Touro Law’s VITA Program Benefits Community Members

For the third consecutive year, Touro Law Center students have participated in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Through the program, sponsored by the United States Internal Revenue Service and overseen by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, students were trained as volunteers to offer free tax help to low- to moderate-income community members who cannot prepare their own tax returns.

This year, the students prepared 92 Federal and State tax returns, helping to secure $22,148 in Earned Income Tax Credit, $8,615 in Total Child Tax Credit, $7,055 in Total Education Credit and $88,245 in total returns for community members.

“Our students have done great work in performing a truly valuable service for community members. I am particularly pleased to report that many of these clients would not have been able to obtain the amount of money they did without our help. These refunds are important to them as they are low-to moderate-income families,” said Thomas Maligno, Director of Public Service and Executive Director of the William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center at Touro Law. “This program is a wonderful example of collaboration between dedicated students and local business working together for the benefit of the local community.”

This year Touro Law Center was a designated VITA site. Students worked out of the law school and offices at Bethpage Federal Credit Union to assist community members.

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Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s 185,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning model for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law, which has a student body of approximately 750 and an alumni base of more than 5,000, offers full- and part-time J.D. programs, several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.

About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, and Florida. Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro College Los Angeles and Touro University Worldwide as separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/media/.