New Brunswick Center Saves Students Money

Middlesex County College’s New Brunswick Center has teamed up with Emanuel Community Development Corporation (ECDC) to offer several free tax preparation programs from Jan 1 through April 15. ECDC funds the program as well as runs it with the help of over 100 volunteers, said Patty Fox, Executive Director of ECDC.
“Evelyn Rosa agreed to host our program at the center. We have been offering this particular program at the over there [the New Brunswick Center] for the last four years,” said Fox.
The mission on the ECDC program is to strengthen low-income families and individuals enhancing their financial security, which is why these services are offered at the college, said Fox. The ECDC program not only offers free tax preparation, but also the opportunity to complete training to become a tax preparer, said Fox. Once students become a tax preparer they can then offer their help to others on campus and even volunteer with the ECDC program, said Fox.
“We provide our volunteers a minimum of 10 hours of tax law training and then those volunteers complete tax returns for low wage earners during individual tax prep appointments,” said Fox
The program focuses on increasing knowledge of personal financial management and engaging in specific change that contributes to financial stability, said Fox. The free tax preparation service is offered to all students and community members. All that is required is to call and make an appointment, said Fox.
“The financial mentoring involves assessment of the clients current level of financial knowledge and habits, helping clients identify personal or family goals and creating individual savings plans to help clients achieve there financial goals,” said Fox.
Within the last three years the tax program has saved countless families thousands of dollars, said Fox. In 2006 ECDC volunteers completed 55 free tax returns helping to bring back into the community $72,000 in refunds, said Fox. In 2007 206 tax returns were completed bringing back $239,000 in refunds and in 2008 589 tax returns were completed bringing back $534,169 in refunds into the community, said Fox.
Although these numbers are impressive 2009 has been by far the most successful year, said Evelyn Rosa, director of the New Brunswick Center. In the five months that the program ran this year ECDC volunteers completed 642 tax returns, which brought back a record $758,000 of refunds into the community, said Fox.
“We definitely plan to continue the program and hopefully get the word out to more students. It’s important to know that there are things like this offered for free,” said Rosa, “It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of what we offer here at the New Brunswick Center.”