Volunteer Income Tax AssistanceCommunity Engagement Through Accounting

EDGE Project by: Dorothy Botello

What is VITA?• VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, it turns

stressful tax season into a breeze!

• Provides services to low income individuals to get their taxes prepared with low hassle

• VITA helps many people including: • Students• Single parents• Elderly• And many more

Dorothy BotelloSenior Accounting Student

I got to help students and families make it

through the stresses of taxes!

I became qualified to prepare individual

income taxes this Spring through the IRS.

I have taken the required courses

through my education to help prepare for this

tax season.

SUU Provides Great Service• VITA has been implemented 16 years now and is proven to

provide a great service to those in the community.

• I have been able to help support the School of Business in their endeavors and serve the community and maintain relationships.

Details of my EDGE Project• The Accounting Department here at SUU takes care of all the

fees and necessary testing to qualify as a certified VITA volunteer.

• I served in this capacity this Spring by providing my spending several weeknights during tax season preparing tax returns of members in the community.

• Many students participate to help this program go smoothly. There are also many checkpoints to ensure all the information we put together for the IRS has been complied correctly.

Community Members waiting to get their taxes done

Accounting students providing their service in the BU 202 Lab

Benefits and Outcomes• Hundreds of people from the

community were able to file their taxes and save money because of our service.

• I was given the opportunity to gain hands on experience of real world accounting jobs, this will give me an edge above my peers when applying for jobs.

• I was able to meet and network with people from the community and really feel like I contributed to a greater good.