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20th ANNIVERSARY

SUCCESS STORIES

Sheri and her son, Jacob.

Helping Families Get Ahead

Sheri worked hard in low-wage jobs to get to where she was in life. The Springfield resident managed to save some money and buy a modest house before her son was born. As a single mother, she tried to make sure Jacob was well cared for and could do a few fun things like summer camp.

Sheri's job was physically demanding. She operated a heavy, ceiling-mounted camera used to put books on microfilm. The work aggravated a previous neck injury, and Sheri's doctor requested she be transferred. She was put on unpaid medical leave for four months as she waited for a new job.

Sheri paid the bills by spending all her savings, cashing out a small life insurance policy and taking a loan on another policy. Afraid of losing her house, she turned to her family and her church for financial support.

Sheri's situation improved when she started a new job at a state agency that provides books on audiotape and in Braille for the blind. She still earned a low wage – less than $19,000 that year – but she qualified for the Illinois earned income tax credit. The tax credit boosted her refund and helped Sheri get her safety net back.

Sheri is one of 777,000 people who receive the Illinois earned income tax credit. Unfortunately, the $235 maximum amount of the credit isn't enough by itself to have a significant impact on a struggling family. That's why Voices for Illinois Children is working to increase the size of the credit so that working families can get a bigger financial boost.