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| Myra Caridad Garcia, VIDA Executive Director |
VIDA, an acronym for
Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement, is a Weslaco based charity that helps people on public assistance get jobs. The founders of VIDA have created a niche for their organization as a liaison between those on public assistance, the educational institutions, the Texas Workforce and valley employers. The
Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation has committed Brownsville taxpayers to $302,000 annual stipend to VIDA.
Myra Caridad Garcia is the Executive Director of VIDA at an annual salary of $124,457. Carlos Marin, the Matamoros millionaire behind the
United Brownsville scam and Mayor Tony Martinez' de facto boss is on the board of directors.
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| Carlos Marin |
What does Brownsville get for their tax dollars? According to a VIDA representative who talked up the group's performance to
GBIC , 43 "graduated" from the program during the last 12 months. All were on public assistance, but with a high school diploma or GED. After conferring with a VIDA counselor once a month and joining into a group discussion 3 times a month, the program graduates are now gainfully employed with an average salary of $35,000. 74% are said to be "on track" for an associate degree. Interestingly, at each of the last three
GBIC meetings, a VIDA rep has been there to report on the achievements of the group. These presentations are couched in the kind of economic development lingo the
GBIC wants and needs to hear; return on investment, job creation, standards for charity accountability, high-skilled, high-wage, etc.
VIDA is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, the charity claimed $4,082,385 in grants, $93,131 in donations for a total annual income of $4,175,515.
The City of Harlingen's Economic Development board recently recommended declining to fund VIDA, despite the fact that VIDA claimed linking 93 Harlingen residents to jobs averaging the identical $35,000. Another similar charity, RGV Lead, was also not funded.
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(Myra Caridad Garcia is the Executive Director of VIDA at an annual salary of $124,457.)
ReplyDeleteAnd all they (VIDA) want to collect is $300,000? Wonder how much their other employees make? I do not know, but, something just ain't right. If the IRS didn't already have them in their line of sight, bet they do now.
Igor Garcia.
Great job Jim and Nena Barton !!!
ReplyDeleteMary Rey
Look into what they conned out of TSC coffers under Juliet.
ReplyDeletePoor Carlos Marin... Can't you get a pic that isn't so choppy?
ReplyDeleteMarin's modus operandi is to stay in the shadows. He is seldom photographed. That pic is from an old Ambiotec profile, a tiny pic enlarged, thus the distortion.
ReplyDeleteHEY, THIS IS A DUPLICATION OF EFFERTS. CAMERON WORKS SOLUTIONS HAS PROGRAMS TO GET PEOPLE OFF OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND TO THE WORKFORCE!!! THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO USE THESE MONIES....
ReplyDeleteMACLOVIO O'MALLEY
"program graduates are now gainfully employed with an average salary of $35,000. " I call red flag tremendous bullshit on the above claim. No college degree and a salary average that high in the RGV? No way. Show me the actual employment information.
ReplyDelete(HEY, THIS IS A DUPLICATION OF EFFERTS.)
ReplyDeleteNo wonder just one of them makes more than 1/3 or what all they need to collect.
IG.
I used to work under her command...yes, she was a tyrant, as she would talk down to the case counselors, and we didn't even make $35k back in 2012 --none of the case mgr., /counselors are there anymore. Once the taxes are deducted, you're right back to barely making it. She was hardly in the office, glad to see she's not there anymore. prjj-mendez
ReplyDelete