Wan Wan (both her first and last name are the same) is an energetic and super organized volunteer that juggles working at KCR as the United Against Discrimination Coordinator, owning her own business Hansen’s Classic Pizza and being a CASI certified level 1 snowboard instructor. Wan’s positive attitude, coordination skills and commitment to community made her the perfect volunteer to lead the Canada Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) at KCR Community Resources that helps people file their income taxes.
Wan grew up in Urumqi in northwest China and has been living in the Central Okanagan for 15 years, having originally arrived to attend university. Her two favourite cities in Canada (aside from Kelowna of course) are Saskatoon and Whitehorse as visiting her school friends’ Lesly and Lisa in these cities have been some of her best experiences in Canada.
“Working along side the amazingly compassionate CVITP volunteers is what motivates me to stay involved,” explains Wan. “Knowing that we could possibly help someone to get back on their feet by sorting out their tax problems is important. We want our community to be sustainable and every person counts.”
Filing their annual taxes is stressful for most people and for some vulnerable people, it can be even more difficult and it also impact their ability to access benefits and supports, adding to their financial difficulties. The CVITP volunteers are incredible and help sort everything out and help to get the participant’s taxes back on track. The CVITP team continued this important work during the pandemic by re-organizing the process to be contact free, including virtual and phone services. Now they are back to meeting in person and in fact grew to over 10 volunteers on the team with very diverse cultural and professional backgrounds – all together they spoke 7 languages. While some volunteers are accounting professionals, some are regular community members that just like to help.
“I found myself not a fan of taxes on the technical part,” laughs Wan. “However, I like the process of helping the clients navigate through the basic steps and provide tips on what they should prepare for their tax filing.
“In 2024, our team of volunteers helped prepare over 900 returns for community members and KCR participants,” adds Wan. “The volunteers even worked through non-tax season to help clients catch up with past-due taxes. We look forward to opening up again in March and continue to offer support to the community. Right now though we are starting to recruit for the amazing volunteers that will help do the filings and if you are interested, please connect with me.”
If you are interested in being a volunteer for the Income Tax Clinic, contact Wan at wan@kcr.ca. It is a very rewarding role that makes significant impact on the health and well-being of participants.
“Volunteering helps you with growing your roots in the community,” says Wan enthusiastically flashing her ever-present smile. “t makes you feel better physically and mentally without you realizing it. It’s through serving others that we find our own path.”
“There are many volunteers who are going extra miles to help strangers in the way they are capable of. It’s amazing,” adds Wan. “I know of a volunteer who was a cancer patient and volunteered during their treatment and recovery phase. I know for me, volunteering makes me understand and see society from a different perspective.”
