Hello Everyone:
I just wanted to send you all a heartfelt "Thank You" for your work in the St. Francis Tax Assistance Program this year. I am truly honored to have worked with you and am very proud of your efforts.
I am always amazed by those people who volunteer their spare time to help others. Because of your efforts we were able to prepare federal and state tax returns for approximately 108 clients, with refunds totaling over $140,000. Many members of the community rely on this service and with your efforts we were able to continue to provide them the help they need.
Tax refunds act as a stimulus to the economy. The refunds our clients receive will be used to pay rent and other bills, purchase household items and fund education. Our clients rely on various tax credits, such as the Earned Income Credit, Education Credit, Property Tax Credit and Home Heating Credit to help with their expenses. These credits are only available to those who file taxes and meet certain criteria and many people are afraid to file taxes because they do not understand how to prepare the required forms. With your dedication to the tax assistance program, our clients are able to get the necessary help they need to get these tax refunds.
This year we also used the tax assistance program to remind our clients of the Affordable Care Act, sign-up deadlines, and the potential impact on future tax returns. Hopefully we helped a few people out by reminding them of the new law.
As I think back over the 9 weeks that we were open this year and think about the many people we served, a common story come to mind – that of our clients' generosity to our team. This year we had so many delicious gifts of cookies and treats brought in for our team that we could not possibly enjoy them all! Such an amazing thing considering the people that we serve.
One of our clients told me that he was living off credit cards and was having trouble paying some of his bills. However he brought us a container of delicious homemade cookies to thank us for helping him out. He has been treating us for a couple of years now and giving us from what little he has to give. This is the true meaning of giving from the heart. Helping people like this gentleman is one of the reasons I keep returning to this program.
This year we welcomed a couple of new volunteers to our program: Leslie and Megan. I hope you enjoyed your time in the program as much as I enjoyed meeting and working with you. I also hope that you will consider volunteering again next year.
We also welcomed back several volunteers to the program: Lynn, Greg, Deisy, Gerry, John, Colette, Elizabeth, and Joe. I'm so glad that you were able to come back this year. Your previous experience made managing the program so much easier!
Of course it goes without saying that this program could not run without the support of the parish staff, especially Scott Wright who is the director of the Social Ministry and oversees my efforts, Jim Russo who makes sure that the computers are set up to run the tax software, the parish staff who give up their offices on Saturdays for us, the staff and volunteers who setup and confirm the appointments, the Saturday office volunteers who make sure that everyone gets signed in and fills out the questionnaires, and Fr. James and Fr. Bosco who support the program 100%.
In early February we lost one of our longtime clients – Maggie Stanchfield. Maggie was always so sweet and would bring in treats when she came in for her appointment. She had been coming to our site for many years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Maggie's family. She will be missed.
Thank you once again for all of your work. Stay in touch and I hope to see you all soon!
Have a great year!!!
Julie M. Soyer
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