United Way of Mason County Asset Building Coalition was blessed this year by the service of AmeriCorps volunteer, Allison Maluchnik, who is a tireless advocate for the building and maintaining of financial literacy and economic opportunity throughout Mason County, Washington. Allison has demonstrated that AmeriCorps individual placements can make a substantial impact on their communities. Allison spent numerous hours driving throughout Mason County delivering the FamilyWize prescription discount cards to all of the county schools and over 100 agencies, clinics, and businesses. She wrote letters to school counselors that discussed the benefits of the program, made arrangements with the local food banks to have the cards distributed monthly to their clients, and gave the cards to anyone she came across who needed prescriptions they could not afford. In mid-January, Allison received a letter from FamilyWize congratulating her on her efforts and stating that United Way of Mason County would be receiving a 2011 Community Partnership Award for saving Mason County residents over $32,000 in 2011 alone. Since the program began in 2005, Mason County residents have saved $58,611 with the FamilyWize prescription program. Allison’s efforts as an AmeriCorps volunteer more than doubled the amount of money Mason County saved on FamilyWize prescriptions since the program began. Allison has also helped to develop and facilitate free Living Well financial literacy classes for Mason County residents. She has maintained partnerships with local non-profits and service agencies who send their clients to the classes and has recruited professional volunteers including bankers and local law enforcement officers to teach budgeting, smart shopping, saving, and identity theft. Allison has created pre and post-tests for Living Well clients that can produce accurate impact data in order to ensure continuing financial support of the Asset Building Coalition programs in Mason County. Another component of Allison’s AmeriCorps program was the promotion of Earned Income Tax Credit (a low-income tax benefit) and free tax preparation. As she did with the FamilyWize program, Allison recruited volunteers to help her deliver EITC and free tax preparation posters and pamphlets to over 100 schools, agencies, libraries, food banks and businesses and created awareness of the three free tax preparation sites in Mason County and tripled the information distribution of the previous year. Over 20% of those qualified for EITC in Washington State do not file their taxes. United Way is confident that Allison’s outreach will help hundreds of people in Mason County receive their EITC tax benefit, obtaining a financial boost from the government to use toward expenses. United Way Asset Building Coalition is also attempting to create the Bank On Mason County program in conjunction with the Washington State Bank On program. Bank On would allow first time bank users and second chance customers establish a low fee bank account. Allison has helped to establish contacts with bank and credit union representatives throughout Mason County in attempt to educate institutions on the community benefits of the Bank On program. Allison has been a stellar representative of AmeriCorps and United Way of Mason County. Her work this year has truly made an impact in the community and has also matured her as an individual that will enable her to pursue her choice of careers in the future. I wholly recommend Allison for the National Service Impact Award.