Caribbean Holiday and Property Firm Harlequin Begin Action in Court Against Accountants Wilkins Kennedy

June 14, 2016

LONDON, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — A court case cited by The Lawyer as one of the most significant to come to trial in 2016 has started today.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160614/379038 )

The court claim sees Harlequin sue top 20 UK accountants Wilkins Kennedy for losses and damages claimed by the firm of £50m. The court case starts today in Court 18 of the Rolls Building, Fetter Lane. The case is expected to last seven weeks. Unusually the second week of the case will be heard on the island in the Caribbean where the resort is located.

Harlequin, the holiday and property business owned by Dave Ames, run Buccament Bay Resort in the Caribbean. The 5 star holiday complex is a favourite holiday destination for celebrities like Pat Cash, Lewis Moody, Sally Gunnell, Coronation Streets Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright

Harlequin employed accountants Wilkins Kennedy to provide business and financial advice whilst setting up Buccament Bay. Over four years the top UK accountancy firm were paid £800,000. Wilkins Kennedy partner Martin MacDonald was the representative of the accountants working on the Buccament Bay account.

In 2014, in a case widely reported in the international media, a company called ICE Group, led by Padraig O’Halloran, was fined for E2million due to the misappropriation of millions of pounds from the Buccament Bay project. Accountants Wilkins Kennedy had taken ICE on as a client at the same time as Harlequin.

Additionally, former Wilkins Kennedy employee Jeremy Newman publically apologised to Harlequin and the Ames family. His apology and departure from Wilkins Kennedy took place after it was revealed that he was the administrator of an anonymous website alleging that the business operated by Harlequin was a fraudulent scheme. Wilkins Kennedy and Martin MacDonald denied any involvement and an out of court settlement was reached to close the matter.

For further information, images or a video statement by Dave Ames please contact Nick Fulford on +44(0)777-159-1936 or [email protected].

Florida Launches App to Connect Job Seekers with Employers

June 14, 2016

A look at the search function on the new EmployFlorida.com mobile app.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Florida workforce development officials have launched the Employ Florida Mobile app, which gives Florida job seekers instant access to thousands of job openings across the state. The Employ Florida Mobile app, which is currently available in English, is now available free on Google Play for Android and in the Apple App Store. The app connects job seekers to employflorida.com, one of the largest state job banks in the nation, with postings from Florida businesses and nearly 20,000 websites, including Monster, Indeed and CareerBuilder.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160610/377977

Governor Rick Scott said, “The launch of the Employ Florida Mobile app is great news for Florida job seekers. We want Florida to be the state where anyone who wants a job can get a job. This app is just another tool to help Floridians find a lasting career.”

The Employ Florida Mobile app allows access to more than 200,000 job advertisements from more than 130,000 Florida businesses. Customers registered on employflorida.com can apply for positions and save searches. Guest users can view openings on their mobile device and view previous searches to apply later.

“In an increasingly mobile world, Floridians want to know about job opportunities promptly and take action,” said CareerSource Florida President and CEO Chris Hart IV. “Businesses also will benefit from the Employ Florida mobile app, as qualified applicants can respond more quickly to their job postings.”

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “This user-friendly app will help job seekers across the state, with openings from the Panhandle to the Keys and everywhere in between.”

The app was developed by Geographic Solutions, Inc., in collaboration with CareerSource Florida and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Paul Toomey, president of Geographic Solutions, said, “As a Florida company, we are proud to partner with the state to place hundreds of thousands of Florida jobs a day at the fingertips of job seekers.” The app allows job seekers to map, categorize and sort job listings by location and quickly find the latest jobs in their area with the “Jobs Nearby” function. Registered users can even upload their resumes and apply for a job while on the go.

Registered users can use their job searches on employflorida.com, using the desktop version or the mobile app, for their work search requirements on their Reemployment Assistance claims.

For more information about the app, click here.

In Honor of June Dairy Month, Milk Life Lo Que Nos Hace Fuertes and National Dairy Council Bring You Foods and Nutrients That Work Better Together

June 14, 2016

MIAMI, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — A key element of healthy eating put forth by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is to “choose a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within all food groups.” What makes this longstanding principle of nutrition true is the synergy that occurs between vitamins and minerals, fiber and other components in foods that work together to support health. “An eating pattern is more than the sum of its parts,” the DGA states. That’s food synergy.

Discovering food/nutrient synergies with ideas of how to combine foods in meals is what transforms “eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods” from a well-worn phrase to fascinating and delicious. Here are a few examples of nutrient interactions that occur within dairy foods and between dairy and other foods – along with ideas for food pairing:

New study with milk and supplemental vitamin E

Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is an antioxidant that protects cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. While more research is needed, limiting free-radical production may prove beneficial in the management of cardiovascular disease and cancer, two diseases often associated with free radicals.

Vitamin E also supports the immune system and helps maintain healthy blood vessels. Nuts, seeds and vegetable oils are among the best sources of vitamin E.

Emerging research indicates drinking milk, regardless of fat content, enhances vitamin E absorption in those with metabolic syndrome, as noted in a recent study. Stay tuned, as more research is needed to discover what constituent of milk improved the bioavailability of vitamin E.

Vitamins C and E are recognized as “partners in defense,” because they are both antioxidants and vitamin C helps repair and regenerate vitamin E. Some of the richest food sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables.

Try it at home: Start your day right by consuming foods from different food groups for breakfast. Try a peanut butter smoothie made with milk and yogurt along with a sliced orange or have peanut butter on toast, a glass of milk and bowl of strawberries.

Nutrients in milk and vitamin K

Vitamin K functions as a co-enzyme required for blood clotting and bone metabolism. Osteocalcin, a vitamin K-dependent protein, is present in bone and may be involved in bone mineralization and turnover. Food sources of vitamin K are green leafy vegetables, such as collards, turnip greens, and spinach.

Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D in milk work together along with vitamin K to support bone health. Vitamin D-fortified milk is an excellent source of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D’s major biologic function in humans is to maintain calcium and phosphorus concentrations in the blood within the normal range by enhancing the absorption efficiency of these minerals from the diet.

Scientists recently studied the feasibility of fortifying yogurt with vitamin K for improving vitamin K status in adults and found that fortified yogurt was more effective than a vitamin K supplement.

Try it at Home: To tap into the synergies between dairy and vitamin K-rich foods, try a Green Smoothie, or this delicious Kale and Parmesan Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing.

These examples of food/nutrient synergies are not to make you research everything you eat and obsessively pair foods at every eating occasion. Rather it is to give you a glimpse of the complexity and beauty of whole foods and a new appreciation of their role in healthy lifestyles. Who knows? Recognizing synergies between nutrients and food components may be the spark that ignites an interest in eating well.

Note: This content was originally shared in a blog post by Judy Jarvis of National Dairy Council.

Visit Fuertesconleche.com for more ideas on food pairings, many delicious milk recipes and nutritional facts. There, you’ll also find inspirational videos from our advocates, like Olympic medalist Danell Leyva among others.

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Hidden Epidemic of Student Homelessness Threatens Futures of More Than 1 Million Young People Every Year

June 13, 2016

The GradNation campaign, led by America's Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center and the Alliance for Excellent Education, focuses on raising the on-time high school graduation rate to 90 percent by the Class of 2020 and increasing postsecondary enrollment and completion.

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — More than 1.3 million public school students were identified as homeless in 2013-14, a number that has been rising since 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Education. To learn more about their lives and how best to help them, researchers interviewed and surveyed hundreds of current and formerly homeless students and the federally-mandated state coordinators and school liaisons assigned to work with them.

The result – a new report, Hidden in Plain Sight: Homeless Students in America’s Public Schools, written by Civic Enterprises with Hart Research Associates and released today by the GradNation campaign – provides insight into how educators, policymakers and community organizations can help more students cope with homelessness, graduate from high school and get on a path to adult success.

The report challenges the nation to embrace the goal of a 90 percent high school graduation rate for all students, including those experiencing homelessness, and to make the provision of safe housing for homeless students a priority.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160612/378245

Key survey findings provide a glimpse into the challenges homeless students face.

78% of young people surveyed say homelessness was something they experienced more than once.
61% say they were never connected with any outside organization for support while homeless; 87% of those who were connected found the help valuable.
67% (approx. two-thirds) say they were uncomfortable talking with people at their school about their housing situation and related challenges.
62% say proof of residency requirements and 56% say lack of cooperation between their new and old schools posed a major challenge for them while changing schools.
54% say concrete supports (housing, food, transportation) and emotional supports are equally important.
50% say they slept in a car, park, abandoned building, bus station or other public place.
As a subgroup, homeless students are one of the lowest graduating student populations in the nation — 42% say they dropped out of school at least once.

With student homelessness on the rise, liaisons say resources haven’t kept up.

89% say they spend just half of their time or less on their responsibilities as liaisons.
They cite key challenges, including lack of funding (78%), lack of time, staff and resources (57%), lack of community awareness (36%), and inability to find safe spaces for homeless students before and after school (30%).
Nearly 90 percent of liaisons report that they work with unaccompanied youth (not in the custody of a parent or guardian), and fully half of liaisons report that unaccompanied youth present a major challenge when it comes to connecting them to the services and supports they need.

“Homelessness is a threat to everything students might want to achieve in their lives, but it doesn’t have to be a barrier to success for millions of students,” said John M. Bridgeland, president and CEO of Civic Enterprises and a co-author of the report. “Schools, community organizations and caring adults can create a web of support and lifelines to action that will help students experiencing homelessness cope and thrive.

“For the long term,” Bridgeland continued, “we should aspire to make the provision of safe, affordable housing as common as school breakfast and lunch.”

ESSA & McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. With the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act, for the first time ever all states and school districts will be required to report high school graduation rates for homeless students, beginning with the 2016-17 school year.

Currently only five states report high school graduation rates for homeless students – Colorado, Kansas, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. In all five states, graduation rates for homeless students lag well behind rates for all students, even other low-income students.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160612/378243

“Given all the challenges they face, homeless students graduate from high school at significantly lower rates than their peers,” said Erin S. Ingram, policy advisor at Civic Enterprises and a co-author of the report. “Achieving their high school diploma is a critical step toward breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness for these students, and we must ensure they have the right supports to meet that goal.”

Effective October 1, 2016, the new ESSA amendments will strengthen the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal law that provides key educational protections and funding to help states and school districts identify and support homeless children and youth.

Students and school liaisons call for changes. The majority of students surveyed said they needed:

Concrete supports, including housing, food, clothing, before and after school programs, school supplies, transportation, academic support, help with college preparation.
Caring adults, someone to talk to or check in with for emotional support.
Opportunities to connect with other students and maintain friendships.

The majority of school liaisons surveyed called for more efforts to:

Raise public awareness of the problem.
Train all school staff to help identify and support homeless students (think not only teachers and counselors, but bus drivers and cafeteria workers).

Half of the homeless students who participated in this study said they had to change schools while homeless, many of them multiple times. Both liaisons and students spoke about the need to ease paperwork challenges that make re-enrollment difficult.

Policy recommendations. Among the report’s key recommendations: 1) Work to ensure that the ESSA amendments on identifying and serving homeless students in the McKinney-Vento Act and Title I part A are fully implemented in states, schools and districts. 2) Focus on outreach efforts to inform homeless students and families of their rights and raise community awareness. 3) Ensure that schools have the resources to actively engage with homeless students to help them stay in school. 4) Build connections between community organizations and schools and connect homeless students to those outside supports. 5) Set community and national goals around outcomes and graduation rates for homeless students and use data to drive progress. 6) Increase efforts to provide more affordable housing.

“Schools offer a significant opportunity for early intervention and outright prevention of student homelessness, but they must be properly supported,” said Tricia Raikes, co-founder of the Raikes Foundation, lead sponsor of the report. “We all have a role in this—from federal and state policymakers to leaders within our local schools, nonprofits and businesses. We must all join with students themselves to ensure that every young person has the safe, stable home needed to thrive.”

The Road to 90. The GradNation campaign – led by America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University and the Alliance for Excellent Education – set a bold goal to reach a 90 percent on-time high school graduation rate by the Class of 2020 – and that goal is in sight as the graduation rate hit a new record high of 82.3 percent. While students of color, low-income students and students with disabilities are key drivers of the national graduation rate, this report recognizes that other subgroups like homeless students will be important to meeting the campaign goal as well and may require different kinds of support.

“The goal of a 90 percent graduation rate won’t be reached if we leave certain subgroups behind,” said John Gomperts, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance. “We must do more to help homeless students cope with the adversity in their lives and continue their educations. In today’s economy, a high school diploma doesn’t guarantee success, but the lack of a diploma consigns a young person to almost certain failure.”

Authors and sponsors. Hidden in Plain Sight was written by a team of researchers at Civic Enterprises, a public policy and strategy firm, in association with Hart Research Associates. The study was released by the GradNation campaign, and funded by the Raikes Foundation, with additional funding support from Casey Family Programs, the Kresge Foundation, the Polk Brothers Foundation, and State Farm.

Full report. To read the full report, access graphics, and other resources, visit: www.GradNation.org/homeless.

Civic Enterprises is a public policy and strategy firm that helps corporations, nonprofits, foundations, universities and governments develop and spearhead innovative public policies to strengthen our communities and country. Created to enlist the private, public and nonprofit sectors to help address our nation’s toughest problems, Civic Enterprises fashions new initiatives and strategies that achieve measurable results in the fields of education, civic engagement, economic mobility, and many other domestic policy issues. www.civicenterprises.net

Hart Research Associates is one of the leading research firms in the United States and has been at the cutting edge of change in public opinion since its founding in 1971. www.HartResearch.com

GradNation is a national campaign of individuals, organizations and communities focused on raising the national on-time high school graduation rate to 90 percent by the Class of 2020 and increasing college enrollment and completion. The campaign is led by America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University and the Alliance for Excellent Education. www.GradNation.org

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kathleen McMahon

Civic Enterprises

703-868-6981

[email protected]

Daria L. Hall

America’s Promise Alliance

202.657.0621

[email protected]

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160612/378244LOGO

As Race for Seat Held by Rangel Heats Up, Hopefuls Debate Social Security, Future

June 13, 2016

HARLEM, New York, June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — As the race heats up for the first open seat in New York’s 13^th Congressional District in 72 years, nine candidates seeking to succeed Representative Charles Rangel are squaring off in a debate tonight sponsored by AARP in partnership with WABC-TV, the Amsterdam News, el Diario, WXTV Univisión41, Univisión Radio’s WADO-AM, and WBLS 107.5 FM.

With AARP promoting its “Take a Stand” campaign to urge federal candidates to commit to strengthening Social Security, eight Democrats and one Republican will weigh in on the future of Social Security, as well as affordable housing, the minimum wage, the need to support family caregivers and ways to help an aging population prepare for retirement.

The two-hour forum is being held at Riverside Church.

AARP is a non-partisan organization that neither contributes to nor endorses political candidates.

New York’s 13^th district is among the most diverse in the city and nation, with a population nearly half Hispanic, nearly one third African-American, about 13 percent white and 4 percent Asian American. Over half the district’s Hispanics are of Dominican ancestry and nearly a quarter of Puerto Rican heritage.

WABC-TV’s Sandra Bookman, Merijoel Duran of WXTV Univisión41 and WBLS’s Bob Slade will moderate, with questions – including audience submissions – posed by Josh Barker of the Amsterdam News and Ana Nieto of El Diario. Univisión Radio’s WADO-AM is also partnering for the event.

WBLS will livestream the debate and the audio will also be available afterwards at http://www.wbls.com/live.

“The 50+ accounted for over 60 percent of the vote in the last race for governor, and they made up the single biggest voting bloc in the last election for Mayor. So it stands to reason that the 50+ will determine the outcome of this race,” AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel said in kicking off the event.

“They want to hear what the candidates will do about Social Security, how to keep our neighborhoods livable and affordable amid changing demographics, how to care for our aging citizens – and for those who take care of them, our family caregivers – and more.”

“We are very excited to be part of this initiative,” said Carmen Villavicencio, Executive Editor of El Diario, the largest Hispanic Publication in the United States. “This is a very important moment for our Latino Community in District 13 and we want all of their voices to be heard by the candidates. We hope that giving the constituents the chance to know each candidate can help them decide who is the best one that deserves their votes.”

Over a third of voting-age District 13 residents are 50 and above, and nearly 50,000 are AARP members. The debate is part of AARP’s year-old effort to bring its national and state-level advocacy of issues important to the 50+ to the local level in New York City.

Also last year, AARP launched a livability index that ranks every zip code in the nation on a variety of factors that impact quality of life on a neighborhood level.

Candidates participating in the debate are former Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, stay-at-home-dad Mike Gallagher, State Assembly Member Guillermo Linares, former State Assembly Member Adam Clayton Powell IV, publisher and chess player Sam Sloan, former Democratic National Committee Political Director Clyde Williams and State Assembly Member Keith Wright – all of whom are competing in the June 28 Democratic primary for their party’s nomination for the November general election, and the lone Republican, attorney Tony Evans.

Representative Rangel, who is retiring at the end of the year, has represented the district since 1971 following his 1970 primary victory over long-time incumbent Adam Clayton Powell Jr. – who was first elected to the seat the last time it was open in 1944.

The district includes Central Harlem, East Harlem, Manhattanville, Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights, Hudson Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill in Manhattan, and the Bronx communities of Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, and University Heights.

Gloria Steinem supports Salvadoran women in their fight against femicide

June 13, 2016

Donor Direct Action: Strengthening Women Worldwide

NEW YORK, June 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Gloria Steinem, in a new episode of the Viceland TV series “WOMAN” to be broadcast on 14 June (10pm ET/9pm CT), takes an unflinching look at gender-based violence in El Salvador, the country with the highest murder rate in the world.

In El Salvador, a woman is murdered every 15 hours. Often they are killed in a vicious manner, their bodies mutilated and tortured solely to inflict pain. Ending a relationship, seeking a divorce or even getting married are all reasons why women are murdered in El Salvador. The men who carry out these murders know they will probably get away with it.

Thanks to the work of feminists such as those at ORMUSA – the Organization of Salvadoran Women – change is coming to El Salvador. ORMUSA helped draft a law that came into effect in 2012 making femicide –the deliberate murder of women just because they are women – a criminal category in El Salvador and establishing special provisions to protect women from gender-based violence. But despite legal protections, 75% of femicide cases still end up never being prosecuted.

“The law is fine, but the ones who have to implement it are the ones who have to change,” according to Silvia Juárez, one of the law’s drafters, a lawyer and an activist with ORMUSA, who features in “WOMAN”. “We still have a lot to do in order to move forward and finally eradicate violence against women.”

ORMUSA is one of 14 women’s rights activist organizations that are being partnered by Donor Direct Action, a new project that raises funds and visibility in the USA for front line activists in developing countries to combat the oppression women face around the world. From Afghanistan to El Salvador, Nepal to DRC, in Syria and Libya, these organizations are part of the global effort to end violence and discrimination against women.

Gloria Steinem, the host and executive producer of “WOMAN” and co-chair of Donor Direct Action, points out that there is a link between global instability and violence against women. “The greatest indicator of the world’s stability, wealth and safety is the status of women,” she says in the show’s introduction. We know “that the well being of women determines the well being of society.”

The eight-part Viceland television series encourages viewers to take action after watching each episode such as by contributing money to help the organizations fighting women’s oppression that feature in the show. In the episode on femicide in El Salvador, this organization is ORMUSA and contributions to support their work can be made through their US tax-exempt partner organization, Donor Direct Action www.donordirectaction.org

The need is great: only a tiny fraction of official government aid goes directly to women’s rights organizations and even that small amount is decreasing. The majority of women’s organizations have very small budgets, often less than $25,000 a year, according to the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID). Such limited access to funding weakens women’s organizations and impedes their ability to sustain their impact. By partnering with Donor Direct Action, front line women’s rights activists have greater access to individual donors around the world who can support their work through online contributions.

Donor Direct Action is a project of The Sisterhood is Global Institute.

Websites:
www.donordirectaction.org
www.ormusa.org
www.viceland.com/woman

Facebook: facebook.com/DonorDirectAction
Twitter: twitter.com/donors4women

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150911/265896LOGO

(Español) Magnifica Figura Anuncia Consultas de Cortesía estarán disponibles esta primavera

June 13, 2016

Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.

(Español) Un nivel adecuado de folato materno puede reducir el riesgo de obesidad infantil

June 13, 2016

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH

Sorry, this entry is only available in Español.

For Bilingual Hispanic Families, New College Search Tools Shine A Light On Financial Aid

June 13, 2016

ATLANTA, June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — College Abacus, a free online tool that helps families easily comparison shop for affordable college options, today announced the release of two first-of-their-kind Spanish-language college search tools: College Ábaco, and its Pell Grant-specific partner tool, Pell Ábaco. These free online resources make it possible for bilingual Hispanic families to navigate the often complex financial aid process in Spanish, allowing them to calculate and compare their personalized financial aid estimates across 5,600 U.S. colleges in a fully translated format. Abigail Seldin, College Abacus co-founder and vice president of Innovation & Product Management at ECMC Group, unveiled the tools today at the sixth annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America meeting in Atlanta, GA.

Of the roughly 17.9 million Hispanic children in the U.S., many come from Spanish speaking families. In fact, the Pew Research Center reports that nearly three-in-four Hispanics over the age of five speak Spanish at home. College Ábaco and Pell Ábaco were designed to address the language barriers many bilingual families face when evaluating their college options, as well as the tuition “sticker shock” many first generation and minority students experience when considering higher education. In one recent survey of young Latinos who chose not to attend college, nearly three-quarters attributed their decision to financial concerns.

“Researching and understanding your college financial aid options is daunting for most people, but it can be especially overwhelming for first generation students and parents who are non-native English speakers,” said Seldin. “By launching College Ábaco and Pell Ábaco, we’re making it easier for the tens of millions of Spanish-speaking households in America to not only identify the best schools for their budgets, but navigate the college search process as a family unit.”

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 required all U.S. colleges to publish net price calculators on their websites – tools that allow families to calculate personalized tuition estimates after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the total. By allowing families to access the net price calculators of 5,600 U.S. colleges in one place, College Ábaco serves as a ‘Kayak.com’ for college costs, eliminating the need to click through multiple websites and continuously re-enter financial information while also translating that information into Spanish. For low-income Hispanic students likely to be eligible for federal Pell Grants, Pell Ábaco streamlines the process even further by asking just one financial question: “Are you eligible for free or reduced lunch?” A recent report by the Education Trust shows roughly half of Latino undergraduates use Pell Grants to pay for college.

“From meeting with thousands of Hispanic students and their families this year through ACT’s bilingual Parent Academies across the country, I’ve seen firsthand how urgently we need tools like College Abaco and Pell Abaco to educate them on college affordability,” said Juan Garcia, Senior Director for the Advancement of Underserved Learners at ACT. “These resources have the potential to be game changers in helping these families understand true college costs beyond sticker price, and make informed decisions about financing their future educational plans to ensure their upward mobility.”

College Ábaco and Pell Ábaco are the first consumer tools to launch with fully integrated Spanish language data from the Obama Administration’s College Scorecard, an initiative that Seldin and her team partnered with the White House and U.S. Department of Education on last fall. By pulling data from the College Scorecard API and translating it into Spanish, College Ábaco and Pell Ábaco package students’ individualized tuition estimates with school-specific data on a range of financial factors impacting college choice, such as average alumni earnings, percentage of students with federal loans and average monthly loan repayment rates.

After launching the tools at the 2016 CGI America meeting in Atlanta today, Seldin and her team will carry out the Commitment to Action by promoting awareness and adoption of College Ábaco and Pell Ábaco within the Hispanic community. In addition to ACT, Seldin announced support for the tools from partner organizations including the National College Access Network, Florida College Access Network, College Summit, ECMC Foundation and Latino U College Access.

About College Abacus
Hailed as one of CNN Money’s “Best New Money Ideas” of 2014, College Abacus is a one-stop, secure search site that helps families easily calculate and compare their personalized tuition estimates across roughly 5,600 colleges. Using net price calculators built by U.S. colleges as mandated by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the tool connects users with school net price calculators in real time. The projected cost of education generated on College Abacus mirrors the same net price estimates students would generate by visiting each school’s website individually. College Abacus results also include data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Offered as a free resource by nonprofit education entity ECMC Group, College Abacus is operated out of the Washington, DC based ECMC Innovation Lab. Click here for more information on Pell Abacus.

About Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America brings together leaders from the business, philanthropic, nonprofit, and government sectors to develop solutions that encourage economic growth, support long-term competitiveness, and increase social mobility in the United States. CGI America’s annual convening is designed to be a working meeting that promotes collaboration. Each CGI America participant makes a Commitment to Action: a new, specific, and measurable plan that supports increased economic growth and opportunity. To date, CGI America participants have made more than 500 commitments, which have improved the lives of nearly 2.4 million people.

About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as the nation’s leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality achievement assessments grounded in more than 50 years of research and experience. To increase participation and opportunity among underserved students, ACT provides free access to ACT Online Prep for students from low income families. ACT offers a uniquely integrated set of solutions that help people succeed from elementary school through career, providing insights that unlock potential. To learn more about ACT, go to www.act.org.

Twelve tips to keep your home electrically safe

June 13, 2016

www.FPL.com . (PRNewsFoto/Florida Power & Light Company)

JUNO BEACH, Florida, June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is raising awareness about electrical safety during June, which is designated as National Safety Month. The energy company is encouraging its customers to follow its top 12 tips to remain safe while using electricity.

“At FPL, we are committed to the safety of our customers, our employees and those working in the community,” said Manny Miranda, senior vice president of Power Delivery for FPL. “Energy is essential to any home or business, but can have dangerous implications if not handled properly. We encourage our customers and employees to always stay safe when working with electricity.”

FPL urges its customers to take the following precautions to stay safe:

Indoors:

1. Inspect your system – Have a licensed electrician inspect your home’s electrical system to ensure that it’s running properly and meets current electrical codes. Flickering lights, sparks, non-functioning outlets and tripping circuits may indicate a problem.

2. Check bulbs – Check bulbs to ensure they are screwed in securely and the correct wattage for the fixture. Replace bulbs that have higher wattage than recommended

3. Examine cords – Replace or throw away electrical items that have frayed or cracked electric cords. Cords should never be nailed or stapled to walls, baseboards or other objects.

4. Use extension cords properly – Extension cords can overheat and cause fires when used improperly. Do not overload extension cords or attempt to plug them into one another.

5. Only put electrical plugs into outlets – Teach children to never stick fingers or objects into electrical outlets or appliances with openings such as toasters. Cover or cap outlets you are not using to protect children.

6. Plug-in one high-wattage appliance at a time – Plug only one high-wattage appliance – such as a coffee maker, toaster, iron or space heater – into an outlet at a time to avoid overloading it.

7. Water and electricity don’t mix – Don’t place any electrical appliance near water, such as a sink or bathtub. Appliances that are used near water should be unplugged when not in use. If you have an appliance that has gotten wet, unplug it and don’t use it until it has been checked by a qualified repairperson. Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFIs) should be installed on outlets near water sources.

8. Before wiring, turn it off – Turn off the power at the breaker before working on electrical devices or wiring.

Outdoors:

9. Stay away from power lines – Keep yourself and anything you are touching more than 10 feet away from neighborhood power lines and at least 35 feet from larger high-voltage lines. This includes ladders, tools to pick fruit or trim trees, kites, metallic balloons and flying toys.

10. Report fallen power lines – Stay away from a power line that has fallen and anything it may be touching. Call 911 and FPL at 800-4OUTAGE (800-468-8243) immediately to report it.

11. Call 811 before digging – Call at least two full business days before doing any digging to have underground utilities marked. It’s free and it’s required by law.

12. Check before using tools outdoors – Are the electrical appliances and tools marked for outdoor use? Make sure they are and avoid using them close to water or in the rain.

Additional information is available at FPL.com/safety.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the United States, serving more than 4.8 million customer accounts or more than 10 million people across nearly half of the state of Florida. FPL’s typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 30 percent lower than the latest national average and, in 2015, was the lowest in Florida among reporting utilities for the sixth year in a row. FPL’s service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among all utilities nationwide. The company was recognized in 2015 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Market Strategies International. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,800 employees, FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2016 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. For more information, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

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