Professor Inspires College Students to Provide Free Tax Services to Poweshiek Families

In early January, Professor Emerita of Mathematics Emily Moore recruited 15 bright Grinnellians to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). VITA is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiative in the United States that serves low-income families and individuals by preparing their tax returns for free. Grinnell’s VITA program allows college students to undergo tax law training and understand basic tax preparation. The VITA program then supports volunteers through certification exams to satisfy IRS requirements.

In preparation for the program’s run in February and March, Moore provided both one-on-one and group training sessions in the Noyce Science Center. The group training sessions were weekly tax filing practice sessions in which students learned about IRS filing standards and confidentiality practices. Moore also provided students with IRS workbooks to help them study for their certification exams and become familiar with the online tax filing software. After practicing tax preparations for fake taxpayers, students familiarized themselves with the intake process and learned to interview community members about their tax paperwork.

By encouraging students to participate in the VITA program, Moore has strengthened Grinnell’s connection to local community members. Instead of fearing the complex world of taxes, Grinnell student volunteers have been working diligently to acquire this new knowledge to help the local community. For low- to middle-class families across Poweshiek County, finding affordable tax services is a stressful task that VITA helps eliminate. The VITA program also welcomes community members with disabilities, limited English skills, and those over 60 years of age.

As the head of the VITA program, Moore has a captivating guidance that motivates students to remain as dedicated to their work as she is; her dedication has inspired the largest number of VITA volunteers yet. The VITA program is now underway at the Grinnell local library, where Emily and her students will be helping community members prepare their tax returns. One of the taxpayers is already prepared to come back, telling one of our student volunteers, “See you next year!”