Tax time will be here before we know it, so now's the time to prepare
Once again, that tax-time clock is ticking. It means there are fewer than 12 weeks left to get all of your canceled checks, records and receipts together.
These days, millions of taxpayers are filing their income tax returns from home or office computers. But what if you don't have a computer, or you can't figure out how to navigate those electronic forms?
For Huntley-area seniors, help is on the way, says Arvid Shah. Again this year, the Sun City resident will coordinate the AARP Tax-Aide program, from Feb. 12 through April 15 in the downstairs meeting room at Citizens Bank, 12010 Regency Parkway, Huntley.
Shah and four more volunteers will be on hand Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., to help taxpayers complete their forms and file their returns. The service is free for low-(under $50,000) or middle- income ($50,000-$60,000) seniors, Shah said. No reservation is required and you don't need to be an AARP member.
"It's a first-come, first-served basis," he told me, "but if people can't wait and have to come back later, we try to take them first. We do the electronic filing free of charge."
Last year, the local Tax Aide site served over 300 people from Huntley, Marengo, Hampshire, and Lake in the Hills, Shah said:
"Most who come in are middle-income, but if they have a lot of real estate or a small business of their own, then we send them to the professionals."
For Tax Aide details or to learn about volunteering, call Shah at (847) 669-6228.
Support the library: While organizing those receipts, it's not too soon for you to start thinking about next year's taxes, and get on start on that New Year's resolution. You know the one -- that promise you made to "be a better person" this year?
One of the best things you can do is to support your local library, says Virginia Maravilla, Huntley Area Public Library director.
"We're a 501c3 not-for-profit, so most donations are tax-exempt," she told me earlier this week.
In a recent news release, the space-strapped library encouraged patrons to help bolster its building fund, and to see whether their employer will match their donation.
Many companies do offer matching grants for donations that their employees make to local charities. That can double the impact of your gift, Maravilla says, and it directs those funds to your own local community.
After four years of intensive fundraising efforts by staff members and volunteers, the Huntley library still needs more help to finance an addition to the current building. Due to lack of space, many programs and special events are held in other locations because there is no room for them in the main library, Maravilla said.
So far, staff members and volunteers have raised a combined total of $90,000 toward the building project.
More space is needed soon, since library patronage continues to grow rapidly. To learn more about tax-deductible donations, contact Leigh Ann Porsch at (847) 669-5386, ext. 35, or visit the library at 11000 Ruth Road.
Hawaii in Huntley: Those wacky Friends of the Huntley Area Public Library are at it again. They've found a way to warm up your winter and celebrate the start of Library Lovers' Month -- Hawaiian Style!
The public is invited to a free open house -- the Library Lovers' Luau -- from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 1, at the old village hall, 11704 Coral St. in downtown Huntley. The family-style fun (for ages 3 and older) includes Hawaiian-style stories, and activities and crafts with a Hawaiian-style luau theme.
The festivities also feature a live performance by hula dancers from the Barefoot Hawaiian dance troupe, who will teach patrons the art of Polynesian dance. There is no charge to attend, and light refreshments will be served.
Visitors may drop by anytime during the two-hour party, but organizers ask that you register in advance at the children's room desk, to let them know how many to expect. This week, children can create decorations for the event by picking up tropical coloring sheets at the library, and returning them by Jan. 30.