Winter break came and went, and it was time to go back to Denver for transition week. Except I couldn't, because a snow-pocalypse covered most of the Northeast in snow, delaying my flight by nearly a week. Upon my return, it was time to pack my bags and head out for my next project - tax preparation for low-income families and individuals in Kansas City, Missouri!
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| Our lovely home in KCMO, courtesy of the Salvation Army |
Upon arrival, we received an intense, two day training. Following the exam on the third day, most members of the team received the Basic IRS Certification. On the fourth day, we started working with clients.
Even having had some background knowledge of taxes, I still found the training and exam challenging. That being said, I felt like a proud parent when my corps members passed the exam and excelled at doing returns.
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| Next Step, Kansas City office at the Full Employment Council |
I can't think of a better way to sum up our work than with our accomplishment narrative: "With over 20% of Kansas City residents living below the poverty line, Next Step Kansas City works to promote financial stability in the Kansas City metropolitan area through multiple educational opportunities and services, including free tax preparation. Sun 2 served as the primary source of tax preparers during this tax season. Corps Members and Team Leader operated the free tax site at the Full Employment Council and occasionally 3 other sites, serving as tax preparers and greeters under the supervision of the sponsor. Sun 2 prepared over 1200 returns and returned over 2 million dollars to Kansas City residents. Beyond the quantifiable accomplishments, the team learned the importance of economic stability and was able to share this knowledge with the clients. Through the one-on-one, interview-based tax preparation process, the team was able to learn from the individual situations of the clients, while helping clients understand their taxing circumstances. Ultimately, the gratitude expressed by many of the clients was encouraging and uplifting, suggesting a lasting impact on the Kansas City community resulting from Sun 2’s hard work."
Outside of work, we made the most of our time in Kanas City. Having a sedentary project was balanced with daily morning work-outs at the local YMCA and zombie runs. In our free time we explored the city, its museums and nearby nature hikes, did a ton of team builders and had a LOT of movie nights (where I was introduced to Game of Thrones, highly recommend watching it!).
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| First time exploring downtown Kansas City |
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| Web of gratitude team builder |
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| Hiking in Kansas City, Missouri |
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| MLK Day of Service at the Food Bank |
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Helping out at the YMCA triathlon (in exchange for free gym
memberships for two months!) |
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| Day of the A |
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| World War I Memorial, Kansas City, MO |
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| Chalk Pyramids, Kansas |
Humbling. That is the one word that comes to mind when reflecting back on my experience working with Next Step Kansas City. From veterans that have no home to mothers that support a family of five on three thousand dollars a year, from unemployed college graduates drowning in student loans to individuals who lost their jobs and can't make ends meet, the wide variety of clientele that we worked with all had one thing in common - trapped in the hole economic hardship and nobody to hand them a ladder. Being able to help them was the best feeling in the world, because I knew that their tax return money would put food on their table, pay for another month of rent, and allow them to take a day off to go and interview for a better job.
The tears of joy, hugs and gratitude of those that we're able to help make it all worth it in the end.
Even having had some background knowledge of taxes, I still found the training and exam challenging. That being said, I felt like a proud parent when my corps members passed the exam and excelled at doing returns.
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