We are delighted to announce that we will be holding our annual staff recognition Extra Mile event in-person on Tuesday, June 10th, from 6-8pm at L’Wren in Sunset Park, Brooklyn!
Please join us here in Sunset Park to celebrate Center for Family Life’s “Life Lines” partnership with public schools, MS 136 and MS 821. Our unique collaboration engages students in interdisciplinary projects that blend academic subjects with the arts to build community in the classroom and enrich student learning.
We are grateful for this partnership and are excited to recognize the MS 136 and MS 821 principals and our Life Lines teaching artists. We look forward to celebrating decades of creative collaboration!
Watch our “A Reflection on 40 Years | Life Lines Community Arts Project Documentary” above to learn more about our partnership which has spanned four decades.Â
For over twenty years, Center for Family Life has been providing free tax-filing assistance to our neighbors in Sunset Park via the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and our usually busy tax season hasn’t shown any signs of slowing!
As a VITA site, CFL has certified volunteer and staff tax preparers on hand to assist those who are eligible for VITA in filing their taxes.
Juan Obando, CFL’s VITA Tax Manager, conducts extensive outreach each year to recruit volunteer tax preparers. In addition to recruiting via NYC Service and NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Juan and his tax team have successfully secured partnerships with Fordham University, Kingsborough Community College, NY Cares, and Royal Business Bank to solicit volunteers. All volunteers receive thorough tax-preparation trainings and must acquire their official IRS Tax Certification before working as tax preparers.
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A client with Juan Obando
This year, we’ve been lucky to have fifty-seven tax preparers support us in filing nearly three thousand returns, yielding over four million dollars in refunds! Thank you to all our CFL staff and volunteers who help make this program possible. The funds our neighbors receive in returns can be crucial for them to make rent, pay bills, or buy groceries.
A tax preparer working with a client
Indeed, Juan has emphasized it is the ability to “help someone get the most money in a year, and hearing [our clients’] stories” which has been the most meaningful to him in his two decades of providing tax-free filing assistance professionally.
If you qualify for free tax preparation, we encourage you to make an appointment with us. More information on eligibility and appointments is outlined below.
Alternatively, if you have the means and are able to support our tax-filing assistance program, please consider donating to Center for Family Life today.
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Interested in making an appointment?
In 2024, if your income was up to $65,000 as an individual — or up to $93,000 as a family — you are eligible for free tax filing services.
Appointments are available at CFL’s main office from 11am to 7pm on Mondays through Fridays, as well as on Saturdays from 9am to 4pm.
An appointment can also be made at our partner NYU Langone location — which is located on Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park — on Tuesdays through Thursdays between 12pm and 7pm.
This month, Center for Family Life lifts up the incredible energy, potential and accomplishments of our immigrant community members who have come to Brooklyn from countries around the world. Our neighbors in the community honor us with their trust and with their willingness to share their authentic selves. Whether they come to us to look for jobs, to learn about public benefits, to participate in our afterschool programs, or to find support to build strong and loving families, our neighbors teach all of us at Center for Family Life so many invaluable life lessons about resiliency, determination and the joy of actualizing one’s fullest potential. We are grateful beyond words for the partnership of our community members and for their willingness to share their life stories, accomplishments, and challenges with us.
The community members whom we serve have contributed so much to making Sunset Park a truly exceptional place to live and grow. Our very newest community members, working with our employment counselors, have found their path to success in hospitality, homecare agencies, food service, security, construction, and as bilingual teaching assistants. We are thrilled to have welcomed several to the staff of Center for Family Life!
Undaunted by learning a new language and undeterred by learning to navigate a huge and complex city, our participants have inspired pride in their families and neighbors with the work that they have chosen to do and the contribution they have chosen to make to this city.
This month we remember the wise counsel of the founders of Center for Family Life, and we submit that it is our honor and privilege to be given the opportunity to serve our neighbors. Our charge is to work in solidarity to encounter the grace, the dignity, and the inestimable beauty of all people as they make their way through their lives in community.
We continue our work with resolute determination and optimism, and we thank all who support our work for sharing their resources and encouragement as we draw strength and wisdom from fellowship with our neighbors.
This holiday season, the Center for Family Life is so grateful for supporters like you who make the work we do possible. With your support, at this special time of year we go above and beyond in all of our programs to share holiday foods, gifts and clothing with the families who come to our doors. Â
Thanks to your contributions, between Thanksgiving and Christmas the Center was able to provide over 400 turkeys to neighbors in Sunset Park! We are especially grateful to NYC Council Member Alexa Aviles, New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes, City Harvest, and the Skanska company for their generous contributions to the Center for Family Life’s food pantry this holiday season. Donations of turkeys and all the trimmings helped more of our neighbors to have festive and fulfilling feasts this year.
 We are also grateful for the generosity of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church — who donated so many toys to the Center — and for our case planners in the Family Counseling Program who distributed the gifts to parents. Â
Our Adult Employment Program also provided toys and hosted a toy giveaway, where families picked up wrapped presents for their children. Some parents came to the Center while their children were in school, and sometimes it was a family affair to pick up gifts!
CFL’s School Based Youth and Community Programs were also busy this holiday season hosting holiday sing-alongs, plays, and gingerbread house-making events in the 11 schools where we offer afterschool programming to in Sunset Park.Â
Additionally, we are grateful for our wonderful Board of Directors who donated scarfs and gloves to the Center, and for a holiday grant from the United Neighborhood Houses which allowed our Family and Community Supports Program to buy winter coats and holiday gifts for community members in need. As we head toward the coldest months of winter, it’s more important than ever that our neighbors have protective and warm clothing to get them through this winter. Your end of year donation today will help us to ensure that there is one less neighbor without food or warm winter clothing. If you haven’t already, please consider donating to the Center.Â
It’s always been our mission to be a resource to our neighbors in Sunset Park; seeing everyone come-and-go from the Center — whether to give or receive gifts — made us grateful to be in a community where we all strive to include each other in our festivities and celebrations. The ways we support each other in our community is, in and of itself, something to celebrate as we end 2024 and enter a new year.Â
In utmost gratitude, and with warmest wishes for the New Year,Â
Center for Family Life’s Self-Employed Tax Program (SETP) was proud to present at the annual Prosperity Summit in Washington DC. This prestigious event unites thousands of professionals who are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a clear path to financial stability, wealth, and prosperity. Our SETP staff were invited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to share our experience providing professional tax services to self-employed workers.
Our presentation highlighted key challenges that our community faces when going through the tax filing process, including financial constraints, language barriers, lack of understanding of tax obligations, insufficient knowledge of record-keeping and income tracking, distrust of government agencies, and the need for a filing history to access credit and capital for business growth. To address these challenges, the SETP offers free professional tax preparation, consultations, and workshops to low-income communities in Brooklyn. Last year, our SETP hosted 15 workshops, filed over 400 tax returns, and saved over $246,000 in service fees for clients.
To ensure these services reach those who need them the most, the SETP relies on a network of community outreach efforts, including partnerships with other community-based organizations, referrals from the IRS, and word of mouth. With services available in English, Spanish, Urdu, and Bengali, the SETP is committed to bridging the communication gap and building trust within diverse communities.Â
An SETP Impact Story (name changed for client confidentiality):Â
After newly arriving to the United States, a housekeeper named Maria faced challenges filing her taxes for the first time. With limited English proficiency and little understanding of tax compliance, she was unsure how to navigate this unfamiliar and convoluted system. Maria was grateful to work with the SETP in her native language, and to receive assistance preparing and filing her 2023 tax return. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was eligible for refunds from both the IRS and the state of New York, and she feels confident that she will meet her tax obligations now that she has the knowledge and tools to track her income.
By providing free reliable and professional tax services, the SETP empowers individuals to build a strong financial foundation, paving the way for economic growth and sustainability in our communities. If you or someone you know is self-employed and could benefit from these free services, we encourage you to make an appointment with the SETP by calling 718-438-9500 or by visiting us at our Main Office.
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