Daemen College : News : News Releases
Daemen to Partner with The Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, C.A.S.H., to Provide Volunteer Low-Income Tax Assistance
Creating Assets, Savings & Hope (CASH) Buffalo, an initiative of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, and Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Center (BFNC) have been awarded a grant of $109,000 from the Internal Revenue Service through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Grant Program. As a partner in this grant project, which runs through June of 2009, Daemen will provide two VITA courses as well as training for the community. It is expected that more than 120 volunteers will support the effort with approximately 50 trained by Daemen.
The Daemen College Business Department, in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Communities & Civic Engagement, offers a Service Learning through VITA course each year. This course provides tax preparation training and students participate in 25 hours of service preparing returns for families with incomes below $40,000.
Last winter, Daemen collaborated with CASH to introduce the Income TAXi, a mobile tax preparation unit. CASH is a collaborative of over 60 organizations committed to helping low-income families and individuals move to financial stability. Daemen procured grants from two foundations ($30,000 from M&T and $2,000 from the Virginia Evans Devereux Memorial Fund), contributed 6 refurbished computers, and is serving as fiscal agent for the project. Eighteen community businesses and social service agencies collaborated to equip the TAXi, paint the exterior, make mechanical repairs, design the logos, and provide a driver.
The Income TAXi has significantly increased the reach of free tax preparation efforts by connecting to populations that lack transportation or are unable to go far from their homes. Since the TAXIs debut March 19, 2008, 453 free tax preparation returns were completed in Buffalo, Derby, Gowanda, Springville, Clarence, Lackawanna, and North Tonawanda. Last year, 15 Daemen students volunteered a total of over 900 hours.
With this new grant from the IRS to the CASH and BFNC, Daemen will be able to offer an additional service-learning VITA course during the January intersemester. In addition, the College will significantly expand the use of the Income TAXi.
Dan Tschopp, Associate Professor of Accounting, notes, “The VITA program is great opportunity for our students, the College, and our community. It provides our students with a valuable service learning experience, it supports the mission of our college, and it helps save local low-income taxpayers time and money.”
Diane Bessel, Senior Product Manager Income at United Way and Director of CASH, notes, “We are so pleased with our partnership with Daemen College. The Income TAXi is making a real difference in the lives of people who do not have access to transportation, those living in rural areas, and those with special needs. This new grant will allow us to deepen our work together to reach more people and demonstrate the power of service with Daemen’s students. It is a powerful combination.” For more information about CASH, visit: