MCC Volunteer Tax Clinic Helping County Residents

McHenry County College accounting instructor Ann Esarco’s passion for tax preparation is helping nearly 600 people a year. 

As coordinator of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic, a free tax assistance clinic for low-income individuals and families, she ensures that people receive their fair share of a refund and, at the same time, makes sure others are not taking advantage the system.

“We stand between the money and the taxpayer,” Esarco said. “Some people think they’re entitled to a large refund based on the earned income tax credit, when they really don’t qualify on all points.”

In its sixth year, the tax clinic is open three hours a day on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings in Room A102 at the Crystal Lake campus. Esarco and a team of 15 community volunteers, six accounting students and a paid site manager, staff the clinic.

The volunteers are CPA’s, stockbrokers, and healthcare workers. One volunteer is 80-years-old and has been a longtime volunteer. All of the volunteers must become VITA-certified and pass an ethics test, a law test and a basic tax preparation test.

This year, they prepare about 30-45 returns a day, which is twice as many as last year. The increase is due to the bad economy, which has resulted in many people losing their jobs and facing foreclosure or have already had their homes taken away.

“I am passionate about tax preparation and we want to help the community,” she said, adding that the clinic originally was run by the Center for Economic Progress for the first four years. “When they stopped running it, we decided to take it over.”

Benefits Qualified Residents Earning $50,000 or Below

Some clients who come in are living in difficult situations.

Esarco recalls one woman who cried tears of joy because she found out she was getting a tax refund. It was the only positive thing that happened to her that day, Esarco said.

“She had gone through her two kids’ savings and found out she was going to get a tax refund,” Esarco said.

Jenni Evans of Capron has been has been coming to the free tax clinic for four or five years. Before that, she used to pay a fee to have her taxes done at another place.

“I work full time as a teacher’s assistant,” Evans said. “If I could get free tax preparation, that’s better for me. The staff is helpful and I recognize the same volunteers through the years. It’s nice to see some of the same volunteer faces.”

For more information, contact Esarco at 815-455-8744.