Sister Volunteers Help Their Neighbors at Tax Time

In the small town of Culpeper, Virginia, sisters Carolyn Davis, 75, and Charlotte Turner, 73, spread joy for and with their neighbors during one of the most stressful times of the year: tax season. They volunteer with AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, the largest free, volunteer-run tax preparation assistance program in the country.

As Tax-Aide volunteers, part of helping involves countering the anxiety many taxpayers feel with calm. Charlotte explains: "People are afraid of having their taxes done. We just try to make it OK to go through the process, and tell them, you might get money back, you might not, but just don't worry about it."

Carolyn started with Tax-Aide about 15 years ago. Before that, she worked as a paid tax preparer but wasn't happy charging people for a service they were required by law to complete. "I saw an ad in my magazine to be a volunteer," she recalls. She began as a greeter, then became a counselor (tax preparer), and eventually a local coordinator.

Carolyn, the local coordinator for the Culpeper site, helps a taxpayer.

As coordinator, Carolyn manages the whole operation. "You find the site, you find the people, and you get the people trained," she explains. She rarely prepares taxes herself anymore, focusing instead on making sure everything runs smoothly.

Charlotte joined the team a few years back after working as a hair stylist before retiring. She had always loved the people side of her job and found the same joys as a volunteer. The sisters work well together, with Charlotte handling appointments and Carolyn managing the volunteers.  "I really enjoy greeting people and keeping the room organized," Charlotte says. And they always keep things light. "I have my way of doing things, then I check with Carolyn and say, “You got a problem with that?’” Charlotte jokes, nudging her older sister.

Both sisters find the work rewarding. They get to know the people they help, creating connections that last from year to year. "Every year I look forward to when they call for their appointment," Charlotte says. "I'm like, How you been all year?' It's sort of like a whole family."

Sometimes helping their neighbors goes beyond their taxes. Carolyn recalls a 90-year-old woman whose filing wasn’t going smoothly. "We filed her return electronically, and it came back rejected.” It didn’t take long before the team discovered that somebody had already filed taxes using her Social Security number, and that her identity had been stolen. It was the first she knew about it, and they were able to help her take the steps to set things right.

Carolyn has assembled a great team of volunteers, several of them in their 70s and 80s, including Jim Silk, 84, who used to work for a large professional tax preparation company that charges for its services. He much prefers volunteering with Tax-Aide, which he’s been doing for eight years. “The training’s better,” he says, noting that Tax-Aide’s annual training and recertification by the IRS keep him fully equipped. “When I come in here on day one, I really know what I'm doing and I'm better able to help people.”

Meanwhile, the sisters are always looking to recruit more volunteers. “She’s a very good recruiter,” says Charlotte about her big sister. “We’re getting volunteers because –” and then Carolyn completes the sentence, “because we make it look fun, so people want to join the party!”

And that’s what keeps them and their loyal cadre of volunteers coming back, year after year. Charlotte sums things up: "There's times where I'll come home and I'll complain to my husband about something that happened. And he says, 'Why do you do it?' And I say, ‘Because I love it.’”

Learn more about AARP Foundation Tax-Aide and how to become a Tax-Aide Volunteer.

Read more stories about how our programs have helped people find hope, and about the volunteers who give so much of themselves to help others.