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Posted: Thursday, 26 February 2009 9:47AM
Free Tax Assistance in Tough Times
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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) -- Clarita Vedana doesn't know that the woman helping her do her taxes is Helen Crisman. She doesn't know Helen worked 40 years for United Airlines, or that Helen trained thousands of United employees in her former career. All Clarita knows is that Helen is helping her, by doing her taxes for free.
"You know, to them, the IRS is an albatross," Helen says of Clarita and her other clients. "We are the people in between who keep them out of trouble."
The day after Helen retired from United, she volunteered at the AARP Tax Assistance program. That was in 1995 and she's still volunteering today. She's not paid, has no office, and still has her own taxes to do.
She and her fellow volunteers work out of community centers, libraries, and donated spaces. Helen helps coordinate more than 600 volunteers throughout Northern California. They processed 46,000 tax returns last year.
"We take care of primarily seniors, but we can also take care of people who are not seniors. You don't have to be an AARP member to take part in the service," Helen explains.
Helen sees that her volunteers are trained to help with basic tax forms, though many have had full careers and long years of experience in a variety of other fields: there are bankers, professors, and engineers. Helen calls it "a wonderful mix of talent."
"We really are running a full-fledged organization and we need all these backgrounds and talent," she says.
Gil Halstead and his wife are trying the service for the first time.
"At our age right now, 75 and 74, all of a sudden you start making mistakes here and there," Gil says. "You don't want to do it. You want someone to do it professionally."
Helen adds, "That return, if they pay for it, costs $150-200 and for the people we are dealing with, they don't have that kind of money. They can't afford to pay for it and these are the people we are really focused on, we like to see helped."
And with the economic downturn, this year they are seeing more clients than ever. But Helen says they're ready to help.
"I am a Type A! I can't sit still!" she says with a laugh. "But it's been very rewarding, it's been worth every minute of it."
So for helping others through the trials of tax season, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Helen Crisman.
By Kate Kelly
Related Link:
* AARP Tax-Aide: Find a Site Near You
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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