For the last three weeks, Blue 4 has been working with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program as well as local START schools and the Ethel Hart Senior Center in the city of Sacramento. This round the team is split up into two groups. Team 1, Brad, Sydney, May, Carolyn, Taylor, and Hillary, worked at the senior center for the first 3 weeks of the round helping staff with maintenance and creating their own programs while Team A, made of up Michael, Sarah, Alyssa, Matt, Amber, and Daniel, worked at different community centers in the mornings doing taxes for low income families and after school START programs in the afternoons. At the beginning of this week the teams have switched and are now working in the others place. This week the teams switched places and settled into their new surroundings with ease. Blue 4 gained a new member this round, Hillary Hines, who is a great addition to the team, and lost a member, Matt, who is greatly missed.
VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, is national program offering free tax return service to low to moderate income families. Volunteers without previous tax experience participate in an intense training program and must achieve a minimum certification of the Basic Level. Members of Blue 4 have varying certifications starting at Basic all the way up to Advanced. Providing this service helps people in need save hundreds of dollars they would normally pay to have their taxes done by a professional tax preparer. As volunteers, the team has not only gained hands on experience perfecting their customer service skills, they now have the knowledge and know how to start a career in the tax field.
Sacramento START’s motto is “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow” and their mission is to “foster enthusiasm for learning through fun and structured activities in a safe and caring after school environment.” From 3pm, when the school day ends, to 6pm, students at schools in the region of Sacramento spend time completing homework assignments, playing outside, eating snack, and participating in other educational activities. One of the goals of START is to influence and inform the students on ways to lead healthy lifestyles; the staff uses interactive games such as Fitness Dots or Food Bingo to educate them on the importance of being physically fit and having healthy diets.
The Ethel Hart Senior Center, located in the heart of Midtown, Sacramento, provides a wide range of programs and resources for older adults. Classes on arts and crafts, card games, music, and dance are offered for those wishing to gain a new skill or simply to have fun. The center is often used as a venue for social gatherings or special events. Triple R, which stands for Relate, Refresh, Rely, an adult day care program for those with Alzheimer’s, is a major part of the Hart Center as well. Blue 4’s time at the center has been spent participating in a variety of classes, building a Zen garden within the enclosed patio, hosting a talent showcase, assisting staff in running the Meals-On-Wheels lunch everyday, and completing maintenance projects while getting to know the guests.
