Jeffrey Ziegler is a professional stock options trader. In addition, he also coaches others how to trade through a Members only website, and Home Study Course. Jeff works with people from all around the world, training them to use a special strategy that minimizes risk and increases cash flow. More information about Jeffrey and this strategy can be found at his website www.JeffreyZiegler.com.

Over the past year, Jeff watched the overall economy continue to decline. As a father to 5 boys, Jeff realized that Christmas is one of the most special times of year. With so many families being negatively impacted by the recession, many kids were at risk of missing out on the excitement of the season. Jeff wanted to do everything he could to make this Christmas special for kids and families that would have otherwise gone without.

“As an options trader, I’m aware in specific detail what is really going on in the economy. Although traders like me still profit in this kind of economic climate, I knew this Christmas was going to be very difficult for many families. When parents loose their jobs, the kids suffer. I didn’t want to stand on the sidelines and watch families miss out this Christmas if there was something I could do.”

A special thanks to everyone who has donated a toy or bike to the Best Christmas Ever toy drive at Mr. Biggs. We’ve got 13 days until the Best Christmas Ever.

Thank you Youngers Commercial Services for bringing 50+ bikes to Mr. Biggs for The Best Christmas Ever.

Thank you Hondac Auto for bringing out bikes collected at your repair shop in Colorado Springs.

The Best Christmas Ever Toy and Bike drive continues at Mr. Biggs through December 23, 2009. Thanks to everyone who came out to Mr. Biggs to support the Best Christmas Ever–a free giveaway of toys, bikes, food, coats, frozen turkeys, and clothing to families in need in Colorado Springs. Today we collected over 100 bikes for The Best Christmas Ever on December 23 at Mr. Biggs. Donors from across Colorado Springs came to Mr. Biggs today to donate bikes and toys to the Best Christmas Ever.

The Best Christmas Ever helps needy families and children in need in Colorado Springs with free Christmas gifts and toys on December 23 at Mr. Biggs. Tax-deductible, year-end donations can be made at http://www.TheBestChristmasEver.org. All gifts are processed on our secure donation Web page and are fully tax deductible. Don’t wait to make your year-end gift to The Best Christmas Ever, a local charity serving Colorado Springs families in need.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GOLDEN CORRAL RESTAURANTS IN COLORADO SPRINGS ACCEPTING NEW TOY DONATIONS FOR THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER.

December 4, 2009: Colo. Springs, CO: Golden Corral is the latest corporate partner of THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER. Now through December 22, Golden Corral restaurants in Colorado Springs will be accepting donations of NEW TOYS to benefit children in need at the Best Christmas Ever.  Individuals and families can bring a new toy to the Golden Corral on 5410 E. Woodmen Road (map) or 1970 Waynoka Road (map) in Colorado Springs.

The Best Christmas Ever is in need of 5,000 new toys to help children in need this Christmas. Individuals can make donations of new toys at either Colorado Springs Golden Corral location between now and December 22.

“We’re thrilled to have Golden Corral as our latest corporate partner,” said Matthew Monberg, executive director for The Best Christmas Ever. “We still need thousands of toys before the 23rd. Right now Wal-Mart carries 100 toys for under $10. It’s easy to pick one up on your way to the Golden Corral for lunch or dinner, and drop it in our donation box.”

Winner of the Colorado Springs Independent newspaper’s “BEST BUFFET” award in 2009, the two Colorado Springs Golden Corral locations offer one of the largest and most extensive buffets in the country.

Donation drop-off trailers are open now through December 23 at Mr. Biggs The Best Christmas Ever is accepting donations of new toys and new/used bikes. Stop by with your gift today!

Colorado Springs, November 30, 2009: America’s Family announced the opening of donation trailers on Monday, November 30 at Mr. Biggs to accept donations of new toys or new or used bikes for the Best Christmas Ever.

Starting today, donations of new toys and new or used bikes will be accepted at Mr. Biggs (5825 Mark Dabling Blvd.). Bring your donation to Mr. Biggs anytime between now and December 23 to our donation trailers in the north parking lot.

The Best Christmas Ever will help 8,000 people in Colorado Springs and provide every child with free playtime at Mr. Biggs, a wrapped Christmas present, and holiday food box and turkey to take home.

“The whole event is about bringing families together at Christmas,” said Matthew Monberg, executive director of America’s Family, the nonprofit that puts on the event each year. “Families get to play together, enjoy Mr. Biggs, and go home with presents and food.”

The Best Christmas Ever needs 5,000 new toys and 1,000 new or used bicycles for the December 23 event.

“It’s truly amazing what this community can do,” said Steve Bigari, CEO or Mr. Biggs. “Each year I am astounded at the generosity of the families in our city to help those in need.”

The donation trailers at Mr. Biggs are open and staffed daily for convenient drop-off of gifts. Drop-off a new toy or a new/used bicycle between now and December 23 to go to a child in need.

The event Web site, www.TheBestChristmasEver.org is also accepting cash donations through their secure online donation page. A gift of $10 supports one child to attend The Best Christmas Ever.

Forget what you thought you knew about hunger in America—in the new economy, even working parents and their kids are short on food. Inside a growing epidemic that’s even encompassing dual-income families. Read the full article from The Daily Beast.

America’s Family provides financial help and education to working families through our programs. Many families need just a little extra help in planning their expenses so that some money is left over at the end of the month. This Christmas, we’ll welcome 8,000 lower-income individuals to The Best Christmas Ever. There are multiple opportunities to volunteer, donate, and support our neighbors in need. We are honored to help during the Christmas season. Our ultimate goal is providing needed assistance year round…assistance that creates financial stability for families in our community.

How to help the hungry? Read more.

Do you see poverty where you live? Do you actually see it or is it just something you know is there but don’t actually see?

Growing up in Africa I saw poverty every day. It was in my face, can’t get away from it always there poverty. I interacted with it every day of my childhood and it was part of my normal. Maybe too normal now that I reflect on it.

Living where we are in the US, poverty is much more hidden. And unless you really look for it, it’s easy to miss.

But I’ve been seeing a lot of it since we’ve brought Desta home. Maybe my heart needed the extra push to soften and open my eyes.

Poverty for me looks like this now. Standing in the line at McDonald’s at the mall, a single noticeably pregnant woman with 6 kids around here, looking about 7 and under. It was a warm day here but they were all in layers, many many layers with more stacked in the double stroller that looked like it was on its last leg. And the children were quiet as churchmice, standing and waiting for their happy meals. Now maybe she wasn’t poor, maybe I was just looking for something that wasn’t. Maybe but it made me stop and think nonetheless.

Poverty is the man holding the sign at one of the intersections, asking for bread. Poverty is shopping with other people at the Extreme bargain warehouse. Poverty is heading into Memorial hospital and seeing the crowds wait at the urgent care clinic. It has a different face here.

It’s hard to see where I live. But when I do and stop to actually think about it, I grow so sad. Because I’m torn. See, living in Africa, it was easy to help. I could give a few cents and know that would feed them for a few days. My mom would often hire the children to cut the grass and pay a crazy amount of money for such a little job.

Helping the poor here, well, that’s hard. It’s hard to help in my own backyard. I’m working on it and have a few ideas brewing. It helps that my husband works for America’s Family , an organization that helps the working poor. You’d think that would be enough for me.

But no, I am so absolutely blessed with all this stuff around me and I feel torn…give it away, use it to help, what?

For now, I’m going to keep looking and SEEING and working hard to DO SOMETHING. How about you? Do you see it?

Melodie Monberg is the author of the FULL CIRCLE blog. She is married to Matthew Monberg, Executive Director of America’s Family

The Best Christmas Ever is about bringing families in need together at Christmas for some gifts, food, play, and memories together. Watch the video to hear more.

In Colorado Springs, 22,000 children live at or below the poverty line. Many more come from “working poor” families. The Best Christmas Ever is a free outreach of America’s Family–in conjunction with Mr. Biggs and the Springs Rescue Mission–provide gifts, bikes, and food to thousands of kids this Christmas.

Empowering working, lower-income families with the tools, resources, and knowledge to gain financial self-sufficiency.

America’s Family is a local nonprofit helping working, lower-income families, individuals, and single-parent homes experiencing a temporary financial crisis.

Our program empowers families to take personal responsibility for their finances, while charting a course to financial stability through hard work, education, and relationships.

On this site, you can find out more information about our loan program and apply for a loan. Through an America’s Family loan, we help working families avoid payday lenders, prevent eviction & foreclosure, make car payments or repairs, pay utility bills, or consolidate high-interest payday loans.

By offering free financial counseling and direct referrals to other free services, we teach families how to keep more of the money they are already earning.

Our programs offer a “hand-up” to financial stability, instead of a one-time hand-out.

With more American’s struggling financially, payday loans are coming under scrutiny for trapping the working poor in a vicious cycle of debt. Armen Keteyian reports. Aired on CBS Evening News July 29, 2008.

On April 2, 2009, Senator Daniel Akaka [D-HI] introduced S. 786: Improving Access to Mainstream Financial Institutions Act of 2009. [Text of speech]

Senator Akaka’s bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Daniel Inouye [D-HI], Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY] and Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I-CT]

S. 786 proposes funding demonstration projects to provide lower cost alternatives to payday loans that also include financial counseling. [Text of bill]

For over a year now, America’s Family, Inc. has provided this exact program for lower-income families here in Colorado. Founded in 2002, America’s Family is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that provides access to capital and financial education for working families. Since the program’s inception in 2008, America’s Family has provided over $40,000 in alternative payday loans.

In brief, our 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation owns a subsidiary Limited Liability Company licensed as a “supervised lender” under Colorado law. This company receives and reviews applications in accordance with state and federal regulations, and awards loans based on our underwriting criteria. All successful loan applicants agree to attend personalized financial counseling throughout the term of their loan. In just the past week, we have helped two applicants refinance over $5,000 in payday loans.

Our experience—and the success of our clients—provides real evidence that payday loans are not the only way to help lower income families who need short-term cash. America’s Family provides “proof of concept” for S. 786 and America’s Family can show demonstrated effectiveness in providing an alternative to payday loans combined with financial literacy counseling.