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Grace Sanford (right) and Maureen Wetta (left) both are first year law students, volunteering at the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance clinic. They helped students and community members sign up for their turn and provided them with the document to fill in.
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Volunteers at Washburn University’s VITA Clinic take a break to enjoy food during the event. The clinic offered meals to thank volunteers and those assisting with tax filing for their time and effort.
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.Washburn students and community members wait to file their taxes. They were assisted by volunteers during the event.
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George and Theresa Barton is the main room where all the documents are being revised and sent to the IRS for review. They were carefully checked and processed.
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Washburn University’s VITA Clinic provides free tax assistance to low-income community members while giving law students hands-on experience. Volunteers, including first-year law students, helped prepare tax returns and supported international students during the clinic.
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Tax documents and laptops covered a table at the VITA Clinic as volunteers assisted clients with filings. Student volunteers used IRS-certified software to ensure accurate returns for community members.
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Washburn law students learn by helping people in the community do their taxes for free.Many volunteers felt it gave them more confidence and real-world knowledge than a semester of lectures.
Washburn University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic helps people in the community file their taxes for free. At the same time, it gives law students a chance to gain real-world experience by volunteering.
Nichole Smith, an adjunct for the university, helped supervise the clinic.
Smith supports the student coordinators and helps communicate with the IRS contact.The university provides students with hands- on experience in tax preparation.
“It helps students to learn more about taxes, because taxes are for most people. But then it also helps them to interact with the community and to begin the process of having community involvement and pro bono work early on, which can be a little scary if you don’t have any experience working with clients,” Smith said.
The clinic is organized by the Tax and Estate Planning Association, a student group at Washburn University School of Law.
Grace Sanford, a first-year law student and VITA volunteer, shared more details.
“It’s just an opportunity for members of the public who have low income to get their taxes done for free,” Sanford said. “We also open it up to the international students at Washburn in the undergrad so that they can come and also get their taxes done for free.”
Maureen Wetta, first-year law student, explained how the clinic benefits both students and the public.
“We get pro bono hours to help the community come in, people who can’t file on their own,” Wetta said. “It’s a good experience for us to gain more knowledge in that area.”
VITA clinics are held across the country often at universities, libraries and community centers. Volunteers receive training and certification to prepare tax returns.
Becky Parvis, a community member, shared her experience at the clinic.
“It’s taken longer than I thought,” Parvis said. “I think they’re probably new students learning how to do it so I understand. It’s not a problem.”
The VITA Clinic at Washburn continues to support the community while helping students build important skills for their future in law.
Edited by Jeremy Ford and Jayme Thompson
