- July 14, 2025
The Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties began offering free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance preparation in 2005, making 2025 the 20th year of providing these services to Flagler and Volusia Counties.
Several current VITA volunteers have over 20 years of volunteer experience providing tax preparation, according to a press release. Since the first year, over 44,000 tax returns have been prepared resulting in over $50 million in refunds.
As the 2024-2025 tax season ends, the VITA program provided by CF UWVFC has completed $1,789,736 in tax refunds. In total, the VITA program transmitted over 2,100 federal returns.
“I've been doing this for about 14 years,” said Michelle Bennett, VITA site coordinator at Grace Episcopal Church in Port Orange. “We deal with a lot of older people, and they look forward to it every year. They’re comfortable with us. And they can't afford to go to a tax service to do their taxes.”
CF UWVFC credits the program's success to its over 100 volunteers, who have dedicated more than 5,100 hours to VITA, which can also help the ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constraint Employed) population.
“The VITA program and our VITA volunteers do more than just taxes. They're supporting people in their time of need,” said Courtney Edgcomb, president and CEO of the Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties. “They're helping them sort through some of life's biggest obstacles, and they're providing a listening ear for people when they need it the most. We can't do any of this without our VITA volunteers.”
CF UWVFC thanked the following site locations and their volunteers:
