The heart of Information Orillia’s tax clinic, Anne Wilson, is a top-10 finalist for a national volunteer award.
The 76-year-old was nominated for a CharityVillage national individual volunteer award by her peers at Information Orillia.
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Wilson said. “Just to be nominated initially is really amazing and humbling.”
The Kingston native says she is up against people from “big corporations” and will find out if she is the winner Nov. 30.
“I’ve come as far as I expect to go on this,” Wilson said with a chuckle. “It’s completely an honour to be considered in the top 10 in Canada.”
Wilson, who joined Information Orillia four years ago, considers herself “an average person who cares about people and wants to see the best for them.”
She comes from a bookkeeping background, which is why she can volunteer to do tax returns for nearly 1,000 people in the community each year.
“It all started with me covering for the office one day while the manager was away,” she explained. “They were just overwhelmed with so many tax returns to do, so I started as of then. I jumped in, and have been in with both feet ever since.”
Wilson is supposedly retired, but during tax season she can be found in the Orillia Public Library, working full-time hours at Information Orillia.
“There is such a need here,” she said. “The vast majority of the people that we serve are so far below the poverty line that they can’t afford to go pay $70 or $80 to have their taxes done at the other places.”
She says people can lose their benefits and subsidized housing if they can’t afford to pay their taxes.
“I just feel that somebody has to be there to help these people get looked after,” she said. “These people don’t have a hope of getting out of poverty. So, I’m completely committed to helping these people in any way I can so they can get the maximum that we can get for them.”
The joy Wilson brings to others is what she values most from her volunteer work.
“They come in so stressed out, thinking they are going to owe the government all sorts of money,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just a little thing and you see the weight come off of them when the process is done.”
She often leaves Information Orillia feeling rewarded.
“I go home knowing I did something good because I helped somebody,” she said. “I’m fortunate that I’m in a position where I don’t have to be out earning an income as a senior, but these people need that help.”
Wilson has been married to her husband, Keith, for 52 years. He is also “supposedly” retired, but can be found at the Atrium Retirement Residence working as an environmental services manager.
“We like to be out doing things that give back to the community,” Wilson said. “We just like being involved in our community. It’s just what we do.”
While Wilson enjoys her downtime, she has no intention to stop her volunteer work.
“I’ll do it as long as my body enables me,” she said. “I hope I have lots of time left, but you don’t know what physically will come on.”
She has been working with other volunteers to make sure people will be taken care of during tax season when she leaves Information Orillia.
“There is a team that works alongside of me,” she said. “They are really good and, hopefully, they will be able to bring someone in who has the same desire to put the time and effort in.”
