Service-Learning Newsletter | March 29, 2018
Learning Accounting through Service
By Mary Bugos and Meredith Stoops
Preparing taxes is not what most people consider a fun activity. But if you walk into the Catholic Charities office in Atchison you might find a few Benedictine College students preparing tax returns for local residents. And you will actually sense an upbeat and positive attitude.
According to IRS.gov, VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) programs, like the one at Catholic Charities, exist to provide free tax services to individuals with an income at or below $54,000, as well as persons with disabilities or limited English.
“We are the only organization right now that is providing free tax preparation to the community,” said Suzanne Evans, Lead Asset Development Specialist for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Coordinator of the VITA program in Atchison. “Without the students from Benedictine we would not be able to do that.”
The partnership, now in its second year, was originally discussed in fall 2016 as a potential service-learning component for a Federal Income Tax Accounting course taught by Kristen Whiteley, a CPA and Accounting instructor at Benedictine. The timing was perfect since Catholic Charities, which already had a VITA program at its Leavenworth location, was looking to expand the initiative to Atchison. After some initial consideration, it was decided to develop the VITA partnership as a service-learning option for the required Accounting internship, rather than for Whiteley’s course. Three students this spring are taking advantage of this opportunity, and another three have signed up simply to help the community and enhance their educational experience. Each one has completed a special training through the IRS to prepare them for the task.
“The really rewarding part of it is that I can do something with my major that helps other people,” said Denton Lunsford, a sophomore from Easton, KS. “Everyone says ‘Oh, you are an accounting major? You are going to make money!’ – but I can help people too.”
Lunsford’s quote demonstrates the attitude that Benedictine’s School of Business aims to cultivate in its graduates. For example, all Business majors are required to take a seminar on Ethics and Morality for Business Professionals which, in turn, has two prerequisite courses: Christian Moral Life and Ethics. The VITA program gives further opportunity to foster these dispositions. Whiteley sees this benefit, and encourages her students to get involved.
“In my opinion you can never go wrong with providing service,” Whiteley said. “Especially in a school like Benedictine. We want our students to be morally and ethically sound… and implement that in the business world.”
Evans pointed out that the program is mutually beneficial for everyone involved – the students as well as the community members. “The clients are always very grateful and appreciative of the service.” In fact, according to Catholic Charities’ Hope Notes newsletter from April 2017, students last spring helped area residents obtain over $24,000 in tax refunds.
“I am getting more tax knowledge, and it gives me more hands on experience,” said Jason Chen, a current MBA student and an alum of the College’s Accounting and Finance programs. Chen said that although he has previous experience working in a small accounting firm, he never met with the clients in person, but only handled their paperwork.
Chen and Lunsford both agreed that being able to meet the clients in real life was what made their hours of service so rewarding.
“Their faces are glowing and they are excited to be there,” Lunsford said. “It is the weirdest thing, people coming to do taxes, you would think they’d be angry. But everyone I have met is super happy and nice. It is really good to see that.”
The VITA program is open Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment through April 11. Anyone interested in learning more can contact Catholic Charities’ Atchison office at 913-367-5070, or email Suzanne Evans at sevans@catholiccharitiesks.org.