6/14/2012 - West Side Leader
     

Ohio Benefit Bank services now available at White Hat Management schools

GREATER AKRON — Akron-based White Hat Management announced recently that all of its schools in Ohio are now affiliates of the 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) and child care subsidies, and also file federal and state taxes at no charge, according to White Hat officials.

Students and families White Hat schools serve, as well as the public, can find out whether they are eligible for these benefits in one location, according to White Hat officials. 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.”

Mesko-Kimmich advised people to visit the OBB website at 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, he added.

For more information about White Hat Management, visit www.whitehatmgmt.com.

• SouthPaw Pet Sitting cares for pets