Colorado Volunteers Save Families Hundreds on Tax Prep

An 85-year-old woman walked into a Colorado nonprofit facing an impossible choice: pay several hundred dollars for tax preparation or buy groceries that month. Thanks to High Country Volunteers, she didn't have to choose.

For over 20 years, this Glenwood Springs nonprofit has connected IRS-certified volunteers with people who need help filing taxes but can't afford professional fees. Starting in February, they're opening free tax assistance sites across Garfield and Pitkin counties.

The program serves anyone making $69,000 or less annually, plus seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. Volunteers prepare and e-file returns at no charge through April 15 at locations including Colorado Mountain College, Rifle Branch Library, and Grand Valley Recreation Center.

Each year, around 500 people get free tax help through the program. That saves each person hundreds of dollars they would have paid to certified public accountants or commercial tax preparers.

"What we're doing is saving people a lot of money and helping them get their taxes done as quickly as possible," says Mary Moon, the nonprofit's executive director. She emphasizes they're really helping the community's most vulnerable residents.

Every volunteer must pass four IRS certification tests and earn a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) certification. That means recipients get the same quality preparation they'd pay hundreds for elsewhere, just with a volunteer instead of a for-profit company.

The Ripple Effect

Moon encourages everyone to file, even those with low incomes who aren't legally required to. Many people don't realize they can get money back through child tax credits or withholdings, even if they make very little.

"There's often money that you can get back," Moon explains. "For a lot of people, there's just money out there that we can help you get back, and that money can then be used to pay for your housing, or your groceries, or gas."

That freed-up money creates ripples through entire families and communities. A few hundred dollars might seem small, but it can mean the difference between making rent or facing eviction, buying medication or going without, keeping the heat on or bundling up in a cold house.

The program transforms tax season from a source of stress and impossible choices into an opportunity to claim money that's rightfully theirs. Appointments open February 3 by calling 970-896-6210.

Twenty years of volunteers choosing to spend their time helping neighbors file paperwork proves that quiet acts of service still change lives, one tax return at a time.