Sherri Harris VICE PRESIDENT AND BRANCH MANAGER, CRENSHAW BRANCH
“The tax help is just one part of it. Our goal is to help them create a roadmap to get them to where they want to be financially.” Sherri Harris Vice President and Branch Manager, Crenshaw branch, California Bank & Trust
Annual taxes are a challenge for all of us, but particularly difficult for many low-to-moderate income citizens in the greater Los Angeles community. That’s why, four years ago, Sherri Harris created and championed a CB&T sponsored program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). Since then, from January
through April of each year, VITA has grown to become a major giving event at her Crenshaw branch and other CB&T branches, offering tax preparation assistance and advice to hundreds, if not thousands, of local, moderate-to-lower-income residents. “It’s just one of the ways that we give back to the community, especially here in the Crenshaw area,” Harris says. “As we’ve learned through the years, tax preparers charge a lot of money to handle the taxes for people who can’t really afford it. Some of them get no tax return whatsoever, so VITA is a resource for them, a way to get their taxes prepared free of charge.” Often, Harris and her team find themselves offering nothing more than good advice to their VITA clientele. “Sometimes, we just sit and talk with them, especially younger people. We teach them about their W-4 forms and withholding issues. We try to educate them on ways to reduce their anxiety about potentially paying
the IRS. We explain to them that they can open a small tax savings account with
us that will be their hedge against any tax liability.” Providing the VITA service to her community requires
a commitment of time and resources, Harris says. “In my branch, I have two employees that go through training each year in order to prepare the taxes for our
clients. All that time that we spend on the training and the program is volunteer time — our own time.”
Importantly, Harris says the VITA program is just one aspect of the financial relationship that she and her team try to build with every client. “The tax help is just one part of it,” she explains. “In that initial conversation we have with a new client, we’re listening to what they tell us they want and need from a banking relationship. Our goal is to help them create a roadmap to get them to where they want to be financially. Whatever comes out of that conversation, we become their trusted advisor to get them from A to Z on their financial journey.”
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 12 | 2022
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