Wichita Falls, Texas doing Taxes

We arrived in Wichita Falls, Texas yesterday afternoon, and we were greeted by our supervisors, Lana and Susanna.  They showed us around our Spike housing, which happens to be one of their former employers homes. It is so nice.  It is a two story home with four bedrooms and three bathrooms a nice kitchen and a front and back yard. It is definitely a change from the apartments in Arkansas and dorm life in Denver.  It is almost like being at home, minus quite a bit of furniture. 

The first night in the house was fun.  We went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, fitting right?  Afterward we went shopping and got a few necessities for groceries and then returned to the house.  We then proceeded to play sardines and hide and seek.  This house has so many good spots...it was a good time.  It's the little things in life that keep us entertained in Americorps.

Today was our first day of work with the United Way.  We arrived this morning at the office, and they had prepared breakfast for us and invited a few prominent members of the town to welcome us.  We spoke with the director of the Wichita Falls United Way, the mayor, and the county judge.  It was great to feel really welcomed by the town, who seemed really excited to have us here for the next two months.  We spent the rest of the day learning more about the United Way of Wichita Falls, the programs it offers, as well as the tax program we will be participating in.  Wichita Falls United Way focuses its funds and programs on Income , Health, and Education including programs for families and service men and women who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The program we will be involved with is the VITA program.  VITA is an acronym for Voluntary Income Tax Assistance.  We will be filing taxes for working individuals earning below a certain yearly income.  This service is free of charge and also is used to help people find out about the EITC, Earned Income Tax Credit as well as other credits they might qualify for on their return.  Also, this year for the first time the United Way is providing rural mobile filing sites, which will allow us to get out and interact with community members that are unable to make it to other sites or are generally unaware of the program.

At first I was not excited to be coming to Texas to help people with their taxes, but I am more excited after today.  This program is important to this community and its economy.  It is helping people get money that they never realized they could, which could help their lives significantly.  I am also excited to get to use some of the knowledge and skills I learned as a business major in college.  I have questioned several times why I went to college and majored in the areas I did, but this will be a reminder of how much I enjoyed learning about business and different aspects of the economy.

We will be training for the next two weeks, becoming certified on potentially 3 different levels.  My blog will probably not be very interesting in regards to my training, but we are already planning some cool ISPs and fun things to do while we are here.  Our sponsors have made a ton of suggestions for us and have already received invitations from members of the community to host us for dinners.  I will be sure to post plenty of pictures, since we are allowed to take them now.