College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted its annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program during the spring semester, which helped prepare over 200 individual income tax returns over three months. More than 10 CWI students and graduates took part in the volunteer program hosted at CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building and Ada County Campus Pintail Center. The service provided a savings of more than $51,500 based on average return cost by the internal revenue service.
In addition to providing a community service, the program also offers CWI students an opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience. The program was led by Assistant Professors Joe Welker and Michel Boldt. Volunteers included Lisa Farnam, Christopher Henderson, Wade Aldridge, Marcie Pyorie, Debora Golling, Ronald (Mark) Smith, Juan Garatea-Bollar, Terri Sullivan, Diana Devorce, and Kory Knight.