Meet Jenny Sangpolsit, VITA Volunteer

VITA Volunteers and Jenny (bottom center)

Since 2016, Jenny Sangpolsit has been a volunteer with EBALDC’s VITA program, helping individuals of all ages from students to seniors with their tax preparations. “When I started volunteering it was so much fun,” said Jenny. “And the EBALDC volunteer coordinator was so right – doing hands-on tax returns really helps to understand tax law.’”  

Managed by the Internal Revenue Service, the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program offers free tax help to people who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. EBALDC’s VITA program provides tax services in multiple languages including Arabic, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Spanish, and Vietnamese. In 2022, nearly 70 volunteers prepared over 870 returns and secured over $1.4 million in refunds for the local community, returning over $26M back to communities since it started in 2006.

Jenny began volunteering as a tax preparer after EBALDC presented at her college tax class. While accounting and finance experience is not necessary to be a VITA volunteer, Jenny said that she’s “heard of more than one volunteer who so excelled in the VITA program that they were able to land jobs as a financial rep and accounting advisor.” In fact, some VITA volunteers have secured work in well-known accounting firms and many have eventually worked for EBALDC, including Matt Matusiewicz, EBALDC’s current Development & Volunteer Coordinator. Jenny interned at EBALDC’s Accounting Department and eventually transitioned into UC San Francisco’s financial operations team. She is now a Senior Volunteer with EBALDC’s VITA program which includes quality reviewing all tax returns.

VITA Volunteers

EBALDC’s VITA program runs from the last week in January through the end of the tax season. EBALDC’s three centers are located at the Asian Resource Center in Oakland’s Chinatown, the affordable housing complex Lion Creek Crossings near the Coliseum BART, and the 81st Avenue Branch Library in East Oakland. Volunteers’ hours are typically scattered during Tuesday-Sunday when EBALDC’s three centers are open. It can get busy, with as many as 12 clients’ taxes processed per hour with approximately 16 volunteers on site.

But that busyness fosters a strong sense of community among VITA volunteers and clients. “We had a lady who was just so happy after we did her taxes that she came back an hour later with a big variety pack of snacks, like Cheetos,” shared Jenny. “Our mentor said, ‘oh no, we can’t accept any gifts.’ Not to be deterred, the lady put the snacks on the floor, said she would be right back, went to use the restroom, and never returned.”

“Yes, we ate the snacks.” 

Interested in becoming a VITA Volunteer? Contact Matt Matusiewicz to learn more at mmatusiewicz@ebaldc.org or click here to sign up.