Last year more than $47,000 million was returned to Bay Area tax payers

When Earn It! Keep It! Save It! said they needed translators fluent in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese, United Way Community Project MatchBridge was more than happy to respond.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, a community project of United Way of the Bay Area, is a free, tax-preparing service offered to qualifying individuals and families. Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) operates more than 180 free tax sites across the Bay Area,  where volunteer tax preparers help individuals and families claim their maximum tax refund.

With so many sites across the ethnically dense Bay Area, the need for translators was high. With all the talented young adults at MatchBridge looking for part-time work, the partnership made perfect sense.

Twenty-seven of MatchBridge‘s youth members came into the orientation to potentially offer their services as translators. EKS, United Way, and MatchBridge staff held interviews and fluency tests that many of the members passed with ease. Earn It! Keep It! Save It! partners with hundreds of community organizations and free tax preparation providers, such as Tax-Aid, to process almost 50,000 tax returns each year. They also provide low- to moderate-income households with access to public benefits, low- or no-cost bank accounts and financial education. Most importantly they make sure that eligible taxpayers claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which can amount to as much as $5,600 per family.

Due to the complex nature of the free financial services that Earn It! Keep It! Save It! offers, translators play an essential role in serving the families and individuals who have limited English fluency.

If you are a Spanish speaker and you’re interested in being a translator, MatchBridge and Earn It! Keep It! Save It! are still recruiting.  Leave a comment with your email.

(image: Alain McLaughlin)

Every year about 25 Mechanics Bank employees spend weeks immersed in 1099s, 1040s, and W-2s. And they love it.
They are part of a six-year effort to help low-wage workers get the tax refunds they deserve. In 2008, volunteers filed more than 46,900 tax returns resulting in $35.6 million back into the hands of deserving families.

All of this is made possible by Earn It! Keep It! $ave it!, a United Way-led coalition comprising more than 160 tax sites as well as dozens of additional community partners. The program has returned more than $107 million to the community since its inception in 2003.

In addition to helping people discover the tax credits they may be able to receive, volunteers also work with people to manage debt, increase income and build savings for the future.

“I enjoy doing this,” said Erwin Reeves of Mechanics Bank, who organizes the volunteers every year. “Over time we’ve been able to watch as people learn how they can use this money as a foundation for their future.”

Even though being a volunteer tax preparer is a big job that requires commitment, Erwin never has any problems recruiting volunteers.

“Everyone has such a good time, and they don’t think of it as though they are giving up a Saturday,” he said. “They’re just having fun and helping people take advantage of opportunities they didn’t know they had.
Tax site volunteer in Alameda County.

To find out how you can volunteer visit: www.uwba/eks today.