Holy Cross Students Offer Free Income Tax Help to Elderly and Low Income Worcester Residents

Participating students are all members of the VITA Practicum class offered each spring at Holy Cross. This comprehensive course, taught by Professor Scott Sandstrom, exposes students to IRS guidelines within the classroom setting. Their volunteer time in Worcester complements classroom learning by providing them the opportunity to apply what they have learned to real life situations.

Since spring break the students have visited Willis Community Center sites in Worcester and Gardner, the Worcester Public Library, St. Mary's Health Care Center, the South Worcester Neighborhood Center, Quinsigamond Village Community Center, Notre Dame Du Lac, the Living and Learning Center and the College Hill Civic Association.

In addition to providing tax assistance at off-campus sites, two VITA students are volunteering their time on campus. Economics/accounting majors Jessica Timpone '04 and Lyndsay Signori '04 spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons preparing tax returns for nonexempt College employees. They are pictured on this page in a session with Ronald Bouchard of Dining Services.

In past years, VITA students have helped filed over 200 federal returns a year, with each student expected to spend at least 55 hours on tax prep work. This year marks the first year that the process has been automated. Using two laptops and printers provided by the College, students are able to use TaxWise software and are also e-filing returns.

The VITA Practicum is part of the College's community-based learning program, which provides faculty and students the opportunity to combine experiential learning in the Worcester community with classroom studies. Courses with community-based learning components require a weekly two-hour session at the community site. Last year, 417 students participated in 24 community-based learning courses. Students were placed at 53 Worcester organizations.