Accountability MN--Tax Assistance and More
RSVP's partner site, Accountability MN, has been providing tax assistance to seniors and people with low incomes for nearly 40 years. Recently, they have expanded their services to include free financial advice on topics such as budgeting and saving, and free credit reports and credit counseling. Additionally, they have partnered with local credit unions to enable clients to open savings accounts regardless of their previous financial history. Accountability volunteers see that clients get all the refunds for which they're eligible, then help them use their refund to move from "getting by" to "getting ahead". "These services contribute to our mission of poverty reduction and asset-building," said volunteer coordinator, Adam Faitek. They also provide more opportunities for volunteers who like working with numbers. "Our volunteers find it very satisfying," Faitek says, "because they can see the impact of their work."
Volunteer training for tax assistance programs will begin in December. For more information, call: 612-617-7820.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Volunteer Spotlight
Kathryn Vilendrer, Meals on Wheels Driver
Kathryn Vilendrer has been a volunteer with Roseville Senior Center ’s Meals on Wheels Program for about four years, and finds it very rewarding. A former social worker, she felt drawn to help out when she saw a request for drivers in her church bulletin.
“I felt it was a good fit,” she said, “ I feel like I’m accomplishing something for them, and I really enjoy the interaction, they’re very pleasant,” she says, adding that the brief personal contact during delivery is as important to the clients as the meal. “For some of them, it may be the only social interaction of the day,” she pointed out.
She delivers meals every third Friday, visiting the same people every month. The clients are always happy to see her, and she has slowly gotten to know them. Her delivery route “takes about one-and-a-half hours, max,” she says, adding, “A lot more people could use their free time to do something good for another person.”
Kathryn Vilendrer has been a volunteer with Roseville Senior Center ’s Meals on Wheels Program for about four years, and finds it very rewarding. A former social worker, she felt drawn to help out when she saw a request for drivers in her church bulletin.
“I felt it was a good fit,” she said, “ I feel like I’m accomplishing something for them, and I really enjoy the interaction, they’re very pleasant,” she says, adding that the brief personal contact during delivery is as important to the clients as the meal. “For some of them, it may be the only social interaction of the day,” she pointed out.
She delivers meals every third Friday, visiting the same people every month. The clients are always happy to see her, and she has slowly gotten to know them. Her delivery route “takes about one-and-a-half hours, max,” she says, adding, “A lot more people could use their free time to do something good for another person.”
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