Our Mission

The Coalition of Community Assistance Volunteers, Inc. (CCAV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was created in 2002 to help low income residents of the South Plains become more financially self-sufficient.  To accomplish this goal, CCAV takes a multi-faceted approach which includes:

Assistance
CCAV provides FREE income tax preparation and e-filing services through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.  Volunteers are trained by CCAV and the IRS in order to prepare income tax returns according to IRS guidelines.  This enables income-eligible persons to receive every penny of the refunds to which they are legally entitled.

Education
CCAV partners with other local non-profit organizations to provide financial literacy workshops which educate tax refund recipients about investing - rather than simply spending - their money in ways that will help them become more financially self-sufficient.

Advocacy
CCAV partners with the Low Income Tax Clinic conducted by Texas Tech University's School of Law.  The Tax Clinic assists income eligible persons with issues such as obtaining tax credits and/or refunds to which they are entitled, but which others have received by inappropriately claiming their children as dependents, etc.

 

Our History

During the past 9 tax seasons, CCAV volunteers prepared a total of more than 22,000 income tax returns for income-eligible residents of the South Plains which resulted in refunds totaling more than $26 million.  Assuming each of these taxpayers would have paid $150 to have their tax returns prepared, it is estimated that CCAV saved income-eligible taxpayers from paying $3.3 million in unnecessary tax preparation and e-filing fees.

During the most recent tax season alone, CCAV prepared 2,736 tax returns for taxpayers whose average income was $16,000.