Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) has been part of the University of Denver community for over 30 years. In that time, DU VITA has assisted thousands of low-income clients file their income taxes. Clients include members of the DU community and low-income families from the Denver Metro area.
Christine Kuglin
Sharon Lassar
Sharon Lassar, director of the School of Accountancy, is proud of the opportunity VITA provides for accounting and law students to learn how to run a professional services firm. When Christine Kuglin volunteered to lead the program, Lassar jumped at the opportunity to reinstate VITA, which had been suspended during the pandemic.
Christine Kuglin, director of the Truth in Accounting program, has been involved with VITA since 2013. She leads volunteers from both Daniels College of Business and the Sturm College of Law. Previously, Kuglin served as the VITA coordinator and instructor at MSU Denver, and also as the department chair at Eastern Washington University, where she opened a VITA site during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two students help Kuglin run the program as co-coordinators. Nicole Lazzeri is a law student volunteer from the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). Tom Kononov, a Daniels students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in applied quantitative finance, is the co-coordinator representing accounting student volunteers. When asking the team why they volunteer each of them had this to say:
Tom Konorov: “As part of my role as VP of professional development of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), this activity directly aligns with BAP’s goal of professional enrichment opportunities to prospective accounting professionals. The VITA program had been in steady decline through the COVID era, and this year I was asked to step up and take an active role in steering both BAP and VITA. In my role, I was asked to coordinate a concerted and unified effort with various programs to raise a qualified, dedicated and reliable volunteer network. Personally, I volunteer because of an interest in learning more about taxation, with a potential focus on corporate tax and litigation in the future! Overall, this is a great opportunity to practice tax knowledge and demonstrate your skills in an applicable capacity that benefits the community.”
Nicole Lazzeri: “I got involved through the LITC. Once I heard that Christine was going to make VITA happen this year, I reached out to ask if I could be of any help. Since Christine is doing this purely as a volunteer, it was a great fit for me to be able to help her.”
This year, more than 50 dedicated volunteers are contributing their time and expertise to make this initiative a success. DU faculty and professionals from accounting firms are also volunteering. To further increase accessibility, the program offers multilingual support, including assistance in Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and certain Arabic languages, ensuring more individuals can receive the help they need. DU VITA is the only program in the state that is currently providing free services for international students.
The VITA program runs through March 15, offering free tax preparation assistance to eligible individuals and families ($67,000 or less of income). By leveraging the combined resources of its academic and community partnerships, Daniels aims to provide not only essential tax services but also empower the local community through financial literacy and education, reinforcing its mission to serve the public good.
For more information or to sign up for assistance, please visit https://denverbap.com/vita_program/