Mary Ward
Richard Ornelaz
During this busy tax season Richard Ornelaz is continuing a tradition he started more than a quarter-century ago. Every year during tax time the IRS accountant volunteers more than 80 hours helping predominately Spanish-speaking, middle- and lower-income families in his city of Houston prepare and file their federal tax returns.
Hear Richard Ornelaz talk about how he feels when he helps his community. (Click image to watch video.)
“It was clear to me that Spanish-speakers and other low-income taxpayers were at a serious disadvantage in simply trying to get a fair tax refund,” Ornelaz says.
In addition to helping taxpayers with their paperwork, Ornelaz volunteers each December teaching courses to help other volunteers become certified as tax preparers. In 2009, he was awarded the mayor’s Volunteer Houston award. It was estimated that by that year, Ornelaz had helped Houston’s underserved families receive more than $1 million in tax refunds and credits.
“I became interested in helping people with their taxes while I was teaching English courses to native Spanish-speakers at my church,” says Ornelaz. “I realized that many people were being audited because they simply didn’t understand the tax-filing process. Others had been deceived or overcharged by professional tax preparers.”
In the mid-1980s, Ornelaz began doing free tax preparation through an IRS-run program. That program later evolved into a partnership between the IRS and the private sector, which is today Neighborhood Tax Centers, a part of Neighborhood Centers Inc. The IRS continues to provide materials for the program, and oversees annual certification of tax preparers, while Neighborhood Centers is in charge of finding facilities and recruiting volunteers.
As agreements with facilities changed, Ornelaz initially had to move to several dspots around Houston, but for more than 10 years, he has spent every Saturday during tax season at volunteer space provided by Neighborhood Centers’ Ripley House. At that location, Ornelaz prepares 300 to 500 returns per year.
“A gratifying part of my volunteer work has been discovering that clients are following me from place to place as we have had to change locations,” says Ornelaz. “Many families keep coming to me, and they tell their friends and relatives, ‘Be sure to go to Richard.’”
Now, at least 50 percent of his clients are people he has helped before, and some of them have been receiving help from him for roughly 20 years.
“I can’t describe the heartwarming feeling when a family comes to me with fear in their eyes – either because they don’t know what to do or because some professional tax service has misled them – and I’m able to solve their problem,” Ornelaz says. “I’m proud of my work.”
Chris Fatzer
Will Lourcey
Will saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that read: “Need A Meal.” He asked his parents what it meant and he became sad inside. Instead of feeling sorry for the man and driving on by, Will decided to make a difference; he told his parents “I want to start a charity group! I want to help that man and others like him. I want to see a world where there are no hungry people on street corners.” Will is special because he saw a need, designed a program, implemented it and continues to inspire others to fight hunger.
Will and his efforts have provided over 31,000 meals for the hungry and over 2,000 cans of food for his local food bank. He creates awareness of the hungry, collects canned foods and raises money for the Tarrant Area food bank. With his relationship with the local grocery store Will set up a donation box in the store where patrons could give food to the food bank.
Along with 10 of his friends, Will created a community service group called FROGS whose mission is: “Have Fun while Helping Others!” He met with the local food bank directors to learn more about the need in the community, toured the food bank and created/designed a program called “Hits & Kicks Against Hunger” for elementary school kids. Participants recruit sponsors to pledge $1 for every hit or kick they get in a baseball or soccer game.
He inspires thousands of community members to not only give canned food to the food bank but also give of their time. Hearing of Will’s activism, a local car wash held an awareness day of the hungry donating $1 for every car washed for an entire weekend while FROGS distributed information to the patrons about the food bank and answered questions regarding how to volunteer and donate.
American Mensa also held a canned food drive in Will’s name, raising 500 pounds of food for the Tarrant food bank. The food bank’s services and the need for volunteers and financial contributions are highlighted as a direct result of Will’s ideas and campaign.
Will loves to tell people: “I’m a little kid making a big, big difference!” And that he is. Will is unique because he is an 8 year old kid who ignites change in his community and inspires others to join the fight against hunger. He doesn’t view himself as just a child, but as a catalyst for change…no matter what his size. “It doesn’t matter how big or small you are…you can make a difference!”
Maureen Seipp
Bob Rollins
Bethesda Home for Boys Volunteers
Jeremy Henley
Louisiana’s coast has lost nearly 1,900 square miles of land since 1932, increasing risks for local communities, including New Orleans, to flood and become hurricane prone. Coastal restoration is more important than ever for the Louisiana residents and the local, state and national economy.
Jeremy Henley, a student at the University of New Orleans, has been in service with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) since 2009.
Since he started, Jeremy has helped restore dune habitats on Elmer’s Island and along the Cameron Shoreline, planted cypress trees along Bayou Segnette, restored bottomland hardwoods at the Louisiana Audubon Nature Center, planted mangrove trees on Fifi Island and re-established marsh at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
Jeremy’s knowledge and studies also helped in assisting with research and reporting. After the 2010 oil spill released nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Jeremy acted as a volunteer leader, organizing and leading volunteers, providing information and interacting with the media in a time critical for the Louisiana wetlands.
Jeremy’s work with spill officials helped the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana to secure a work station inside the community center in Venice, Louisiana. Jeremy traveled weekly to Venice to provide information, perform site visits, monitor oiled wetlands, build partnerships and evaluate restoration opportunities.
Jeremy’s nominator for the Daily Point of Light Award, Natalie Snider, shares,
“during on-the-ground restoration projects, Jeremy’s enthusiasm and knowledge have complemented his undeterence in his volunteerism.”
Thanks Jeremy, for your dedication to our environment and Louisiana’s coastline.
21st Signal Brigade
Throughout the week of July 4, our Daily Point of Light honorees have included individuals and groups who serve our armed forces and their families. Today’s Daily Point of Light, however, is a group of U.S. Army soldiers.
While on-duty, the 21st Signal Brigade “The Edge of the Sword” out of Fort Detrick, Maryland has a mission to provide important communications support for the military around the globe. But when they are off-duty, this group is meeting the needs of the homeless in Frederick County at the Frederick Rescue Mission.
Frederick Rescue Mission, Inc. is a faith-based organization that provides a long term residential recovery program to the chemically addicted, food to the hungry, and clothing and furniture to those in need.
A champion for service in her military community, Fort Detrick’s Volunteer Coordinator Marsha Duncan said of their service…
“The need for the provision of meals to the homeless in Frederick County has grown tremendously over the past few years. Not only does the 21st Signal Brigade use their time to serve meals, they recruit new volunteers, are constantly attempting to look for food donations and will spend time visiting with those that are coming in for a meal.”
Members of the 21st Signal Brigade at Fort Detrick took on the task of providing meals every other Wednesday night at the Frederick Rescue Mission over three years ago. Despite limited off-duty time, they have committed to help those in need in a community that they will only temporarily call home. Soldiers are continuously moving so this type of long term commitment requires the continued support of the command group as well as continual recruitment efforts of soldiers to replace themselves before moving on to their next duty station.
Marsha shares, “Again, this group is special because they are serving in a community that belongs to others. They do not serve for recognition, only the satisfaction that they are making a difference for those less fortunate. These are soldiers, they have already signed up to give their lives for our country if necessary. To go above that and continue to give of themselves in the limited free time they have makes them a very special group of people.”