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How about starting the New Year by learning something new and helping others with your knowledge? The Coalition of Community Assistance Volunteers, Inc. (CCAV) is a non-profit organization whose primary goal is to help low income residents of the South Plains build personal assets in order to transition from poverty to financial self-sufficiency. CCAV provides assistance through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, as well as education and advocacy.

Volunteers are needed at VITA sites to prepare free income tax returns, thereby enabling low income persons to receive every penny of the refunds to which they are entitled. VITA sites provide a free alternative to low income persons who frequently pay as much as $300 to have a simple tax return prepared. While the AARP provides free tax counseling and preparation for the elderly, only CCAV provides this assistance for low income persons under the age of 60.
In addition to free income tax preparation, CCAV has partnered with another non-profit to provide financial literacy workshops which educate tax refund recipients about investing (in education, homeownership, retirement, etc.) – rather than simply spending – their money in ways that will benefit them in the long-term. Advocacy is provided through CCAV’s partnership with the Low Income Tax Clinic conducted by the Texas Tech University School of Law.

The following types of volunteers are needed at the VITA sites between January 18 and April 15:

• Greeters to greet clients and verify that they have brought the appropriate information to have their tax returns prepared. Greeters will be asked to attend a brief training.

• E-filers to file tax returns on an easy-to-use computer software system. Each E-filer must attend four free training workshops provided by CCAV and the IRS. The workshops will be held Monday, January 10 through Thursday, January 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Texas Tech School of Law.

Volunteers are encouraged to work a minimum of one shift per week between January 18 and April 15, 2005. Experienced Site Coordinators will be on-site at all times to assist volunteers. You may choose to help at Patterson Library, 1836 Parkway Drive on Monday, Wednesday, Friday; Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center,3201 Avenue Q, on Tuesday-Thursday; Mahon Library on Saturdays; and/or the Lubbock Senior Center, 2001 19th St. on Wednesday-Thursday. 

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

BUDDY HOLLY CENTER, 1801 Avenue G, would love to teach you to be a docent. Training sessions enable you to speak fluently and accurately about the life of Buddy Holly, the artifacts in the Buddy Holly Gallery, the history of the Depot building and the current exhibitions. The next training class will be held on January 20th from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m. As you learn, you may find yourself becoming an expert on these topics, so being a docent is perfect for people with an interest in history, music and art! If you are interested in jewelry-making, February at the Buddy Holly Center offers several one-time opportunities to assist with special events featuring Master Jewelers and Metalsmiths.

LUBBOCK ARTS ALLIANCE GALLERY, 2109 Broadway, showcases local and regional artists. A volunteer is needed to maintain the gallery, offer assistance to patrons, make art sales when necessary, answer the telephone, take messages, and other duties as needed. They would be glad to have your help anytime Monday-Friday from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Bet this would be an interesting place to work!

To volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer positions, please call the RSVP office at 742-2423.

HOW do I join RSVP?
Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 742-2423 and chat with Ronda Casey or Bonne Phillips about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the enrollment form (requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!