Highline Community College’s StartZone is offering free tax preparation workshops and filing assistance to self-employed individuals in King County with total household income of less than $50,000.

Workshops being Feb. 10th, and eligible individuals will receive assistance from a trained and professionally supervised volunteer who will help complete and file 1040, Schedule C, applications for the Making Work Pay and Earned Income tax credits, and other forms.

For more information about eligibility requirements, individuals are encouraged to attend a tax preparation workshop. Workshops will be offered:

• Wednesday, Feb. 10th: 6-9pm
  
• Wednesday, March 10th: 6-9pm
  
• Saturday, March 13th: 9:30am – 12:30pm
• Saturday, March 27th: 9:30am – 12:30pm

To register, call (206) 878-3710, ext. 3388, or e-mail startzone@highline.edu.

StartZone’s Business Tax Center is funded by the CFED in partnership with the United Way of King County.

StartZone is a program that helps women, people of color, immigrants and persons with a disability start or grow small businesses in Southwest King County. For information, visit http://startzone.highline.edu.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 18,300 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening and weekend classes. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida, Washington state poet laureate Sam Green and WLB Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer.

Highline Community College’s StartZone is marking its first-year anniversary with a celebration from 5pm – 7pm on Thursday, Oct. 8 in the Highline Student Union (Building 8).

Since opening in October 2008, StartZone has helped more than 120 women, people of color, immigrants and people with disabilities who want to start or expand their small businesses in Southwest King County.

In addition, StartZone members have started 15 new businesses, created dozens of new jobs and obtained nearly $90,000 in financing.

The celebration, which is free and open to the public, will feature speakers who have found success after receiving support from StartZone’s trained business specialists.

Featured speaker Adugna Wubbie, of SeaTac, originally came to StartZone with the hope of building a successful business and helping his family back in his home country of Ethiopia.

He started Rose Super Clean Services, a commercial janitorial service, and is now earning about $3,000 a month in revenue. By the end of his first year in operation, he hopes to generate at least $10,000 a month in revenue.

“Our StartZone business adviser gave us information on what we needed for success,” Wubbie said. “As part of the StartZone community, we have had an opportunity to meet other business owners, network and find support from our peers.”

Ruth Tial Par, of Kent, will also be sharing her success story during the event.

Tial Par, who is wheelchair-bound and came from Burma more than a year ago, wanted to convert her hobby of sewing clothes into a business opportunity.

StartZone helped Tial Par get new sewing machines and her business, Ruthy Tailoring, recently started accepting customers.

StartZone services are free to members and include assessments, referrals, business consulting and planning, loan packaging, workshops, mentoring and opportunities for networking and peer support.

StartZone offers orientations from 6-6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at the HCC Outreach Center (Building 99), room 132, 23835 Pacific Highway S. in Kent.

For more information about StartZone, call (206) 878-3710, ext. 3388, e-mail startzone@highline.edu or visit http://startzone.highline.edu.

StartZone is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 18,300 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening, online and weekend classes.

With the most diverse population of any college in Washington state, Highline takes a multicultural approach to education for the success of all its students and the prosperity of its surrounding communities. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida, Washington state poet laureate Sam Green and yes, even Scott Schaefer, the Publisher/Editor of this here blog.

Attachment: Adugna Wubbie, of SeaTac
Ruth Tial Par, of Kent

Highline Community College’s StartZone helped Chris Stiles (whose painting is pictured above), who has autism that limits his ability to communicate, and his family start a small business where he could share his artwork with others.

Stiles, 40, has been drawing since he was about 10 years old.

“For years friends and neighbors encouraged us to sell Chris’ artwork,” said Julie Stiles, a family member. “We didn’t know where to begin. When we tried to open a business bank account without a business license, the bank referred us to StartZone.”

Chris Stiles Art isn’t the only business to benefit from Highline’s program. Since opening in October 2008, the program has helped more than 70 people who want to start or expand their business.

StartZone helps women, people of color, immigrants and people with disabilities start or grow a small business in Southwest King County.

“We get our members on the path to owning a profitable business,” said Mike Skinner, StartZone’s program manager. “By helping them overcome barriers, we are giving them a fighting chance at success.”

Members receive support from a diverse and multilingual staff of StartZone’s specialists who have been successful at running small businesses and have financial, marketing or other business experience.

StartZone services are free to members and include assessments, referrals, business consulting and planning, loan packaging, workshops, mentoring and opportunities for networking and peer support.

StartZone also works closely with Highline’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The SBDC provides counseling, resources and technical assistance for small and medium-size business owners, managers and entrepreneurs in Southwest King County.

StartZone offers orientations from 6-6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month at the HCC Outreach Center (Building 99), room 132, 23835 Pacific Highway South in Kent.

For more information about StartZone, call (206) 878-3710, ext. 3388, e-mail startzone@highline.edu or visit http://startzone.highline.edu.

For more information about Chris Stiles Art, e-mail art@artautistic.com or visit www.artautistic.com.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 10,000 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening, online and weekend classes.

With the most diverse population of any college in Washington state, Highline takes a multicultural approach to education for the success of all its students and the prosperity of its surrounding communities. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida and Washington state poet laureate Sam Green, and, at one time, even Waterland Blog Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer.