Volunteer makes doing taxes stress-free for seniors
When Julie Wright resigned from her part-time position with a certified public accounting firm, she decided she would share her time and talents with the seniors who take advantage of the programs and facilities offered at the Arlington Heights Senior Center.
Wright describes herself as a "professional volunteer." "Volunteering gets me out of the house; I love being with people and I enjoy what I do," she said.
Wright has been teaching the Rules of the Road class at the center since 1988. The purpose of the class is to relieve anxiety for seniors who need to renew their driver's license. During the class, she reviews the material contained on the written exam and the vision testing.
"My greatest pleasure is when a student comes up to me and says that they passed the test, and all was fine - many times with 100 percent on the written test," she said.
Basic computer classes sponsored by the Arlington Heights Library are also offered at the center, and Wright has been one of the volunteer instructors for at least 10 years.
Wright explained that the classes provide a non-threatening environment allowing students to learn how to use a computer so they can e-mail their grandchildren, search the Web and send Christmas letters to friends and family.
Income tax counseling is another service provided for the elderly as a joint effort by AARP and the IRS; Wright prepares income tax returns for seniors at the center. In addition, for the last three years she's been training other volunteers to do tax returns.
The service relieves a lot of seniors' tension connected with preparing income tax returns. It also saves them money, as it's a free program for low-income seniors, Wright added.
Karen Hansen, manager, Arlington Heights Senior Center, said she is proud of the hours of service contributed by Wright, and all the volunteers, who make such a tremendous contribution to the many programs and services that are offered at the center.
"Julie and her husband are very active at the senior center, and they both prepare income tax returns for the seniors. Julie participated in, and did data-entry work, for the first senior center needs assessment survey that was done in 1993, as part of the planning for our present facility," Hansen said.
Wright also belongs to a crochet group that makes baby afghans for the Preserving Human Dignity organization, lap robes for the Shriners' Children's Hospital and is an active member of Southminster Presbyterian Church.
She was born in Great Falls, Mont., and while living in the Philippines, as a child, she and her parents spent three years and one month in a prisoner of war camp during World War II.
She and her husband, Don, have two sons, Jim and Ed; and two grandchildren. Wright has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and loves to travel. Her travels have taken her to 73 countries, and she is looking forward to increasing that number.