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MARIETTA — The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program, which provides free tax preparation for senior citizens in Ohio at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Marietta and more than 200 other senior centers, churches and libraries across Ohio is looking for volunteer tax preparers for next year.

Tax-Aide volunteers have an immediate and measurable impact on the lives of the people they serve. Volunteers save often financially pressed senior citizens the cost of paying a private preparer and provide a calm, steady and reassuring hand in an often stressful situation.

Last tax season, volunteers working at the K of C hall filed 579 federal and state returns, primarily for senior citizens, saving them an estimated $150,000 in tax preparation fees and enabling them to collect an average refund of nearly $1,175.

Tax-Aide locations across the state were swamped last tax season and had to turn away numerous prospective clients for want of volunteers. Next year, with massive changes in the tax code affecting every senior citizen, demand is going to be even greater.

Anyone who does his own taxes is an ideal candidate for the all-volunteer program. Volunteers receive IRS-approved training, ongoing support and work on AARP Foundation-provided computers. No one works alone and everyone’s work is doublechecked.

Volunteers come from all walks of life, including beauticians, accountants, truck drivers and managers. Volunteers who prefer not to prepare tax returns are also needed to do such things as manage taxpayer appointments, see that taxpayers have the necessary paperwork and provide technical support for computers and modems

For more information or to register to volunteer, go to the Tax-Aide website at aarpfoundation.org/TaxaideVolunteer or call 1-888-227-7667. Locally, Prospective Volunteer Specialist Judy Gardiner can be reached at ohio2taxaide@gmail.com to answer questions.