For some United Way volunteers, the 17th Day of Caring proved especially taxing. Luckily, taxing is just their area of expertise.
Trading their paintbrushes for pencils, about 30 volunteers gathered at Neighborhood Services in Lancaster to prepare for the organization's Tax Preparation Blitz Day.
Instructed by IRS officer Joe Solari, Saturday's four-hour course trained volunteers to assist community members with completing their tax returns.
"The IRS speculates that there are 6,500 people in the community who qualify for the economic stimulus payment," said Melissa Siwiec, United Way's vice president of community impact. "But because they haven't filed their taxes yet, they haven't received it."
This year, the United Way seeks to change that — helping families claim their portions of the $2 million worth of unclaimed payments in Lancaster County alone. Add this impressive undertaking to the already stacked docket of the Day of Caring — a volunteer extravaganza that kicks off the organization's annual campaign.
"We chose 17 years ago to start this on a Saturday because it truly was, everyone volunteering," said United Way President Susan Eckert. "Our large numbers — and the large number of projects — really are a credit to the fact that this is the type of community that will give up a Saturday morning to make a difference."
Eckert said 3,500 volunteers participated in 150 projects across the county Saturday. Although rain complicated outdoor tasks, such as mulching parks and painting, Eckert said many items on the to-do list continued as planned. Others were rescheduled for future dates.
"It's a messy, get down, get dirty, kind of day," she said. "It's best when it's not a perfectly sunshiny day — when you might think you'd like to be at the beach!"
For volunteer Jeffrey Gabriel, being indoors at the blitz training was a more comfortable, and drier, alternative to outdoor labor.
"I spent some of my previous years working for Habitat," said Gabriel of Lancaster. "This is different because I can use my background as an accountant and really see the impact."
Gabriel spent 30 years working in business before accepting his current position, as a first-semester accounting professor at Elizabethtown College.
He encouraged many of his students to attend the training session and receive practical experience toward their majors.
"You feel pretty good about the work that you do," he said. "It can be expensive to have a tax return done, even if it's a simple one. For someone with lesser economic circumstance, the fact that they can come here and get it done — there's a lot of positives."
The training session prepared volunteers for two upcoming blitz days, to be held Sept. 27 and Oct. 3. Both are open to the public and serve as last-minute attempts to help Lancaster residents file their tax returns before the Oct. 15 deadline.
"Hopefully, we can reach out to another 6,500 people and get them their $300, $600 or more dollars," said Gabriel. "It's certainly going to help them and the area."
The Tax Preparation Blitz Day was organized by Lancaster Money in Your Pocket Coalition, a group led by the United Way and comprised of volunteers dedicated to promoting financial stability to Lancaster families.
For more information on the United Way and its programs, visit www.uwlanc.org.
