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FAIRMONT - Forget football season, Casey Gilbert said.
Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, adds Gilbert, who is community impact director of Fairmont-based Tygart Valley United Way.
And that's because tax time - yes, really - will be here before we know it, she said.
Which is why her organization, which serves people and nonprofits across Marion, Taylor, Barbour, Tucker and Randolph counties, is already gearing up.
A recent AmeriCorps grant offering will now be used to fund the organization's Volunteer Income Tax assistance program for the next three years while also expanding its reach.
Those signing up to offer their expertise with VITA, as the program is commonly known, made for many happy returns in 2025.
VITA volunteers helped households pull down more than $1 million in refunds last year, Gilbert told The Dominion Post previously.
Tax preparers filed 996 state and federal returns, Gilbert reported, with an average refund of $1,667 per household.
More than $130,000 was returned via the Earned Income Credit, with another $100,000 in child care credits.
You can follow the money back to 2019, Gilbert said.
That was the year Tygart Valley United Way first took off with VITA. It translates to 4,400 tax returns and more than $4 million in refunds.
Households across the five counties saved more than $1.4 million in filing fees alone, Gilbert said.
"It's a priority for us," Gilbert said. "Tax refunds are often the largest lump-sum financial support a household will receive all year."
For Tygart Valley United Way's CEO Brett White, those are the kinds of numbers - that aren't numbing.
He wants more families to take advantage of the service, he said.
"We know there are still thousands of eligible households who aren't accessing these services," the CEO said.
People signing on as VITA volunteers receive IRS training and certification as well, he said.
Visit tvunitedway.org or call 304-366-4550 for more information.