Wan Wan (both her first and last name are the same) is an energetic and super organized volunteer who juggles working at KCR as the united against discrimination coordinator, owning her own business Hansen鈥檚 Classic Pizza and being a CASI certified level 1 snowboard instructor.
Wan鈥檚 positive attitude, coordination skills and commitment to community made her the perfect volunteer to lead the Canada Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) at KCR Community Resources helping people file their income taxes.
Wan and her group of diverse volunteers are back and ready to help people who have simple tax returns file their taxes, not only for 2023 but for previous years also.
鈥淲e are one of the few clinics that can file past year taxes. This is especially important for individuals or families that are behind in their filings,鈥� explained Wan. 鈥淭hey may not be receiving the benefits that they are eligible for, increasing their stress and vulnerability.
鈥淲orking along side the amazingly compassionate CVITP volunteers is what motivates me to stay involved.
鈥淜nowing that we could possibly help someone to get back on their feet by sorting out their tax problems is important.
鈥淲e want our community to be sustainable and every person counts.鈥�
The CVITP volunteers are incredible and help sort everything out and help to get the participant鈥檚 taxes back on track.
The CVITP team includes over 25 volunteers from very diverse cultural and professional backgrounds 鈥� all together they speak over 10 languages. While some volunteers are accounting professionals, some are local residents who just want to help.
鈥淚 found myself not a fan of taxes on the technical part,鈥� laughed Wan. 鈥淗owever, I like the process of helping the clients navigate through the basic steps and provide tips on what they should prepare for their tax filing.
鈥淚n 2022, when it was safe to meet in person again, we recognized that some of the measures we had to take during COVID-19 made our services more accessible to clients with different abilities and allowed volunteers to work at flexible hours around their own busy schedule.
鈥淭he volunteers even worked through non-tax season to help clients catch up with past-due taxes. We are excited to have the full clinic up and running and continuing to offer support to the community.鈥�
The volunteers find it a very rewarding role making a significant impact on the health and well-being of tose being helped.
鈥淰olunteering helps you with growing your roots in the community,鈥� said Wan.
鈥淚t makes you feel better physically and mentally without you realizing it. It鈥檚 through serving others that we find our own path.鈥�
鈥淭here are many volunteers who are going extra miles to help strangers in the way they are capable of. It鈥檚 amazing.
鈥淚 know of a volunteer who was a cancer patient and volunteered during their treatment and recovery phase.
鈥淚 know for me, volunteering makes me understand and see society from a different perspective.鈥�
To learn more about the tax clinic and the possibility of having the volunteers help you with your return, contact the team at incometax@kcr.ca or call 250-763-8008.
Dorothee Birker is the communications & development manager for KCR Community Resources. Call 250-763-8008, ext. 254 or email dorothee@kcr.ca.
