1st Source donates $7,000 to support VITA

Shown in the photo, from left, are Angie Rice, VITA supervisor, Pathfinder Services; Rob Patrick, VP Personal Trust, Lyle Juillerat, AVP, local manager and Luke Squires, VP Manager Commercial Banking, all from 1st Source Bank; Jeff Teusch, Home Ownership director, Danielle Tipps, president & CEO and Michelle Banks, CFO, all from Pathfinder Services.

1st Source Foundation presented a check to Pathfinder Services in the amount of $7,000 recently. The donation will be used by Pathfinder Services to support their VITA program.

VITA is a program offering free tax preparations to individuals and families in lower income brackets. VITA secured $1.1 million in tax refunds this past tax season and $115,000 in EITC tax credits returning assets to participants. This has proven to be a vital program for our community, as 50% of VITA participants reported being able to use refunds for savings or to reduce their debt.

Lyle Juillerat, AVP and manager at 1st Source, shared, “One of our missions at 1st Source is to support those organizations which have established and demonstrated their ability to make fundamental differences in the communities we serve. The VITA program with Pathfinder Services is one way to accomplish this.”

1st Source has been a long-time donor and supporter of the VITA program, and their $7,000 donation translated to 871 people with lower incomes saving over $200,000 in tax preparation fees. This support has created a lasting effect on VITA participants over the years and has strengthened support for lower-income homes. 75% of the VITA participants this year are returning users of the program. Combining this with the participants reporting savings and debt reductions, it’s clear that 1st Source and the VITA program create lasting positive, year-over-year change.