By Itchel Cardenas, Tax Help Colorado coordinator

As tax season wraps up, I’m reflecting on the moments that shaped my experience working at our tax sites and the people who remind me every day why this work matters so much.

Every year, Mile High United Way provides free tax assistance for low- and middle-income families. At one of our sites, a young mother named Katherine* came in looking for help. She was recently widowed and raising four children on her own. She had never filed her taxes by herself before, and I could see how overwhelmed she was.

But she showed up, determined to figure it out for her family.

Sitting alongside her and our volunteers, we took it step by step. What started as uncertainty slowly became understanding. We walked through the process together, answering questions and explaining what to expect, not just for this year, but for the years ahead. Along the way, we uncovered tax credits she didn’t know she qualified for and support that had been there all along.

By the end of her visit, everything shifted.

Katherine learned she would receive over $25,000 in tax refunds.

There was a moment of disbelief, then relief. She shared how much this would mean for her children, for their stability and their future during an incredibly difficult chapter in their lives.

What we do is more than helping people file their taxes. It’s about meeting someone in a moment of uncertainty and helping them find solid ground again. It’s about ensuring families don’t have to navigate complex systems alone. Working at our tax sites, I see moments like this every day.

I see volunteers giving hours of their time to sit with someone who feels overwhelmed. I see clients walk in unsure and walk out with confidence. I see how access to the right information can change the trajectory of a family’s year and, in some cases, create ripple effects throughout their community.

This season, we filed more than 10,300 tax returns across 31 sites, helping bring $22.5 million back into the hands of families, like Katherine’s, across Colorado.

This work is only possible because of you. Your support helps families access resources they might not even know exist and leave with greater stability and confidence for the future.

If you’d like to deepen your impact by volunteering with Tax Help Colorado and help create moments like these for more families, please visit taxhelpco.org to learn more.

Thank you for being part of this work.

With gratitude,

Itchel Cardenas
Tax Help Colorado Coordinator
Mile High United Way

*name changed for privacy.