As a supporter of Center for Arizona Policy (CAP), you touch lives you don’t even know.
Brandy was 33 and addicted to any drug she could get on the street. A slave to the next high, Brandy would never find her way back on her own. Her parents, Lynn and Tom, could no longer stand to watch their daughter struggle and suffer. Helpless to save her, they brought Brandy to Teen Challenge of Arizona’s Home of Hope, a residential shelter for addicted or abused women. That was in 2012.
A now very proud mom says of Brandy (middle), “She successfully finished the program and has worked to become the supervisor of the Home of Hope, helping other women and their children.”
Like most charities, Teen Challenge relies on donations from families and others. And many of the families rely on Arizona’s Charitable Tax Credit program to enable them to donate. Lynn and Tom still support the ministry, “It is especially important that we see some relief from our charitable contributions now.”
This is how your partnership with CAP is reaching people you will never meet; people who are now thriving because of your support and CAP’s work with legislators to enable taxpayers to support charities like Teen Challenge.
Taxpayers opt to direct a portion of their state taxes to charitable organizations, which, in turn, use that money to pay for treatment for those who cannot afford it.
This year, CAP worked with legislators to double the amount individuals and families can donate through the program. Lynn says, “It definitely makes a difference to those people and businesses who might otherwise not be able to, and it does impact this world in ways that we will never be able to measure.”
Pregnancy resource centers and other nonprofits also benefit greatly from the credits. The increase in giving means more counselors, more nurses doing ultrasounds, even prenatal care for young mothers who choose life, according to Christine Accurso, a pro-life leader.
The 2016 law also extended the contribution deadline to April, making it easier for Arizonans to take advantage of the Charitable Tax Credit program, according to Accurso. “People who can give only a bit, they can now give more because they can get it back within a week. It enables everybody to give.”
Ministries Increased
With your support, CAP has also had the backs of pastors and churches throughout the state. “They represent the church in the legislature. They’re on it where we can’t be,” Pastor Bill Borinstein of Harvest Bible Church says he relies on CAP’s updates and education on the issues that will affect his congregation and the church overall. This year, CAP has worked closer with Arizona pastors, building relationships and working together on key issues.
Borinstein’s Harvest Bible Chapel rents space in North Phoenix, and until this year, he did not enjoy the same tax-exempt status that other churches do. Now, Borinstein says Harvest will save $30,000 a year under a CAP-supported bill that took effect in 2016. Borinstein says that kind of money will go a long way in better serving the community through the mission center and food pantry at that location alone.
All five Harvest Bible Churches will save close to $60,000 a year. Borinstein believes that churches cannot ignore culture and public policy, “When the church steps away and is not involved, it creates a vacuum where progressive ideology steps in,” something that he says can be a threat to religious freedom. Take SB 1199, HB 2413 or HB 2414, all of which, to one degree or another, would have infringed on a religious organization or business owner’s right to live and work according to one’s deeply held beliefs. Center for Arizona Policy helped to ensure those bills never got off the ground.
In fact, CAP worked with legislators to stop a total of 57 harmful bills this year, many of which will likely be reintroduced in 2017. We are ready. We have worked over the many years to forge lasting relationships and ensure influence in the legislative process. It’s how we were able to work with lawmakers to end Planned Parenthood’s ability to overcharge taxpayers for medication, cutting into their budget by $200,000 a year. And how we worked with legislators and Governor Doug Ducey to make sure no abortion clinic could profit from trafficking aborted baby body parts. Still, there’s so much more to do.
But we need you by our side in order for the CAP team to continue this vitally important work! As you can see, we have kept our commitment to drive the conversation, expand our reach, and mobilize the grassroots.
Please take just a moment to right now consider committing or recommitting your support for CAP so this time next year we have more stories to tell about how, together, we helped make it a little easier for a young mother to choose life or a believing business owner remain true to his faith without losing his livelihood.
Please give your best tax-deductible gift today.
Gratefully,
Cathi Herrod, Esq.
President