After retiring in Florida from a career in business management, finance and marketing in Massachusetts, I was looking for something to do with all my new-found free time, when I saw a notice in the Ocala Star Banner that United Way was looking for volunteers to do taxes in their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. I signed up for the training class in the fall of 2010 and have been with the program ever since. They must have been desperate because a few weeks after completing training I was asked to be the Site Coordinator for their main office at the U.W. building. The program at that time was being administered as part of the Marion County Prosperity Campaign and when the manager of that program left a few years later, I was asked to take over as the VITA Program Manager.
I really enjoy working with the United Way management and staff who have all been very supportive of the VITA mission. We have a great group of volunteer tax preparers who, this year, did over 2,500 tax returns for the people of Marion County. Most of our volunteers return every year and are greatly appreciated by our tax clients. Our goal is to keep expanding as the need for our services is well established and growing every year.