EUGENE, Ore. — It’s 2 p.m. on the second Sunday in February, and tax season is underway at the Oregon State University Extension office in Lane County.
All six stations set up by Oregon State University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program are full. On one side of each small table sits a trained volunteer tax preparer. Across from them are community members who made appointments to have their taxes prepared and filed for free.
Among the volunteers is Amelia Ostrander, who is interning with the program while earning class credit toward her associate’s degree in accounting at Lane Community College.
“It’s really a cool experience, because I’ve never worked one-on-one with people before,” Ostrander said. “I enjoy helping people. It’s great experience.”
Since she joined VITA, Ostrander has completed about a half-dozen returns. Asked whether it feels good when households receive refunds, she didn’t hesitate.
“100%,” she said.
For many working families, tax season brings uncertainty. The forms can be complex. Professional preparation can be expensive. For households already managing tight budgets, mistakes can carry real consequences.
That is where VITA comes in.
VITA is an IRS initiative that trains and certifies volunteers to provide free tax preparation services to low-income individuals and families. At Oregon State, the program began in 2021 as a student-led effort housed in the College of Business, conducting appointments on the OSU campus in Corvallis.
In 2023, OSU VITA received a state grant to expand its reach, with an ambitious goal of increasing completed tax returns from about 150 to 2,000 annually.
Reaching that goal required more than tax expertise. It required community trust.
“We needed a partner,” said Shelly Krehbiel, who manages OSU VITA in the College of Business. “We needed someone with a shared vision and established trust in the communities we wanted to serve.”
That partner was the Oregon State University Extension Service.
Why OSU Extension was the right partner
Extension offices are embedded in communities across Oregon and are known for their accessible, research-based programs. In Lane County, Extension provided a welcoming facility in Eugene, strong local leadership support and connections to community organizations serving residents who qualify for free tax assistance.
Krehbiel said the partnership was built around four principles: respect, ask, listen and act.
OSU VITA brought expertise in tax law, volunteer training and program operations. Extension brought deep knowledge of the local community and trusted relationships with residents. Recognizing and honoring those distinct strengths was essential to launching the pilot site in Lane County.
Students lead the work
Planning began in spring 2024 with meetings between the College of Business and Extension staff in Lane County. Over the following months, the team worked through logistics, including scheduling, information systems, volunteer management and marketing.
Careful alignment was necessary to ensure consistency in branding, communications, data security and volunteer practices.
By February 2025, the office was ready to begin serving clients.
OSU VITA is driven largely by students, who develop and deliver training, coordinate volunteers and manage day-to-day operations. That model translated well to campus-based services, Krehbiel said, but working in the community required adjustments.
Community volunteers bring different experiences than students. Client needs vary. Space and scheduling considerations differ from a campus setting.
Listening to Extension staff proved especially important. At one point, Denise Ashley, then the administrative office manager for the Extension office, suggested offering appointments on Sundays, when the facility was available and clients might have fewer work conflicts.
The team adopted the idea. Sunday quickly became the most popular booking day.
Early results and the impact on families
In its pilot year in Lane County, the program completed 100 tax returns with five volunteers. The individuals served had an average income of about $28,000.
For many, refunds and credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit can represent a meaningful financial boost. Krehbiel described some refunds as life-changing for families navigating housing, transportation or other essential expenses.
Beyond the numbers, she said, the most powerful outcomes were human.
Volunteers saw clients arrive anxious and leave relieved. Community members learned about other Extension programs available in the building. Some clients referred family members and friends, expanding the program’s reach through word of mouth.
A model for community-based service
The experience also provides applied learning for students. By completing IRS certification and working directly with clients, students gain practical training in tax preparation, communication and ethical responsibility. They also see firsthand how public service connects to financial well-being.
Interest in volunteering has grown rapidly. Krehbiel said volunteer interest is up 500% year over year. The Lane County site aims to increase appointments and reach 300 completed returns this year while building additional partnerships in the community.
For OSU Extension, the collaboration reinforces its role as a community hub — a place where residents can access reliable information, practical services and connections to other resources.
For the College of Business, the partnership demonstrates how student-led initiatives can scale through community collaboration.
And for families in Lane County, the impact is immediate and tangible: accurate returns filed at no cost, refunds claimed and confidence restored.
As tax season returns each year, the partnership between OSU VITA and Extension offers something simple but powerful — clarity in a complicated system and a reminder that public institutions can work together to meet everyday needs.
