It is called the 'ultimate' volunteer experience.For example, the volunteer in this scenario sits down with a needy family. A short time later the family members are all smiles.
The family has 1,200 reasons to smile.
The family is $1,200 richer.
Can volunteering be any more satisfying in such a short time?
All volunteering has tangible and intangible rewards, but being a volunteer in the local tax counseling project for low-income families may provide the fastest fulfillment.
The tax project works this way:
Tax counseling volunteers (which could be you) meet with low-income families from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Joliet's Farragut School, 701 Glenwood Ave.
A line of interested families forms even before the doors open.
A couple of rooms are used for tax counseling.
More rooms are available.
That's why more volunteers are needed.
The demand is great.
I'm assured that volunteer training is not complicated, but four hours of training must be completed.
This local effort started Jan. 28 and concludes on tax day, April 15. The tax project is operated by an organization called the Center for Law and Human Services.
This statewide effort last year helped 11,449 families.
This statewide effort last year helped those folks receive $7 million in tax returns.
It is money that people might not have otherwise been received.
Families with household incomes of less than $26,000 and individuals with incomes of less than $20,000 are eligible.
The volunteers help the families claim the earned income tax credit and other benefits which they might not have claimed.
This is money owed to the families.
It is estimated that there might be 2,000 eligible families in Joliet.
The families being served may not have filed tax returns, might not have claimed the tax credit or were discouraged by long and complicated IRS forms.
Follow-up studies indicate these refunds are put back into the community in practical ways such as paying bills.
Everyone gains in this tax counseling project, but none more than the volunteers who bring smiles (and big refunds) to needy families.
Can you volunteer? Call (800) 557-4703. A training session is set for 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday at Farragut school.
The local tax counseling project is being promoted by the Partnership for a Healthier Community, directed by Mary Ruth Herbers.
The tax refunds will help needy families and impact the community's health.
Last year's refunds averaged $1,200. That's a lot of impact for every family served.
