MakingChange Honors VITA Site Volunteers at Appreciation Social

MakingChange, a nonprofit in Howard County which empowers individuals and families to achieve financial stability, assisted 588 local taxpayers prepare their returns at The MultiService Center in North Laurel and The NonProfit Collaborative in Columbia. The two locations were serving as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites.

Recently MakingChange held an Appreciation Social to thank the volunteers for their work. Volunteers included Iryna Bitkova, Ryan Brown, Christine Crowe, Dianna Griffiths, Christian Grot, Richard Hatfield, Ben Holgate, Karen Lynch, Rick Nelson, Samuel Pandian, Alex Prog, Pat Rudolph, Patricia Shaw, John Wheatland, Judith Weber, Ron Weber and Saul Zuckman. VITA site coordinators Ron Weber and Alex Prog were cited for their service.

The MakingChange staff of Renee McElroy, Program Coordinator, Financial Coaching; Glenda Sierra-Schulz, Program Coordinator, Housing Counseling; and Roy Yenoli, Program Coordinator, Financial Education, was also commended. Cheri Auger of the NonProfit Collaborative and Valerie Mathis of The MultiService Center were recognized for their assistance.

The Howard County sites, like other VITA sites across the country, offered free tax return preparation and filing to most taxpayers who earned up to $55,000 in 2018. Over $800,000 in Federal tax will be refunded to the people who filed through the MakingChange VITA sites. The average refund was $1,450.

The MultiService Center is located at 9900 Washington Boulevard (Route 1) in Laurel.

The NonProfit Collaborative is located at 9770 Patuxent Woods Drive in Columbia.

MakingChange also provides group seminars and personal coaching to teach people to manage their money and change their lives. Its programs are offered in schools, human service agencies and businesses.

For more information, visit www.makingchangecenter.org.