Certified Ohio Benefit Bank counselors at White Hat schools ready to help families learn if they’re eligible for services
GREATER AKRON – Akron-based White Hat Management announces all of its schools in Ohio are now affiliates for Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB). The OBB is an Internet service that allows Ohioans to complete applications for programs such as Food Assistance, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), child care subsidies, and even file their federal and state taxes at no charge.
Programs supported by the OBB are available to help Ohioans, including those that are working. These programs can provide resources to individuals who may be having a hard time making ends meet, while boosting the money spent in our communities.
With White Hat’s involvement, students and families White Hat schools serve, as well as the public, can find out whether they are eligible for benefits in one location. The program is open to the general public by appointment only.
“This literally makes our schools a one-stop shop,” said J.J. Mesko-Kimmich, Director of Community Program Development for White Hat. “A lot of people don’t realize they are eligible and are missing out on benefits they deserve. Students and their families will not have to go downtown and wait in line. Now they simply will go to their child's school location and meet with a certified OBB counselor and see what they are eligible for.”
The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks announced the OBB had returned more than $500 million in work supports and tax credits to Ohio's communities.
“This is something I have wanted in our schools for a long time,” said Mesko-Kimmich. “I learned about this from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. We know that some students’ basic needs are not being met. If parents are stronger their children will be stronger.”
Mesko-Kimmich advises people to visit the OBB website, www.ohiobenefits.org, and complete the “Quick Check” to determine if they meet certain guidelines before meeting with an OBB counselor at a White Hat school. For many of the programs supported by the OBB, certain income guidelines must be met. Other programs have income guidelines as well as resource guidelines that must be met.
For more information about OBB, visit www.ohiobenefits.org. For more information about White Hat Management, visit www.whitehatmgmt.com.
J.J. Mesko-Kimmich, Director of Community Development for White Hat Management is available for interviews. Please contact her at 330-252-8967 or JJ.Mesko-Kimmich@whitehatmgmt.com.
About White Hat Management
White Hat Management contracts and assists nonprofit corporations that hold charters or see a need for a charter school in their community. White Hat Management operates 35 schools in three states under the auspices of three separate educational ventures. DELA (Distance & Electronic Learning Academies) schools are located in Pennsylvania and Ohio. They are state-wide, tuition-free and serve students in grades K-12. This program is a home-based distance learning model, which allows for flexible school day schedules to accommodate any student. The Academies are tuition-free and are open to students in grades K-8 throughout the state of Ohio. Life Skills Centers are alternative education charter schools serving students between the ages of 16 and 21 in Ohio, Colorado and Arizona.
Media Contact:
J.J. Mesko-Kimmich,
Director of Community Development
White Hat Management
330-252-8967
JJ.Mesko-Kimmich@whitehatmgmt.com
121 S. Main St., Suite 200
Akron, OH 44308