Many low to moderate income individuals and families lack the financial literacy to survive because they don’t have the assets or income to obtain professional assistance. Because of this, they are often taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. I wanted to use my education and my life’s experiences to help these people to be financially and economically self-sufficient and not be taken advantage of.
The Fremont Family Resources Center (FRC), in Fremont, CA provided me the opportunities to do this through their many programs to help people become economically self-sufficient. Through their VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, I am able to help people with their tax returns and discover if they are facing hardships. If yes, I can provide informal recommendations or link them with programs that may help them.
I am also given opportunities that enhance me personally… opportunities to teach, to improve processes, to help develop new programs, to represent and speak on the behalf of the FRC, to meet people and develop new friendships, recruit volunteers and help ensure the volunteers’ experience is meaningful and relevant.
Not only is the work challenging and satisfying. You get much praise from staff, volunteers, customers and the community. The people you serve are appreciative and grateful that you were there to help them. You touch lives. They remember you.
Three of my customers stand out in the appreciation they have expressed to me. First, there was a couple who had their house foreclosed on and lost practically everything during the Great Recession. They didn’t know that they didn’t have to report their canceled mortgage debt as income, due to a law called the Mortgage Forgiveness Act, and I helped them understand this. I also advised the husband about his social security and helped him enroll online for his benefits.
The second is a mother with two disabled daughters. She was receiving payments from the state to care for her daughters. I reviewed her tax return and discovered an error and we were able to increase her refund tremendously. The mother and the daughters were so happy. Every year since, when they see me, I get a big smile.
The third is a recently-divorced single mother with a child. When she came to get her taxes done, she was worried about taking on responsibility for the family finances, which her ex-husband had always done. She also didn’t know what to do with the accounts that were part of the divorce settlement. I advised her to take some financial literacy classes given by a local opportunity center, and I reviewed the accounts so she understood the risks in each investment. She felt relieved and grateful and gave me a big hug.
What I’d like the world to know is that we older workers have wisdom, skills and experiences that can shape people’s lives, and improve organizations and communities. We are patient and can instill confidence in people. We can do great things when given the chance.