In their words…
“I grew up with my mother and two sisters on Chicago’s Southside. Money has always been a big issue for my family, and how we spend it an even bigger one. Upon graduation, my dream was to attend the University of Michigan for advertising. However, during my senior year of high school, both my mother and older sister were attending college, so we had no money for me to enroll in a four-year university.”

TAP in action…
The majority of our Higher Education Access clients must rely solely on financial aid and scholarships to finance their college education. Tax Assistance Program volunteers visit nearly 100 Chicago-area high schools to offer students like Mercedes free assistance in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Many college counselors have too many students and too few resources to provide adequate support to all of their college-bound high school seniors. TAP volunteers helped Mercedes complete all 100 questions on the FAFSA, and as a result, she secured $29,000 to finance her first year of college. This financial support enabled her to realize her dream of matriculating at the University of Michigan.

Real Results...
Mercedes’s connection with TAP did not end there. After receiving assistance in completing her FAFSA, Mercedes became a Saturday volunteer to help other families receive assistance in completing the FAFSA and free tax preparation. Mercedes started at the University of Michigan this fall, and in a recent letter to us wrote, “TAP is an incredible program that really helps and cares about the people it serves, and without their help, my path into a great future would not be set as so.”

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