While it may have been slow to arrive, winter has made its presence known with dropping temperatures and threats of snow and ice. And while prices for home heating oil are the lowest they've been in several years, the struggle to keep the house warm remains a reality for many Central Massachusetts families. WCAC's federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or fuel assistance as it's most commonly called, is accepting applications to help defray the cost of heat incurred between November 1st - April 30th. Participation is open to both homeowners and tenants, heating with any source - gas, electric, oil, propane, wood or coal. For the 2015-16 season, an individual earning less than $33,126 or a family of four making $63,704 or less is income eligible.

During the 2014-15 season, WCAC provided more than $9.9 million dollars in assistance, with 67% of applicants representing our most vulnerable populations - senior citizens, disabled individuals, and families with young children. An additional $200,000 in assistance, raised through private donations, was also distributed to households facing no-heat emergencies.

Additional information about eligibility and applications is available online, by emailing LIHEAP@wcac.net or by calling the LIHEAP Automated Information Line at 508.754.7281.

Hanover Theatre's Troy Seibels and WCAC's Jill Dagilis at the special holiday reception.

 Kudos and congratulations to our friends at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts for its amazing production of the Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. And special thanks to the thousands who packed the house for the December 23rd performance! WCAC was thrilled to partner with the theater and was the grateful beneficiary of more than $6,500 donated by the theater as a percentage of tickets sold, and raised during a special pre-show reception. Click HERE to view photos from the reception. Additionally, the theater generously donated 200 tickets which WCAC distributed to clients and staff from the agency who otherwise would have been unable to attend the performance. It was a truly magical evening and one that once again affirmed the spirit of generosity and goodwill for all is alive and well in our community!

It was a year for the record books, that's for sure! Amidst record setting snowfall and frigid temperatures WCAC's Head Start program fell victim to the winter weather shortly into the start of 2015, facing the emergency evacuation of 87 children and 15 staff from our program in Oxford. Fortunately several Head Start Heroes stepped up and assisted us in relocating to new classroom sites in Auburn, Southbridge and Webster. All told, WCAC Head Start served 251 preschoolers from 204 families during the 2014-15 school year, allowing 152 parents to hold employment. Ninety-eight preschoolers 'graduated' from our program and enrolled in kindergarten in area public schools better prepared and eager to learn due to the 'head start' afforded them, while 83 infants and toddlers participated in school readiness skills through our Early Head Start program, with parent support and newborn home visits provided to 122 first-time parents.

The winter to remember also had a dramatic impact on the agency's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program with some 2,263 first time applicants among the 15,162 applications for fuel assistance processed. All told $9,497,118 in fuel assistance benefits were distributed via 88 local vendors and utilities. Additionally, 979 households received heating system repair or replacement through our Heating Emergency Assistance Retrofit Task Weatherization Program. The Appliance Management Program - funded through National Grid - provided 1,010 energy efficiency consultations and replaced 554 high energy consumption refrigerators and freezers.

Finally, spring arrived and Mother Nature blessed us with a gorgeous evening to celebrate our 50th anniversary under a beautiful tent on historic Worcester Common with our colleagues from the Worcester Business Development Corporation. We were thrilled to welcome 500 guests to the event, including Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, to celebrate WCAC's half-century of service to Central Massachusetts.

Summer arrived and the agency was abuzz coordinating the YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program, providing 349 youth subsidized employment at 75 work sites with public/private sector employment partners. Twenty-one youth were hired for non-subsidized, permanent posts at the conclusion of the 7-week summer jobs program. Over the course of the year, 25 youth successfully achieved their High School Equivalency Certificate while 27 youth completed the Job & Education Center's work readiness program, 20 of whom secured permanent employment. Over the course of the year, some 150 individuals participated in JEC programming at varying levels of completion, working towards HiSET, work readiness credentials and other employment training a s well as  asset development.

WCAC rounded out the year with its annual Coat Drive, this year providing 450 new winter coats to children - infants through age 5 - enrolled in the agency's Early Head Start, Head Start and Healthy Families programs, as well as to the children of young parents enrolled in our Job & Education Center. Many thanks to all those who participated - 381 new coats were donated along with $3,200 in financial contributions by area corporations and individuals to support the effort.

WCAC is most grateful for the strong community and corporate support we enjoyed during 2015. We forward to continued enhancement and growth as we collaborate to help individuals and families throughout Central Massachusetts strive for economic self-sufficiency!

WCAC's Annual Report will be available online soon. Click HERE if you'd like to request a copy be mailed to you.