videos, submitted to and now viewable on the contest’s Facebook site, apps.facebook.com/redcontest/contests/19255.

The public can now view and vote on the video entries through April 25th, to select the top ten submissions, which will then be reviewed by (RED) representatives. The Grand Prize winning team will be announced on May 10th, and the winning students and their professor will be flown to New York to present their submission to the (RED) team.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education, teacher training, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry.

About (RED)™and (PRODUCT) RED™
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, FLOWE(RED) (U.K. only), Hallmark (US only), Dell, Nike, and Starbucks. Since its launch in the Spring of 2006, $140 million has been generated by (RED) partners and events for the Global Fund. (RED) money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana, and Lesotho and supports programs that have reached more than 5 million people. For more information, visit www.joinred.com.

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.3 billion in 144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 4.9 million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, TB treatment for 6 million people, and by the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. The Global Fund provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria. (RED)™ is the Global Fund’s largest private sector contributor. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org.

Contact:
Susan Aspey
Pearson
susan.aspey@pearson.com
800.745.8489

Across the U.S., entries have been created and posted for “Pearson Presents the (RED) Challenge,” through which Principles of Marketing students have the opportunity to help fight AIDS in Africa. Starting today, the voting is now open to the public to help select the top ten entries.

Sponsored by Pearson, the authors of Marketing: Real People, Real Choices – Michael R. Solomon, Greg W. Marshall, Elnora W. Stuart – and (RED), the contest asked Principles of Marketing students to create their own marketing plans for a product targeted to college students that would fit into the (RED) product line and that would help raise awareness of and drive contributions to (RED)’s mission to help fight AIDS in Africa. Participating students pitched their proposed products in short videos, submitted to and now viewable on the contest’s Facebook site, apps.facebook.com/redcontest/contests/19255.

The public can now view and vote on the video entries through April 25th, to select the top ten submissions, which will then be reviewed by (RED) representatives. The Grand Prize winning team will be announced on May 10th, and the winning students and their professor will be flown to New York to present their submission to the (RED) team.

About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education, teacher training, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry.

About (RED)™and (PRODUCT) RED™
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to help finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, FLOWE(RED) (U.K. only), Hallmark (US only), Dell, Nike, and Starbucks. Since its launch in the Spring of 2006, $140 million has been generated by (RED) partners and events for the Global Fund. (RED) money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana, and Lesotho and supports programs that have reached more than 5 million people. For more information, visit www.joinred.com.

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 19.3 billion in 144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 4.9 million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 2.5 million people, TB treatment for 6 million people, and by the distribution of 104 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. The Global Fund provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria. (RED)™ is the Global Fund’s largest private sector contributor. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org.

Contact:
Susan Aspey
Pearson
susan.aspey@pearson.com
800.745.8489

“Underground” filmmaker nabs nationwide release with Interactive Film

LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2010 – Ever since the advent of the Choose Your Own Adventure books, Interactive Cinema has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Hollywood has yet to discover what to do with it or how to even create it.

One of the most unique pictures of the year, The Weathered Underground did not come from a major studio, but instead a small team of guys working on a budget of $70,000 in the basements of Los Angeles and a half vacant stem cell research lab in Pasadena to create the most ambitious interactive feature film to date.

The live action film features literally hundreds of choices, dozens of endings and can be played for more than 4 & 1/2 hours without getting the same plotline. With its eye popping comic book aesthetic, the film stars Michael Ciriaco and Brea Grant (Daphne from NBC’s Heroes) and features a live performance by indie rock underground superstars, The Lashes.

In a time where it is a rarity for films made on budgets of less than one million dollars to ever see the light of day, The Weathered Underground’s interactive format, scathing sense of humor and aggressive voice was able to break through. The film is now available on DVD at Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Netflix, Blockbuster, FYE, Hastings and will be available as an iphone / itouch app in May.

Included in the press kit is Mr. Donihue’s hilarious production journal. It chronicles the making of an interactive picture and demonstrates how a small group of underground filmmakers took a micro-budget project from concept to completion, finally earning themselves a nationwide commercial release.

Official websitewww.theweatheredunderground.com/

Download press kit (includes photos and Donihue’s own production journal and behind the scenes story) here: www.theweatheredunderground.com/presskit/weatheredundergroundpresskit.zip

TO REQUEST A COPY OF THE FILM PLEASE EMAIL largerthanlifeprfeed@publicist.com WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS.

Writer / Director David N. Donihue and actor Michael Ciriaco are available for interviews.

Contact

Jennifer Greene
Larger Than Life PR Feed
largerthanlifeprfeed@publicist.com

Veechi’s Job Genius™ Powers Social Editing of College Student Résumés

Job Genius helps students create, improve, and publish résumés – and identify job matches via best-fit technology

Monte Sereno, CA- April 13, 2010– Veechi Corp. — developers of the “Veechi Classes” Facebook application — today released Job Genius™, the first cloud tool to help college students create a professional résumé with input from invited members of their Facebook circle.

Job Genius guides students through their résumé with directions and suggestions for completion. It automatically transfers relevant information from a student’s Facebook profile to the résumé. The student can invite any member of his or her social circle to comment on the résumé, and then accept or ignore any edits. The completed résumé can be downloaded as a PDF file to be printed or posted at job sites.

Many college students have never created a résumé and few are experienced résumé writers, so students often omit information important to employers. With Job Genius’ directed suggestions, students include the most relevant information. With social editing, peers and mentors can help make an adequate resume outstanding and with Job Genius’ automated formatting, the resulting résumé is professional in every respect.

In addition to creating the resume, Job Genius searches major job sites, presents the student with currently available positions that match his or her background, and allows the student to identify opportunities from within his Facebook group. The National Association of Colleges and Employers projects that hiring for the Class of 2010 will be seven percent (7%) below 2009. Major employers are scaling back on-campus recruiting efforts and college career centers are facing increasing constraints as university budgets are slashed. In this difficult environment, Job Genius produces a better résumé and identifies well-suited opportunities.

“Job Genius was perfect,” said Sean McMahon, a student at UC Berkeley. “It automatically filled in part of my résumé, and then reminded me to include some things that I would have forgotten. I invited five friends and one professor to help me with it, and three people did. It turned my résumé information into a great looking PDF file that I can upload to job sites, and it showed me some jobs from those sites.”

Human resource professionals and career counselors are also pleased with the performance and functionality of Job Genius. “We’re struck by the poor résumé quality of otherwise highly qualified students,” said Heather Laing, Manager of College Recruiting for VMware. “Students frequently forget to include very relevant information that only gets noted during an interview, if at all. Many students in the US get passed over due to an inadequate résumé, students who would otherwise earn an interview and possibly a job. Job Genius addresses the core issues that plague student résumés.”

Santina Pitcher, Employer Relations Coordinator and Career Counselor at California State University – East Bay, said “Our students are well prepared when they graduate, but typically don’t know the best way to market their best skills in this competitive job market. Veechi Job Genius helps a student stand out with a résumé that best highlights their strengths, giving them the competitive edge.”

Job Genius is available today at http://www.veechi.com/jobgenius at no cost to students who enroll in 2010.

Veechi Classes, the popular and free Facebook application for college student success, connects directly to Job Genius and is available at http://www.facebook.com/veechi.

About Veechi Corp.

Veechi Corp., a venture capital backed Silicon Valley firm, is the “college success platform™,” helping students “conquer” college with a socially-powered productivity platform. Veechi Classes has been called one of “10 Facebook apps that teach you something” by CNET. Veechi was named a finalist in the fbFund competition run by Accel Partners and Founders Fund that identified the Top 50 Facebook applications. For more information, visit www.veechi.com.

“Veni. . . Vidi. . .Veechi” – “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

###

Contact Information:

Veechi Corp.
Monte Sereno, CA 95030
Peter Levy, CEO
peter@veechi.com
Or
Bob Citelli
rcitelli@cintara.com
408 399 9771

CHLI AND PROMOMADRID SEEK BILINGUAL UNIVERSITY APPLICANTS FOR THE CHLI-MADRID PROGRAM: GATEWAY TO MADRID

For Immediate Release April 12, 2010

Contact: Yisel Cabrera
Director of Programs & Operations

(202) 347-8280

Summer Madrid Program Aims to Provide Global Leadership Experience for American Students from Diverse Backgrounds

WASHINGTON, DC – The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) and PromoMadrid invite qualified students who are currently in their last year of their undergraduate or studying a Post Graduate Program in an accredited four year University, from throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, to apply for the 2010 CHLI-Madrid Program: Gateway to Madrid Summer Internship Program.

Seven to ten students from diverse backgrounds will be selected to become part of this intensive six-week summer internship program in Madrid, Spain. Successful interns will first participate in a one week immersion course that will focus on Spanish culture, economy, and politics which will then be followed by a five week placement with a sponsoring Madrid-based company. The CHLI-Madrid Program aims to provide a unique and enriching practical work experience for bilingual American student leaders in one of Europe’s main economic hubs, the Regional Community of Madrid.

This initiative is financially backed by PromoMadrid and managed by CHLI, who will be responsible for all aspects related to the students’ internship, training, housing & travel while living in Madrid.

The application deadline is Monday, May 3, 2010. The program begins June 14 and ends July 30, 2010. Applications can be downloaded from the CHLI website at www.chli.org.

To apply, applicants must:
• Be U.S. citizens, bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Have a valid U.S. Passport.
• Be enrolled in an accredited four year college/university.
• Submit a completed application form, personal statement in English and Spanish, curriculum vitae, two letters of recommendation and official transcripts.

Compensation:

• Airfare and housing accommodations in Madrid, Spain.
• Stipend for living expenses
• Health insurance

For more information please contact Yisel Cabrera, Director of Programs and Operations, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute at ycabrera@chli.org or at 202-347-8280 Ext. 303.

####

About CHLI:

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI, pronounced “chili”) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, based in Washington, D.C., that advances the diversity of thought in U.S. Hispanic community in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as in the international community. For more information, please visit www.chli.org. You may also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About PromoMadrid:
PromoMadrid, Desarrollo Internacional de Madrid, S.A. is a regional government-owned company, incorporated in 2004 with the purpose of promoting and developing the Region of Madrid internationally from an economic perspective. PromoMadrid acts under the authority of the Madrid Regional Ministry of Economy and Finance Affairs. Visit www.promomadrid.com.

Stressed Out? New Social Networking Site for College-Age Adults: Mental Health, Music and More

ARLINGTON, VA, April 12, 2010 - Freshman year. Final exams. Life after graduation. The pressures of college transitions involve many competing demands, including in some cases, mental health concerns.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults, ages 18-25, can provide mutual support in navigating challenges and opportunities before, during and after the college years.

“Young adulthood is an exciting challenge, but also a confusing and stressful time for anyone,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, NAMI executive director. “Life can throw things at you fast.”

Developed by college students and other young adults, StrengthofUs.org is a user-driven social networking community where a person can connect with peers, share personal stories, creativity and helpful resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups and sharing videos, photos and other news.  It offers resources on:

  • Mental health issues
  • Healthy relationships
  • Family and friends
  • Campus life
  • Independent living
  • Finances
  • Employment
  • Housing

StrengthofUs.org is about helping and inspiring each other,” said Alex White, age 23, a member of the advisory group who helped develop the site. “I would not be alive today if it had not been for the love, care and support I received from family, friends and loved ones.”

A Montana State University graduate, White was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 13. He attempted suicide before gaining control of the illness, but now leads a happy, productive life in New York City. He has made an award-winning short film, Une Vignette de Melancolie, about depression that has played internationally.

On April 21, the site will host a “launch party” featuring a remix of the song “Goodmorning” from the upcoming Derivatives album by William Fitzsimmons, who worked helping people with mental illness before turning a passion for music into his profession. He was named an iTunes Best Singer-Songwriter for his album The Sparrow and the Crow and his music has been featured on the television show Grey’s Anatomy.

The launch coincides with the recent deaths of three students from suicides at Cornell University and reports of increasing cases of depression and anxiety on college campuses nationwide.

“I think that depression and suicide are the largest health issues facing college students at this time,” said Alan Glass, director of St..Louis’s Washington University student health services and American College Health Association board member, in an interview with the school’s independent student newspaper.

NAMI created the StrengthofUs community through the support of the Rodwell Dart Memorial Foundation, established by Hailey Dart, in loving memory of her son, Roddy, who lost his life at age 22.

About NAMI

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1100 state and local affiliates that engage in research, education, support and advocacy.

Contact

Christine Armstrong

christinea@nami.org

(703) 312-7893

www.nami.org

www.twitter.com/namicommunicate

www.facebook.com/officialNAMI

www.strengthofus.org

AMERICANLISTED.COM LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO STOP COUCH ABANDONMENT CRISIS

Hyperlocal Online Classifieds Site Wants to Save Thousands of Abandoned Couches Lining City, Town and Campus Streets Each Spring During Moving Exodus

NAPERVILLE, Ill.—April 12, 2010— A sad and disturbing crisis that ravages cities and towns across America is about to strike again: Couch Abandonment. Each spring and early summer during the moving exodus from campuses and cities, the phenomenon occurs nationwide. Thousands of abandoned couches line sidewalks and pile up forgotten around dumpsters, waiting to end up in land fills. In an effort to stop Couch Abandonment, AmericanListed.com, a free, hyperlocal online classifieds site, is launching a contest for college students and anyone who is moving to share their story of why their couches deserve to be saved and have a chance at a new life. Check out the Couch Abandonment Contest video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcksdAWj9TA.

Simple and easy rules for the contest:

  • To enter, applicants must submit either a video (no more than two minutes) or a written testimonial with a photo (no more than 250 words) explaining why their beloved couches deserve to be saved from abandonment. Videos and testimonials will be posted on AmericanListed.com each week.
  • During the first few weeks of the contest, AmericanListed.com will award a weekly prize of an iPod to a contest winner. The grand prize winner will win a new couch to take home to their new living space.

To enter the contest or check out posted applicant videos and testimonials, please visit www.AmericanListed.com or http://couch.americanlisted.com. Also follow AmericanListed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/americanlisted for contest updates.

“With Couch Abandonment a major concern in cities across America from Boston to San Francisco and towns from State College to College Station, AmericanListed.com is dedicated to putting a stop to the crisis and giving these couches the chance for a new home and life,” said Thomas Westling, president of AmericanListed.com. “AmericanListed.com offers college students and all movers an easy, safe and family-friendly place to post their old couches and other unwanted items online for sale, as well as look for new items to purchase or exchange. We hope Americans will join us in our effort to end Couch Abandonment.”

About AmericanListed

AmericanListed, founded in 2007, is a free online classified advertisements website that provides U.S. residents with a simple and safe way to sell and buy products and services within their own residential area/city. The site’s local reach offers users the ability to list and search classified ads in all states, all cities and all zip codes in the United States.

Contacts:

Paul DiPerna or Scott Love
Schwartz Communications
781-684-0770
americanlisted@schwartz-pr.com

Simply Hired Offers Targeted Job Search for New Graduates

New Grad Filter to Provide Relevant Jobs to Recent Graduates

Mountain View, CA – April 6, 2010 – Simply Hired, the largest job search engine and recruitment advertising network, today announced the launch of its newest specialty filter for “New Graduate” jobs. This filter is designed to serve the thousands of expected college graduates entering today’s competitive workforce.

SimplyHired.com announces the New Graduate job filter just in time for students to begin their job search before graduation. This filter will allow job seekers, specifically recent graduates with limited to no work experience, to view jobs nationwide relevant to their experience level. It will offer recent grads an easy way to filter through the three million job listings on SimplyHired.com to find positions that are relevant to their majors and fit their skills.

“According to a SimplyHired.com poll, 78 percent of job seekers graduate without a job at the time of commencement, so we’re proud to aid new graduates in their job search with a relevant tool,” said Andrew Chen, Sr. Product Manager, Simply Hired. “Entry level jobs are out there; new graduates just need help finding them.”

Along with the New Graduate filter, Simply Hired also offers a “Share” feature which enables job seekers to share jobs through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and email. By socializing job search, users can easily and quickly network and share jobs with their community, as well as receive referrals and find unknown connections.

The New Graduate filter further strengthens Simply Hired’s mission to personalize job search by giving recent graduate job seekers a comprehensive view of all the jobs available in an easy and efficient manner.

About Simply Hired
With more than five million job listings worldwide, Simply Hired is the world’s largest job search engine and recruitment advertising network. The company powers jobs on over 10,000 network partner sites such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, CNNMoney, BusinessWeek and The Washington Post. It operates global sites in 19 countries and ten languages on five continents. Simply Hired has been lauded as one of the “50 Coolest Websites” by Time magazine, a “Top 100 Website” by PC Magazine and the “Best of the Web” by BusinessWeek. Simply Hired has raised $22.3 million in funding from venture and individual investors including Foundation Capital, IDG Ventures and News Corporation. The company is privately held and is based in Mountain View, California.

First-time Filers Should Use Free File to Prepare, e-File Returns

Media Relations Office Washington, D.C.  Tel. 202.622.4000
For Release:   March 8, 2010
Release No: IR-2010-03

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today offered a tax tip to college students and first-time filers: use IRS Free File to prepare and file their federal tax return. This and other suggestions can help new tax filers avoid the April 15 rush and maybe even get any refund due within 10 days.

Filing a federal return may seem like a daunting task for a first-time filer but it is made much easier with tax software such as Free File, a service offered by the IRS and private-sector partners that allows everyone to prepare and electronically file their federal tax return for free.

New taxpayers can check out Free File at www.irs.gov/freefile where they can review about 20 software options. Each participating tax preparation software company sets its own eligibility but anyone making $57,000 or less can find at least one option. The software follows an easy-to-use format that asks questions and completes the appropriate tax form based on answers.

An online tool, Help Me Find a Free File Company, will help identify those companies that match the taxpayer’s criteria. Want to know more? There’s a new how-to video available at www.freefile.irs.gov. Also, each Free File software company has links to the 20 states that offer their versions of Free File.

There are two formats to federal Free File: Traditional Free File, which is the step-by-step software offered by participating companies, and Free File Fillable Forms, which is the electronic version of IRS paper forms that do simple math. There is no income limitation for Free File Fillable Forms but it is the best option for people comfortable doing their own tax return. Either format is free and allows for free electronic filing.

Other suggestions:

  • Check with your parents: Depending upon the circumstances, they may still be eligible to claim you as a dependent. Your parents can claim you or you can claim yourself, but not both. So, talk over your taxes before you start.
  • File a return: If you had federal taxes withheld from your paycheck in 2009, you should file a tax return – even if you are not required. There’s a good chance you could get a refund.
  • Use Direct Deposit: When you combine direct deposit with e-file you can get your refund in as few as 10 days.
  • Gather records: Employees will receive a Form W-2, a statement for your income and taxes withheld. You still must report all your income, including tips. Remember, all income is taxable unless exempted by Congress. By the way, good recordkeeping throughout the year makes this whole tax preparation process a lot easier. See Taxable Income for Students.
  • Grants, scholarships and fellowships: Amounts spent on room and board may be taxable while the money spent for tuition, books and fees may be exempt. ROTC allowances are not taxable, but ROTC active duty payments are taxable. See Tax Information for Students.
  • Expanded education credits: The new American Opportunity Credit provides a maximum $2,500 credit for tuition, books and fees. Heads up: If your parents claim you as a dependent, they get to take the credit. Otherwise, you get to take the credit in most cases. For details, see Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education.
  • Only the person who made the tuition expenditure can claim this credit. So, if your parents are footing your bill, they get to claim the credit.
  • Recovery Tax Credits: In addition to education credits, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided new benefits for homebuyers, energy upgrades, new vehicle owners and workers through the Making Work Pay Tax Credit. See www.irs.gov/recovery for more details.
  • Earned Income Tax Credit: If you’re 25 or older, you may be eligible even if you have no children. See www.irs.gov/eitc for details.
  • Save a little; spend a little: Another new provision this year lets you also use your refund to purchase U.S. Savings Bonds.

Have more questions? Visit www.irs.gov and check out 1040 Central, a one-stop stop for your tax needs. The IRS Web site has answers to frequently asked questions, tax tips and you can even track your refund.  And remember, you must go through IRS.gov to be eligible for Free File offerings.

One last suggestion: Don’t wait until April 15. There is no need to cram or panic. You should just take your time, use Free File and do it right. Help is available if you need it.

Editors: Need more information? Contact your local IRS spokesperson for more details. Click here to embed an April 15 tax count-down widget.

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Environmental Defense Action Fund Launches Campus Video Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Rebecca Rasch, (202) 572-3365, rrasch@edf.org

Encouraging Students to Take a Stand for their Clean Energy Future

WASHINGTON, DC (April 5, 2010) – Today Environmental Defense Action Fund begins sharing its mic with college students.  For the next eight weeks EDAF is asking students from across the country to create short video clips calling on Congress to pass strong climate and clean energy legislation.

EDAF is reaching out to campus green leaders and club presidents across the country, from the University of Alaska Anchorage to University of South Florida, to encourage participation. EDAF will award grants of up to $3,000 to the environmental club that collects the most video submissions.  EDAF welcomes submissions from any student group from any university.

“College students around the country are eager to show Congress how much they support clean energy, and EDAF is happy to help,” said Challenge Director Rebecca Rasch. “After all, it’s their future that hangs in the balance.”

For more details, please visit TakeAStand (www.edf.org/takeastand), where you can view a sample video and enter the challenge. To interact with the participating groups or see campaign updates, like which group is pulling ahead or entered the challenge, become a fan of our Take A Stand Campus Video Challenge fan page on Facebook.

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About Environmental Defense Action Fund

Environmental Defense Action Fund is the lobbying arm of the Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. www.edf.org

New Website Helps Renters Manage Rent Payment, Credit, Earn Cash Back

CHICAGO, IL March 29, 2010 – WilliamPaid, an online resource for renters and roommates, launched recently bringing relief to the 102 million Americans who live in apartments, condominiums, and other rental units. The comprehensive new website for renters and roommates provides flexible rent payments, the ability to build personal credit with rent payments and a cash-back program with a matching contribution toward student loan and rent payments.

“With WilliamPaid, powerful renter and roommate tools are just a click away,” said WilliamPaid CEO Evan Silverman. “For many, rent is a sensitive topic due to financial issues and roommate disagreements. WilliamPaid complements existing social media platforms to offer a hyperpersonal roommate relationship experience. We provide flexible payment options to relieve financial strain as well as a medium for roommates to communicate about and monitor rent payments without face-to-face conflicts or ‘text message stress.’ In the end, it is a win-win for everyone – landlords get paid on time, and roommates avoid needless drama.”

Communication and busy schedules, Silverman said, are big obstacles for roommates and rent. “I live with three other roommates, and our biggest challenge has been getting our rent in on time. It is difficult for us to be on the same page,” said Ingrid Perez, 19, from Suffolk University.

To address these types of issues, according to Silverman, WilliamPaid (www.williampaid.com) provides flexible rent payment options that let each roommate pay rent how each person chooses – bank account, credit or debit card or any combination – but yet provides a collective payment to the landlord. “With WilliamPaid, each roommate can see who has paid – and, more importantly, who hasn’t. It’s a non-confrontational way of dealing with the rent while also providing the flexibility that each roommate may need,” said Silverman.

WilliamPaid also helps renters build credit with their rent payments. “As the only rent payment service that reports rent payments to a credit bureau, tenants can build credit without going into debt – something renters struggle with,” Silverman added.

Matthew Vitko, SVP of Sales for PRBC, Inc., a credit bureau and division of MicroBilt Corporation, agrees. “Traditionally, apartment renting comes with a disadvantage,” he said. “Unlike mortgage payments, timely rent payments do not improve your credit rating. WilliamPaid helps renters build a positive payment history by providing them with the option to report monthly rent payments to a nationally-recognized credit bureau. If you are currently an apartment renter and you want to establish a positive payment history, WilliamPaid is a good option.”

The WilliamPaid Cash-back Program provides cash-back to its users who shop online and refer friends to the service, with a 10% matching contribution when users apply their cash-back to their rent or student loans. According to Silverman, WilliamPaid will also be rolling out a cash-back program for rental payments.

For more information about WilliamPaid or to schedule an interview with a member of WilliamPaid’s executive team, contact Evan Silverman, 847.510.6444.

Renters and roommates are invited to visit William Paid’s BLOG, YouTube Channel, Twitter Page, and Facebook Fan Page for more tips and resources.

About WilliamPaid
WilliamPaid is an online resource for renters and roommates, providing flexible rent payment options, including paying rent with a credit or debit card, credit building services such as having rent payments and past rent and utility payments reported to a credit bureau, shared bill management, allocation and tracking and other roommate tools that help renters and roommates communicate. WilliamPaid is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. Learn more: www.williampaid.com.
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