With the annual tax season upon us, local community partners are coming together again to host free VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites that will allow low-to-moderate income residents to get the tax credits they deserve and put more money into their pockets.
Five years ago, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Chicago, Kishwaukee United Way and other community organizations first came together to assist families in DeKalb County. The local group’s, the DeKalb County CA$H Coalition, goal is to increase the number of people eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in DeKalb County.
Each year, hundreds of residents miss out on funds that are due to them as a part of their tax return. The acronym CA$H stands for “Creating Assets, Savings and Hope”. The group’s mission is to help create financial stability for local families by providing educational tools and resources for family asset development through access to tax credits, quality volunteer tax return preparation, and other asset building programs. Members of this coalition include Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois, Kishwaukee United Way, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Northern Illinois University’s College of Accountancy and Financial Literacy Collaborative, and DeKalb County Community Action Department.
Each of the VITA sites in DeKalb County are “staffed “ by trained volunteers from the community and NIU who feel it is important to give back to our community with their knowledge and expertise. The DeKalb County CA$H Coalition is always looking for tax preparation volunteers. Interested for next year? Contact Dave Leifheit.
For their part, Goodwill Industries and Northern Illinois University will host a local VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site at NIU’S Holmes Student Center – Gallery Lounge on Tuesdays from 10 am to 7pm starting January 26, 2016. In addtiion, Goodwill Industries is hosting mobile tax preparation sites throughout DeKalb & Sycamore.
AARP and DeKalb County Community Action Department are hosting their VITA site at the DeKalb County Community Outreach Building, Blank Slate Room, 2500 N. Annie Glidden Road on Thursdays 9 am – 12 pm and 1 – 4 pm by appointment only. Call 815.217.0192 to schedule an appointment at this location. Also, AARP is hosting additonal VITA sites in DeKalb County inclduing DeKalb, Sycamore and Genoa. For a complete listing of VITA sites and details, see the attached flyer.
To get further information about specific sites, see below. To volunteer to help, contact Kishwaukee United Way at 815.756.7522 or email: info@kishwaukeeunitedway.com
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