By: Maura Driscoll '15
The Kenney Community Center’s Volunteers of the Week are Professor Mary O’Keeffe and the students who help run the VITA program.
A public policy economist who teaches the College’s service-learning class, “ Income Tax Policy and Practice,” as well as supervises the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, O’Keeffe has overseen IRS-certified student volunteers in preparing and filing free tax returns for low-income working families, senior citizens and disabled individuals in Schenectady.
VITA’s free service has helped to secure millions of dollars in tax refunds for their clients, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in return preparation fees.
A dedicated group of students participates in VITA several nights a week at the Kenney Community Center. They include:
Leandra Falotico ‘14, Phillip Gluck ‘14, Richard Harris ‘14, Patrick May ‘15, Emily Rider ‘14, Kelly Sheehan ‘14, Marissa Vollmer ‘14, Emily Zangrillo ‘14 and Jiyang Zhou ‘15.
More information about Union's VITA program is available by clicking here.