Martha got her taxes done for free this year.

Through Claim It!, a United Way partnership, qualified working families can get free tax preparation and advice.

In 2001, Martha became a homeowner and dealt with everything that goes along with homeownership: property taxes, deductions, exemptions, etc.  Like many people, she was overwhelmed and intimidated about her taxes and paid a lot of money—money she didn’t really have—for someone else to prepare them.

Martha's income level qualified her for free tax preparation and she was pleasantly surprised to get a large refund. She said the Claim It! volunteers were friendly, professional and helpful and she felt "so comfortable" asking questions about her tax forms.

"My annual refund is now a steady part of my income," Martha said, who works at United Way partner agency, Family & Children's Service. She spends her professional day helping people as a Family Life Education Specialist.

Martha also spends her personal day helping others: she's made four referrals to Claim It!  She said her goal is "to make sure hard-working people don’t get taken advantage of during a stressful situation."

United Way’s Agenda for Lasting Change focuses on 10 measurable goals in our three focus areas: Meeting Basic Needs, Supporting Health and Independence and Nurturing Children and Families. One goal is improving the financial stability of 40,000 individuals by 2009.

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