Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.

2012 Lifetime of Faith and Service Award

Be a part of something big ... be a VITA volunteer!

Without the assistance of those who support and volunteer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, it could not exist and continue to provide San Antonio’s working families and individuals free tax preparation services.

During 2011, VITA volunteers operated over 26 sites throughout the city and completed more than 37,000 tax returns bringing over $72 million in refunds into the San Antonio community.

VITA training is free, and volunteers can attend training classes or train online through Link & Learn. Through integrated tax return preparation training, volunteers will learn to prepare basic to intermediate tax returns. Convenient training times make it possible for working people to volunteer. Returning volunteers have the option to test out.

The Link & Learn online certifi cation option provides hands-on experience preparing tax returns with software simulation and testing scenarios comparable to the VITA site experience. Volunteers will have the opportunity to practice before tax season using the “practice lab” feature.

VITA also offers many volunteer incentives, including a referral bonus (a $25 gift card) for every five people recruited, trained, and assigned to a VITA site. Volunteers also receive perks throughout the 13-week tax season and an invitation to the annual VITA volunteer appreciation dinner.

Available VITA volunteer opportunities include: tax preparers (provide basic tax preparation for eligible taxpayers); greeters/ intake specialists (provide support to clients and volunteers); and volunteer trainers and mentors (returning volunteers only).

There are various VITA training locations located throughout San Antonio with weekday and weekend training schedules available. Volunteers can choose among the following schedules: a 32-hour weekday training over four consecutive days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (lunch provided); a 16-hour training session over four consecutive weeknights from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (dinner provided); and a 16-hour training session over two Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day (lunch provided).

VITA volunteers must be available to serve a minimum of two hours per week from mid-January through April.

Volunteers go above and beyond to serve incapacitated seniors

For the past eight years, Catholic Charities Guardianship Services & Money Management Program has honored its dedicated volunteers during a special recognition luncheon. This past year the luncheon was held on Sept. 29 at the Bright Shawl.

The Guardianship Services & Money Management Program staff, along with more than 80 volunteers, was joined by past and present Catholic Charities board members, community partners from the Alamo Area Council of Governments, Bexar County Probate Courts, the Community Justice Program, Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, United Way, WellMed, WellCare, Amerigroup, the Fourth Court of Appeals, and many other supporters who believe in the mission and effectiveness of these programs.

Program director Monica Bonilla began the ceremony by welcoming and thanking everyone involved in the program for their commitment and support of the programs. The Honorable Justice Sandee Bryan Marion of the Fourth Court of Appeals was the keynote speaker.

Catholic Charities President/ CEO Steve Saldaña spoke about the unique services these two programs offer the community. After the presentations, special recognition was given to three volunteers who went above and beyond the call of service this past year.

This year, volunteers for the Guardianship Services court monitoring program visited over 1,050 vulnerable individuals who lack the mental capacity due to age, illness or disability to care for themselves and who are at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
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Mission

The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide for the needs of our community through selfless service under the sign of love. We are committed to empowering individuals and families in our community and beyond with the goal of fostering independence.

Catholic Charities raises funds, awareness for refugees

Refugee Resettlement Program Catholic Charities Refugee Services held its ninth annual International Gala Oct. 29 at the Omni Hotel. The funds raised from the event will be used to support refugee families resettled in San Antonio by U.S. Department of State Programs.

Dr. Carmen Tafolla, one of the most anthologized of Latina writers, was the keynote speaker for the gala. Dr. Tafolla’s keynote address emphasized the importance of what it means to have “respeto,” or respect, for our fellow human beings, regardless of their appearance, cultural background or language they speak.

Throughout her speech, Tafolla introduced gala attendees to a number of colorful characters, each a symbol of cultural diversity. Tafolla altered her wardrobe onstage to transform into “Tere” (pronounced “te-re”), a Spanishspeaking first-grader with pigtails and blue jeans, who was told by her teacher that she needed to pronounce her name “Terry.” She then pulled her hair up into a bun, put on some reading glasses and hunched over to become 94-yearold “Señora Maria Francisca Vaca Gonzalez Montoya de Lujan.”

When told that her name did not fi t on the name line of a survey, she refused to limit her last names to one. Proud of the ancestral lineage that each name represented, conforming was not an option for this wise old lady.

Though immigrants and refugees are different from each other, they share many similarities. Through her words and performance, Tafolla was able to convey to the audience the challenges refugee children and adults face when they arrive here in the United States to start a new and very unfamiliar life. Read more...