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News You Can Use

October 12, 2007

Senior Centers Will Begin Making Capitol Christmas Tree Ornaments

When the leaves begin to fall, the PA Department of Aging makes a special call for handcrafted ornaments to adorn the Christmas tree that will grace the Capitol Rotunda during the upcoming holiday season. 

Seniors in Pennsylvania's 650 full- and part-time senior community centers will be crafting hundreds of ornaments to decorate the tree scheduled for delivery in late November or early December. 

Senior centers should forward sturdy, handmade ornaments before November 16, 2007 to the PA Department of Aging, Attention: Michele Bell Gopinath, Press Office; 555 Walnut Street, 5th Floor; Harrisburg, PA 17101-1919. 

Senior Centers provide nutritional meals and offer a range of services, activities, and opportunities for seniors located across the Commonwealth.  Click here to find a conveniently located senior center.

The Pennsylvania Lottery is the only Lottery in the nation targeting all proceeds for older citizens.  Since 1972, when its first game went on sale, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed more than $16.5 billion to programs such as the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program and the nation's most comprehensive prescription program for older adults, PACE, PACENET and now PACE Plus Medicare.  Also, the 52 Area Agencies on Aging throughout the Commonwealth, including more than 650 full and part-time senior community centers, receive lottery funds.  In fiscal year 2006-2007, the Lottery achieved sales of more than $3.07 billion and contributed more than $949 million to the Lottery Fund.  For more on Lottery proceeds, click here.

PA State Treasury May Have Something That Belongs to You 

If starting off the holiday shopping season with a little more cash in your pocket sounds like a good idea, you may want to contact the Bureau of Unclaimed Property of the Pennsylvania State Treasury to see if you can turn your dream into reality.  Last year alone, banks, insurance companies, businesses, and other organizations returned more than $124 million to over 77,000 individuals through the Bureau of Unclaimed Property.  

Any financial asset left unclaimed, without activity or contact for five years, is considered unclaimed property.  The Bureau is in possession of bank accounts, uncashed payroll checks, accounts payable or receivable checks, credit balances, expired gift cards, savings and checking accounts, escrow accounts, money orders, travelers' checks, utility refunds, insurance proceeds, stocks, and bonds turned over by a variety of institutions.   

The State Treasury is charged with returning unclaimed property to its rightful owners.  The names of unclaimed property owners appear throughout the year in newspaper advertisements posted around the state, and in the Unclaimed Property Database.

Individuals whose name appears on an advertised list or in the Database may call the Unclaimed Property Hotline at 1-800-222-2046, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or use the yellow "Request Claim Form" button to link to an online claim form appearing with the list of unclaimed assets.  For more on Pennsylvania's Unclaimed Property program, click here.

Drought Watch Returns to Many PA Counties  

A drought watch has returned to Pennsylvania, placing 53 counties under a voluntary five percent reduction in water use.  Sporadic rainfall over Pennsylvania during September and early October prompted the Department of Environmental Protection to declare the watch, the first and least severe of Pennsylvania's three drought designations.   

A drought warning declared for Clinton County asks users to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 10 to 15 percent.  Clearfield and Clinton County water suppliers are purchasing water from other systems or trucking in water to meet demand.   

The on again, off again drought situation resulted in a drought watch on August 6, 2007 for 58 counties.  Storms in late August contributed to the removal of 26 counties from the drought watch on September 5.  Below-normal precipitation over the last several weeks has caused record-low stream flows in some areas and a continued decline of groundwater, surface water, and reservoir levels. 

The Drought Information Center for the PA Department of Environmental Protection provides a statewide map reflecting current and previous county drought declarations.  The Center offers a number of tools for monitoring precipitation, as well as fact sheets and guidelines to support meeting your conservation efforts.

Violence Prevention/Intervention Grants Available 

New and existing programs supporting the reduction of delinquency and violence among juvenile offenders may be eligible for funds for startup or expansion costs under a program administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency (PCCD). 

Category 3 (Research-Based Prevention/Intervention for Juvenile Offenders) has been designed to support the implementation or the expansion of research-based prevention/intervention programs identified as Blueprints for Violence Prevention model programs that are appropriate for juvenile offenders who have had at least one referral to juvenile court for a delinquent offense. 

Approximately $700,000 in Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Formula Grant Funds will be awarded as one-time, match-free, 24-month subgrants.  The maximum funding level is $250,000 per 24-month period.   

Applications for the JJDP Category 3 Funds are being accepted until midnight November 21, 2007 and must be submitted through the PCCD E-grants System.  Click here to access the grant announcement and guidelines.   

Reduce Junk Mail 

If you are overwhelmed by the amount of unsolicited mail you receive, you can lessen the clutter, according to the PA Office of Attorney General (OAG).  Approximately half of all mail sent to consumers is made up of direct mail solicitations and advertisements. 

Stop the flow of unsolicited, pre-screened credit offers by taking advantage of a free service offered by major credit bureaus.  Call 1-888-5OptOut (1-888-567-8688) or visit here to stop these offers.  You will be asked to provide your Social Security Number to ensure your request is properly matched with your credit records maintained by the credit bureaus.   

For one dollar you can register for the Direct Mail Association Preference Service.  Send a written request, including your name, address, signature, and a check or money order for $1.00 payable to DMA at:  Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, New York 10512 or sign up online. 

The OAG offers additional tips on stemming the tide on junk mail.

Archives Month – Archives In Our Lives 

Travel covered bridges, explore Pennsylvania history, discover your heritage, snag a behind the scenes tour of the PA State Archives, view architectural treasures, and more during Archives Month 2007.   

Seminars, bus trips, and tours will be conducted during October to encourage the use of the PA State Archives.  The PA Historical & Museum Commission has announced a series of special events during October to recognize "Archives in Our Lives".  

The State Archives is the official keeper of the commonwealth's government records, from William Penn's 1681 charter from King Charles II to modern-day documents and video tapes.  It currently is involved in a major restoration of Civil War muster rolls, which include the names and pertinent dates of service of more than 300,000 Pennsylvanian soldiers.  The muster rolls will be accessible for research following the completion of conservation in 2009.   

Explore history and your genealogy through the PA State Archives.  Access the PA Historical & Museum Commission website.

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