As tax season grows closer, the students involved in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistants, V.I.T.A. for short, prepare to give their time to help out the community. For eight weeks starting February 9th Students will gather at the Wesley United Methodist Church to prepare tax returns for anyone that comes in. Each student involved is required to pass a certification test made by the Internal Revenue Service.
Since going to get a tax return through third party businesses and firms often comes with a fee, the money that could be received from a return has to be used to pay for the service. Going to get a tax return done at V.I.T.A. can help maximize the money received from a return.
There are students positioned outside the church to help people understand where to go to get their tax return done. Since the entrance is around the side of the church the students will help direct people to the entrance.
Upon entry into the building a student will greet people and ask them a few questions and give a form to fill out. This student, coupled with an empty smell and a majestic room will lead patrons up the red carpeted stairs to a waiting room. The waiting room is the first door on the left in the hallway. This room, lined with blue walls and furnished with many desks, will be used to host waiting taxpayers. These taxpayers are given an entry form which asks basic questions about the taxpayer. This form will showcase all the information that will be used to determine what a person can file under and what kind of return they can receive.
Upon entry into the building a student will greet people and ask them a few questions and give a form to fill out. This student, coupled with an empty smell and a majestic room will lead patrons up the red carpeted stairs to a waiting room. The waiting room is the first door on the left in the hallway. This room, lined with blue walls and furnished with many desks, will be used to host waiting taxpayers. These taxpayers are given an entry form which asks basic questions about the taxpayer. This form will showcase all the information that will be used to determine what a person can file under and what kind of return they can receive.
After the form is finished the person getting their return done will wait until there is an open assistant that can help them. Once there an assistant has a vacancy the next patron will be led down the hall four doors to the left. This room, with the four mosaics with a multitude of color line the back window, has a rectangle setup of tables and chairs to host as many people as possible .The volunteer will be stationed at the door to greet the taxpayer and bring them to an open computer. The volunteer is seated directly across the table from the taxpayer. If the taxpayer feels uncomfortable in a room with several other having their taxes done as well they can ask to be moved into a one on one room. The volunteer may have some questions for the clients if there is anything unclear in the paperwork. The V.I.T.A member will input the information through the computer.
Once the assistant is finished entering the information a reviewer is called over to check the return over. The reviewer,the assistant and the taxpayer all review the return. If the return looks to be in order then the reviewer will send it to a coordinator to be reviewed one last time. If all parties agree to send the return in after the coordinator sees it the file, the taxpayer signs the form to send it in then it is sent to the I.R.S.
When junior site coordinator Scott was asked about the experience he had a very heartfelt answer.
"Why do I volunteer? I was asked to by a professor last year to try it out to broaden my horizons. Even though I've only been a member for two years it's definitely changed the way I view volunteer work. For example, each student only comes for two hours. Those two hours add up very quickly considering there are around one hundred members in the club. I couldn't imagine a better way to use two hundred man hours."
Since many students have never volunteered before it is very important to convey to the students that any work done is appreciated. Since there is some downtime while at the church students are all encouraged to bring homework and other study materials. Since the majority of the club is upperclassman, underclassmen are encouraged to ask questions and seek help from their peers if they are having trouble with any work they have.
Not only does it mean a lot to the people receiving free tax returns it means a lot to the students involved. Both parties benefit from stopping down at V.I.T.A. The taxpayers get a free tax return while the students gain valuable experience in the accounting world. After all giving back to the community that is around the university is a truly special experience.
When junior site coordinator Scott was asked about the experience he had a very heartfelt answer.
"Why do I volunteer? I was asked to by a professor last year to try it out to broaden my horizons. Even though I've only been a member for two years it's definitely changed the way I view volunteer work. For example, each student only comes for two hours. Those two hours add up very quickly considering there are around one hundred members in the club. I couldn't imagine a better way to use two hundred man hours."
Since many students have never volunteered before it is very important to convey to the students that any work done is appreciated. Since there is some downtime while at the church students are all encouraged to bring homework and other study materials. Since the majority of the club is upperclassman, underclassmen are encouraged to ask questions and seek help from their peers if they are having trouble with any work they have.
Not only does it mean a lot to the people receiving free tax returns it means a lot to the students involved. Both parties benefit from stopping down at V.I.T.A. The taxpayers get a free tax return while the students gain valuable experience in the accounting world. After all giving back to the community that is around the university is a truly special experience.
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