Paula Moore ’99 will offer free tax filing consultations to students of NECC.

Daunted by taxes? Paula Moore ’99 is here to help.

An experienced tax professional, Moore will offer complimentary tax preparation and filing consultations for any Northern Essex Community College students who seek assistance this season. Drop-by sessions will be held on Wednesday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the room LH314 of the Lawrence Campus 420 Common Street building.

Moore, who graduated from NECC in 1999, has long been an advocate for the college and its students. Once an accounting student struggling to make ends meet, her fortunes changed in 1997 when she cast a winning ticket in the Mass Million lottery game. Since then she has committed herself to supporting an array of campus and community initiatives, providing funding for such project as the Haverhill Campus Hartleb Technology Center atrium, the campus carillons, and the Lawrence Childcare Program. She has served as a member of both the Women of NECC Board and NECC Foundation Board and, for more than twenty years, has given back to students through the Moore Family Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to women returning to school. In 2000 she was selected as recipient of the NECC Outstanding Alumni Award for her years of service.

Moore is now a retired IRS tax professional who continues to give back in various ways. For the past five years she has served as a tax preparation volunteer for the AARP, filing taxes and offering consultations to the elderly and low-income. Now she is extending this service to the students of NECC.

“I know that many students have part-time jobs and may or may not know how to do their own taxes,” she explains. “I’ve seen where they didn’t do them and never got the refunds they deserved. I have offered to do their taxes and let them watch and explain how it’s done and, because of my AARP software, I can electronically file them at no cost at all.”

Moore emphasizes that she enjoys giving back to the college that helped her get her start. “I believe in giving back, especially to NECC, which is near and dear to me,” she says.

Students who wish to meet with Paula must arrive with all necessary tax filing documents in hand, including income tax forms, health insurance documents, a valid license, social security number, and prior year tax information, if applicable.

For more information, please contact Lori Smerdon at lsmerdon@necc.mass.edu.