Liberty Law partners with School of Business for the first time to continue offering Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program

The Liberty University School of Law’s longstanding tradition of serving the Lynchburg community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program added a new component this year by partnering with the School of Business’ Center for Financial Literacy.

Liberty Law students have participated in the VITA Program since 2009, offering free services for qualifying individuals. This year’s clinics began Feb. 4 and will run through March 9. In addition to Thursday evenings and Saturdays at the School of Law, sessions are also available on Tuesday evenings at the School of Business.

The service is offered on a first-come, first-served basis; no appointment is necessary. Reservations are encouraged but not required.

“VITA gives all of us involved the opportunity to live out what being at Liberty is about — being the hands and feet of Christ in the real world,” said Liberty Law 3L student Wendilee Walpole, who is overseeing the VITA program this year for Liberty Law.

“Some of my most rewarding and sweetest memories in law school come from my tiny role in helping people through VITA,” she added. “The lives I have been able to touch, from a very recent widow who was reeling from her husband’s death last year and simply had no idea where to even start on her taxes, to an elderly man this year who needed help getting his relief checks and his joy at finally getting that done after trying on his own for almost two years.”

The School of Business’ participation will give students an opportunity to gain valuable, hands-on experience.

“Tax planning is a big part of a holistic financial plan,” senior financial planning student Aiden Bengds said. “I love the opportunity to practice this in a real-life situation.”

“To really take a deep dive into the tax return and understanding the whole tax process and tax planning is really beneficial,” senior finance and financial planning student Michael Jacobson said. “Also, talking to the individual is building that communication skill, and asking strategic questions to fully understand the whole picture on top of the taxes is helpful.”

Assistant Director of the Center for Financial Literacy Eden Deanhardt explained that while there are now two different schools represented at all of the VITA clinics offered, students from both schools are performing the same task.

“Before even stepping foot into a VITA clinic to be a VITA tax preparer, you have to take (IRS required) exams and pass them with a score of 80 percent for each of them,” she said. “All of the students go through the same process, so there’s no difference in the School of Law and School of Business as far as the people they are serving.”

The Center for Financial Literacy is grateful for another avenue to serve the Lynchburg area.

“As a center, our mission is to guide people in anything that covers that financial bubble, and that includes taxes,” Deanhardt said. “This gave us an opportunity to serve the community even more.”

The center offers biblically based financial training for Liberty students and the community. Through education and collaboration, the center helps people integrate a healthy concept of financial stewardship into every facet of life.