Windsor Police Chief: Let's Help Those In Need

Greetings,

Please allow me the opportunity to introduce you to a new and unique community service organization serving Bloomfield, Hartford and Windsor residents.

Ascend Mentoring's Mission is to provide comprehensive mentoring to families who have had contact with the criminal justice system and to support and facilitate the acquisition of the life skills necessary to keeping our residents and our communitites healthy and safe.

Ascend Mentoring's program will foster mentor-mentee relationships and will use the services of a case manager to make certain that mentees access the full array of support services necessary to attaining their life goals. Using this integrated approach, Ascend Mentoring will be able to reach entire families and can use the resources of our three communities to help make sure that all of our neighbors are going to be able to do well. Ascend will focus mentoring on youth, single parents and sex-offenders.

Thanks to the support of local civic leaders, civic organizations and businesses, Ascend Mentoring is on its way to receiving 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, which will make any donation to Ascend Mentoring tax deductible for the donor. Ascend Mentoring has also recently been approved as a participant in the State's 2012 Neighborhood Assistance Act (NAA).

The Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credit Program is designed to provide funding for not-for-profit organizations by allowing a corporate business tax credit for donors that make cash contributions. Donor businesses receive a credit of 60 percent of their approved contribution to participating organizations. The tax credit may be taken for the income year in which the contribution was made or may be carried back to the two immediately preceding income years.

NAA approval has provided Ascend Mentoring with a wonderful opportunity for donor businesses that see the value of our program. However, the NAA tax credit program runs for a very limited period of time. Cash donations must be made and tax credits applied fro no later than October 1, 2012. So although we will provide an opportunity for community business leaders to learn more about Ascend Mentoring in the near future, we don't want to miss the opportunity to offer potential donors an NAA tax credit. I will therefore be following up this letter with a phone call to suggest a brief meeting so you can learn more about Ascend and can be positioned to take advantage of the giving opportunity the NAA provides.

Thank you for allowing me to introduce you to Ascend Mentoring. I look forward to speaking with you very soon.

Best Regards,

Kevin Searls                                                                                                           Chief of Police, Windsor Police Department                                                             President and Board Chair, Ascend Mentoring, Inc.