Westminster, Colo. –IRS-certified students helped 807 local people with their tax paperwork this year free of charge at Front Range Community College’s Westminster Campus. This assistance resulted in more than $1.4 million in federal and state tax refunds for area residents.
The college’s Tax Help Colorado volunteers went above and beyond the call of duty—providing free tax assistance to people in our community who need it most.
This tax season, seven FRCC students each volunteered more than 40 hours, earning them the Governor’s Service Award for their dedication. Our students are in good company—194 volunteers statewide earned the award this year.
The FRCC students who will receive the Governor’s Award Letter for volunteering more than 40 hours are:
- Anthony DeLuna
- Celia Galvez
- Deidre Keilman
- Falguni Shah
- Sarah Garrison (with a whopping 68.75 hours!)
- Sudarshan Adhikari
- Valerie Duffy
“FRCC is very proud of our student volunteers and their commitment to serve our community,” said Kevin McFarlane, accounting faculty at FRCC-Westminster. “The program also helps students develop customer service skills, achieve practical, hands-on experience, serve their community and earn college credits.”
In 2019, Tax Help Colorado volunteers around the state prepared more than 6,500 tax returns for taxpayers who received more than $12.1 million in refunds—saving taxpayers $1.8 million in tax preparation fees.
The service is designed to help hard-working families become more financially secure by providing free tax preparation services through a partnership between Front Range Community College and Denver-based Piton Foundation, as part of the Tax Help Colorado program.
Tax preparation in Colorado can cost an average of $265. In addition to getting their taxes done for free, taxpayers may be eligible for valuable, refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit.
Tax preparers are trained to ensure the families they serve get the best refund possible. If a family earned $55,000 or less last year, it’s likely they qualify for the EITC—which can put up to $6,400 back in their pocket for paying bills, taking care of their children, or paying down debt.
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, Brighton, and online. FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System.
About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving 138,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities.
About The Piton Foundation at Gary Community Investments
The Piton Foundation, which is part of Gary Community Investments, is a private foundation established in 1976 by Denver oilman Sam Gary. It is committed to improving the lives of Colorado’s low-income children and their families by increasing access to quality early childhood and youth development opportunities and fostering healthy family and community environments. In addition to investing in creative solutions for Colorado’s low-income children and their families, Piton operates its own programs, including the Shift Research Lab, Tax Help Colorado, and the nation’s largest and longest-running Earned Income Tax Credit Public Information Campaign—Get Ahead Colorado.
