Organization:
North East Community Center
Nominee Services:
Jennie is the office administrator of the North East Community Center, and has worked here for about five years. For the last four of them, she has also been a tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. On her own time, she obtains the extensive training program, and then works evenings and weekends to prepare tax returns for low-income families. She did 88 tax returns this season - nearly two-thirds the total for our entire organization. (The next most-productive preparer did 26.) I will add that I was the quality reviewer (proofreader) for almost all her returns, and never once did I find a mistake.
Jennie also is the coordinator of our Care Car, which provides volunteer transportation for seniors. When we can't find a driver, Jennie will often drive the senior herself, even across the county and back, and make up her office work on her own time.
Nominee Goals:
Jennie's goals as a tax preparer are twofold: to help tax payers get the money they are entitled to, and more importantly, to help them understand their taxes and their financial situation. She counsels them on steps they can take to manage their funds more effectively, including changing their withholding, obtaining the Advance EIC, and best ways of using their refunds. She is effective in both, in part because she is never judgmental, and is willing to take as much time as needed to help people understand.
Nominee Impact:
Most directly, Jennie brought back over $100,000 in tax refunds to our clients including earned income tax credits, child tax credits and education credits. In all her work, she makes people feel less alone - as if there's always a friendly calm voice at the other end of the phone, there to help them.
Why the Nominee Deserves this award?
Jennie is very self-effacing and would never put herself forward. I don't think she even realizes how important she is to so many people. Simply put, she does what she does because it needs to get done - and she always does it well.
Video Commentary:
Nominee video commentary not available
Audio Commentary:
Nominee audio commentary not available
