United Way hosting virtual talk on free tax preparation

United Way of Greater Lorain County is hosting its next Community Chat from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m., Jan. 26, which will feature a discussion about how the agency engages volunteers and community partners to prepare and file nearly 2,000 tax returns for lowand moderate-income families each year.

The event will be formatted as a conversation facilitated by United Way’s marketing and engagement director Ashley Renée Hampson, during which volunteers and representatives from community partners will discuss how they got involved in the initiative and the impact they see it have on the community, according to a news release from United Way.

They also will share updates on how the services will follow social distancing and other safety guidelines as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the release said.

The event will be live and broadcast on the agency’s YouTube Channel (@uwlorcty), where viewers will have the opportunity to submit questions to be answered by the panelists.

The tax preparation services and volunteer certification is made available through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

United Way of Lorain County leads the Lorain County Free Tax Prep Coalition, which have included AARP Tax-Aide, Chemical Bank, Lorain Income Tax Department, Elyria Public Library System, IRS SPEC, Legal Aid Society

of Cleveland, Lorain Public Library System, Ohio Means Jobs, PNC Bank and the Salvation Army in Sandusky.

To register for this free virtual event, visit uwloraincounty.org/ vita-chat. For more information about tax preparation services and schedule an appointment, call 211 or 800-275-6106. Appointments begin Feb. 2.