Americorps Cohort Help GSO with Free Tax Prep, Outreach

For the second year in a row, Golden State Opportunity is working with and hosting an AmeriCorps NCCC cohort of seven young people from all across the country.

“We were so excited to work with AmeriCorps again,” said Taylor Crotty, Volunteer Manager for Golden State Opportunity. “They provide a vital resource and, last year, helped connect with 144 people and introduced them to GSO and our mission to end poverty. Poverty can feel like such a daunting issue to tackle and having young people like this energized by work being done to end it is essential.”

AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism and provides opportunities for people to volunteer across the country and address the nation’s most pressing issues.

All AmeriCorps members working with GSO are certified through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), a federal government program that certifies volunteers in free tax preparation. Last year, GSO’s AmeriCorps team completed 892 tax returns. 

The team is working with GSO Community Connect Grantee Eastmont Community Center in East Los Angeles to offer these services. In addition to helping with the VITA program, the team is also doing outreach for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) at GSO and Eastmont Community Center events as well as helping at Eastmont with food distribution and their farmer’s market.

AmeriCorps member Paulette Evans shared that this is exactly the kind of work she was looking to do as a member.

“I am excited to participate in engaging community work that allows for personal connection,” she said. “I also look forward to giving back to my community through resources that were essential to keeping my family afloat. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that, at least for me, it is enough to positively touch the life of an individual, as that is an entire world on its own. I joined for the opportunity to do this several times over and to be a light for those who need it- or at least a smile for those who see it.”

By Jamie Servantes