VITA Returns $1.4 Million To Local Residents
Every spring, our VITA volunteers get a front-row seat to something genuinely special. They watch their neighbors walk into a tax appointment a little unsure, and walk out with a weight lifted off their shoulders. That's what United Way of Southwest Michigan's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, VITA, does for this community, and this year was no exception.
VITA is a free tax preparation service for individuals and families who earn $67,000 or less in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. Every return is prepared by an IRS-certified volunteer, trained in tax law and software, at no cost to the client. It sounds simple, but for the families, working adults, and seniors we serve, people juggling jobs, kids, tight budgets, and fixed incomes, having a trusted and knowledgeable person sit down with them and make sure they get every dollar they're owed can be genuinely life-changing.
This season, 1,094 clients were served at eight sites across the three-county area, including South Haven, Paw Paw, Niles, Stevensville, Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor Public Library and Michigan Works!), Dowagiac, and Cassopolis. Together, they received over $1.4 million in refunds, a 12% increase in refund dollars from last year. That money goes right back into our local economy, into grocery carts and utility bills and car repairs. It stays here.
None of it happens without our volunteers. This year, 46 people gave over 2,060 hours of their time to make this program run, a contribution valued at more than $71,000. These aren't tax professionals looking to build a client base. They're your neighbors: retirees, college students, working professionals who simply want to help. They go through training, earn their IRS certification, and show up week after week ready to serve. Sara Barlow, our Impact Project Coordinator who runs the VITA program day to day, puts it best: watching someone light up when they see their refund amount is the reward. She sees it every single season.
This season also gave us a chance to pause and honor someone who embodied that spirit more than anyone connected to this work. Linda Thomson volunteered with VITA for nearly 30 years. She prepared more than 125 returns annually, logged more than 200 hours every season, mentored the volunteers around her, and helped return more than $150,000 in refunds to the families she served. This past April, at United Way's Annual Celebration, Linda was recognized posthumously with the inaugural Volunteer United Excellence in Service Award. Her son Kyle was there to accept it on her behalf.
Linda didn't do it for recognition. She did it because she believed that people deserve help navigating a complicated system, and she had the skills to provide it. The volunteers who stepped up this season to carry that work forward are doing the same thing. They're honoring her without even knowing it.
We are always looking for more people to join the VITA team. You do not need a background in finance or accounting. You just need a willingness to learn and a desire to serve. Training is provided, certification is straightforward, and the impact is real.
To be part of the VITA team for next season, please reach out to Sara Barlow at [email protected] or (269) 982-4029. We'd love to have you.
