Mount Union College accounting students offered their skills to Alliance's low and moderate-income residents at the Alliance Neighborhood Center.
Photo courtesy of the Alliance Review/ Ed Hall Jr.
The students have worked with Alliance City Auditor Alex Zumbar on Friday mornings at the Alliance Neighborhood Center since the beginning of tax season providing assistance with tax preparation to ensure that Alliance residents take full advantage of the childcare and earned income options offered by the Internal Revenue Service.
According to Zumbar, the mission of the Alliance Neighborhood Center's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Preparation Program is to provide free basic tax return preparation for eligible taxpayers.
Mount Union students Katie Cross of Burton, John Reeve of Broadview Heights and Ryan Brown of Willowick represented the College in assisting with this project.
"Volunteers are the program's most valuable resource," noted Zumbar in a letter to the College." Students Katie Cross, John Reeve and Ryan Brown were instrumental in making this program a success."They were very professional and treated all taxpayers with courtesy and respect."
The project was designed to provide tax assistance for the area residents, but it also provided good practical experience for the students to use their knowledge and skills they have learned in the classroom.?
"It was good experience interacting with the public," said Brown. "I enjoyed helping out because it was great hands-on experience." There are people that need help and do not realize they qualify for certain tax relief." It was an eye opener, but I was glad to give back."
Dr. John M. Strefeler, professor of economics, accounting and business administration; David Zoky, professor of economics, accounting, and business administration; and Mary Ellen Lloyd, associate professor, economics, accounting and business administration assisted Zumbar in implementing the project.
"Future employers are looking to distinguish between those students who have out of classroom experience and those who do not," noted Strefeler. " This project was a good service learning project that helps develop character and responsibility." I was real pleased with how the students performed and how they understood the purpose of the program."
According to Dr. Strefeler, this project may be a stepping-stone for more practical experiences and community involvement for Mount Union's accounting students.
"I hope we can continue to build and improve upon these types of programs," said Strefeler." Not only will it be good experience for the students, but it will be a benefit for the community as well."