This spring, a mother and her 17-year-old daughter sat down at volunteer Yun Hui Kehoe’s table to receive tax preparation assistance. The mother did not speak English, so her daughter helped as a translator for Yun Hui to complete the return. Unbeknownst to mother or daughter, Yun Hui was flooded with memories of her own adolescence.

“It took me back. I remember being in this exact spot of having to translate for my parents. I felt so connected to (this family) in that moment,” Yun Hui said.

Yun Hui was one of 525 community volunteers who helped prepare and file more than 11,000 tax returns statewide as a part of Mile High Unite Way’s Tax Help Colorado. The program helps families access the credits and refunds they’re owed be providing free, high-quality tax preparation services to households that earned $67,000 or less in 2024.

“Tax credits are the second largest anti-poverty tool we have in the Unites States. Only Social Security has a greater impact,” said Kristin Hubbard, senior director of Tax Help Colorado.

Volunteers across Colorado receive training to become IRS-certified, then help clients navigate the tax filing process that often feels confusing or intimidating.

As a Korean immigrant who moved to the Unites States as a child, Yun Hui often helped her family learn new processes that felt complex and challenging. Volunteering with Tax Help Colorado provided Yun Hui, who is also a Women of Tocqueville member and 2025 Frances Wisebart Jacobs Award recipient, with a chance to give back and ensure families received the valuable credits they deserve.

“The emotional reward of helping and connecting with client exceeded my expectations,” she said. “The refunds were substantial enough in some cases to help people pay their rent or buy groceries and care for their children.”

For many families, their tax refund is the largest check they will receive all year. Tax Help Colorado helps ensure that every Coloradan can access those funds, regardless of their age, employment status or income.

About Tax Help Colorado 

• $22.5 million returned to community members through credits and refunds
• 11,000 tax returns prepared
• 525 community volunteers

“I love when taxes go from numbers and forms to a shared connection between our clients and volunteers.” – Kristin Hunbbard, Tax Help Colorado Senior Director

Learn more about Tax Help Colorado and how you can help Coloradans access free, high-quality tax preparation.