Fred Phail finds his work as an Earned Income Tax Credit
Initiative (EITC) volunteer tax preparer gratifying.
Though Fred retired about seven years ago as an Engineer at Intel, his life is anything but boring. Six years ago, he read an article that opened his eyes to ways he could spend his time doing "good." He signed up to become a tax preparer for the Tempe EITC Initiative. Throughout the years Fred has worked at each site and feels he has grown with the program.
Fred recalled the early days of the program when the computers and software were evolving and often not working. At that time EITC sites were located at Escalante Senior Center and the Arizona Mills Mall. Now the preparers serve clients at Tempe Schools Credit Union (TSCU), a space generously donated. There, the computers are newer and TSCU Information Technology personnel are at hand.
Fred enjoys working with the clients and improving his people skills. For some clients, getting their taxes done and receiving the earned income tax credit is a life changing experience, Fred explained.
One of the things that makes Tempe such a progressive community is the optimism of it's people and businesses to be involved and invested.
To learn about the varied opportunities available to volunteer with the Earned Income Tax Initiative please visit us at
http://www.tempe.gov/tcc/taxhelp
An involved person, Martha is attending college to get her Master's in Forensic Accounting. She also works as an Administrative Assistant at Midway Chevrolet. Asked why she took on so much, Martha replied that she enjoys preparing taxes for EITC. She said the training she received was very helpful. Pointers like 'don't rush the process,' and 'clients need to feel comfortable to reduce their anxiety' have helped her while helping others. Martha also commented on the great camaraderie that exists among fellow volunteers. "If you have a question, someone will help you," Martha said. 
Over 250 people filled the audience at Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) in April to watch the Tempe Youth Showcase. Tempe teens produced the event with support from Communities In Schools of Tempe & Kyrene Project Director Lynette Stonefeld. The teens worked for three months learning every aspect of producing a community event, including: working with media, creating a sponsorship program determining the theme, creating the performance guidelines, auditioning the acts, laying out the show and doing all the technical work the day of the show. 80 young people between the ages of 6 and 18 were featured in the show. There was no cost to participants or attendees, though donations were accepted.
