Check out this month's Volunteer Spotlight:

Pilar G. , VITA TAX Preparer

"Tax preparation is hard, doing it virtually is harder! Pilar has spent hours this season creating a new pre-appointment email to set the tone and needs with clients for virtual preparation. She completes regular follow ups to get documents ahead of the virtual appointment. She walks clients through the technology needed to safely share info. In previous years, virtual tax appointments were taking 2-3 hours to complete as clients had to receive intake paperwork, fill out, upload along with tax documents, then have their return completed and reviewed. With Pilar's extra work, clients have normally completed the intake paperwork and upload personal documents ahead of time. Pilar's colleagues can arrive on their scheduled day, pre-enter the client's data then hop on a quick zoom meeting and to review and confirm the information. This takes online time for clients from 2-3 hour to about 20 minutes. Her colleagues also greatly appreciate the effort! I think the whole virtual team would agree that Pilar's hard work, extra hours during the week, and new systems have helped both the team and our clients. PS. We are the only agency in the county, that I am aware of, still providing virtual services for those clients that may not be able to, or feel comfortable with, coming to our sites."- Samantha B ( VITA program supervisor)

 What is the most rewarding part of volunteering for you?

    "Most rewarding for me is simply helping others with the gifts God has blessed me with." - Pilar G. 

Do you have a favorite moment?

    "Favorite moment is anytime I begin an appointment with a client who is nervous and frantic over their

      taxes. I calmly explain to them how I will work with them until we get through it together. By the end,

      we're laughing and saying how "this wasn't so bad after all"." - Pilar G. 

How do you see your volunteer work making a difference?

    "Each time I see the new found freedom a client experiences after I review their tax return with them is

     priceless. People fear taxes because they don't understand the process. Once I thoroughly review their

     tax return and explain how the numbers fall into place, they are relieved and thankful. Experiencing that

      time with them fills me with joy." - Pilar G.