Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Kevin Patterson. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Kevin Patterson knows how much a little help can change your life. That’s why he’s helping others find a pathway to financial stability. After being adopted from South Korea at five months old, Kevin was raised in a working-class family where luxuries were minimal. While he ultimately forged a successful career in accounting, he never forgot what it felt like to struggle to get by. A few years back, Kevin was looking for a volunteer opportunity that allowed him to use his expertise for good. He had no idea how much influence it would have.
Kevin volunteers with the Michigan CPAs (MICPA), Wayne State University School of Accounting, and the Accounting Aid Society, where he’s on the Board of Directors. The AAS prepares income tax returns for low-income Metro Detroit families that are not able to afford preparation assistance. The experience has been a profound one for Kevin, who has seen people cry because they’re getting an unexpected $1000 tax refund. The refunds also serve as an investment in Detroit, since around $30 million in tax refunds come back into the Metro Detroit area, as recipients tend to spend the money in their own communities. In his job on the board, Kevin helps to come up with locations that they should have open and the number of volunteers that should be involved with preparing the 1040s. As a member of AAS’ Audit Committee, Kevin ensures the organization’s financials are sound and healthy, allowing them to continue to serve their community.
Kevin’s story is one about lifting others up through volunteerism. Ultimately, Kevin said the message that he’d like to carry is that changing your situation is possible through hard work and determination. But when people don’t have the resources that he now has, Kevin will be there to help them keep going. His willingness to channel his professional skills into a thriving role as a volunteer shows just how much people can do with their talents to serve others.
[Patterson]: KEVIN PATTERSON VOLUNTEERS WITH THE ACCOUNTING AID SOCIETY, WHERE HE’S ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. /COURTESY KEVIN PATTERSON
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
I’ve been involved with boards since I made partner in 2017. The Accounting Aid Society does free 1040 tax return preparation for families that make under a certain amount each year. So it can include students, lower-income individuals, and families that might be more working-class. It’s really cool to see because a lot of the work we do impacts Metro Detroit, since many of these individuals might not file their taxes if they don’t get them for free. They actually get refunds, and the number of tax returns we do, plus the amount of refunds that come back into Detroit, are pretty substantial.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I have very humble roots. I was adopted from South Korea when I was five months old, but I literally came here with nothing. My parents who adopted me were very working class. They were wonderful parents, but they didn’t have a lot of financial means. I’ve always looked at this as now that I’m in a position where I have a lot more financial resources, time, and talent, Accounting Aid Society helping lower-income families do 1040s. I think it is obviously aligned with my passion. It’s all aligned with where I’ve gotten to.
Tell us about your volunteer role with the Accounting Aid Society.
I am on the board of directors. We set the vision for where the Accounting Aid Society should go. We come up with the locations that they should have open, and the number of volunteers that should be involved with preparing the 1040s. It’s really driven by the fact that if we don’t get the volunteers, then we can’t prepare anything. I think it’s about $30 million in refunds that come back into the Metro Detroit area, because we do surrounding counties.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
For Accounting Aid Society, I just finished my first three-year term, and they asked me to renew for another three years. So I’m going to stay on for probably another three years from now. Then at some point, they’re probably going to want me to be in a higher-level role.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Helping people that I can see dealing with similar things that I dealt with growing up. Not having a lot of means, not having a lot of resources, and not really even knowing what is available to people. For me, it’s cool to see people who come from more humble beginnings, like myself, also start to make it. They’re taking that refund and putting it into more education, or maybe they’re just going to try to pay for things that are needed for the household in order to move it forward. That’s really cool to me.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
That everybody is just trying to do their best with what they have. I also look at it like there are volunteers that I’ve worked with who have worked really hard to get really good at what they do from a volunteer perspective, and they’re making big impacts. Everybody seems like they’re trying to find their path, and that’s the beauty of volunteer work. You diversify your perspective on the world. It makes me appreciate more of what I have, but it also makes me realize that getting to where I am is possible.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
If you’re doing something that you have passion for from a volunteer perspective, it doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s work. If I ask somebody to do something and they don’t have any interest in the organization, they’re not going to do it long-term. They’re definitely not going to like it. Likely, they have to have passion for the mission. It’s really cool to see people find what they love, but you can’t really do that unless you try different things. I really like when people volunteer for things that are somewhat associated with their passions, and then see the passion grow even greater.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Back in 2014, I had no board experience. I was on no committees. I didn’t really know the nonprofit world or the volunteer world. I talked to my wife about it, and she and I agreed that I should find people who were doing things for different organizations that I’d be involved with. I told the guy I targeted that I was interested in getting involved at some point, if he ever needed somebody to help out. He got me on a committee and then eventually I took his board spot. It just kind of snowballed, but it really did take that first one.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Probably the concept that anybody could make it and then help others. I don’t necessarily think I’m better than anybody else, but I definitely stay very positive, work hard, and just really try to figure out how to navigate both professional and personal avenues.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Kevin? Find local volunteer opportunities.