About 170 students involved with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, also known as VITA, are gearing up to offer free tax filing services to members of the Baltimore Community. This year, students are striving to file 800 tax returns this year.
Initially founded in 1969, VITA was started by the IRS to help individuals all over the country who live in underserved communities file their taxes. Loyola’s chapter was founded in 2019 in partnership with the nonprofit Cash Campaign of Maryland, also known as CASH.
Graduate Site Director, Nicole Codarlupo, said that VITA has proven to be a very rewarding experience. She said that the best part has been getting to know the community members who come into the clinical center.
“I’ve really been able to see what the people around the area are like and why they chose to come to us. That is the most rewarding part because they trust us with handling their information and many keep coming back to us year after year,” Codarlupo said.
Additionally, another graduate site director and Loyola accounting alumni, Aidan Lobiondo, agreed.
“I felt like this was one of the only opportunities at Loyola where I could interact one-on-one with the citizens of Baltimore County. Just being able to get to know them and hear about their lives has been really cool and opened my eyes to what’s really going on in the community,” Lobiondo said.
Faculty Director and Executive in Residence of Accounting, Mike Bender, shared that in addition to community engagement, VITA provides students with resume-building skills. They will also have the chance to network with some of the 30 accounting professionals who also volunteer their time to help at the centers.
“It’s an opportunity for firms to work with our students and it’s an opportunity for our students to get to know the firms. We’ve had a number of positions with these firms that help us get filled by students they interacted with through the program,” Bender said.
To join VITA, students must undergo training from the CASH program and pass an exam required by the IRS to get certified in tax return preparation. Membership is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of field of study.
“In the past there’s been some sort of stigma that VITA is only for business or accounting students. But we’ve branched out and reached out to psych students, law students, and really created a more diverse group with our program this year,” said Codarlupo.
Baltimore community members looking to use VITA’s services should stop by the Loyola Clinical Centers in Belvedere Square. Students who want to get involved should follow VITA’s Instagram account or email Mike Bender for more information on how to register.
