Lena McKenzie lends a hand to seniors at the Kirby Centre who are overwhelmed by filing their taxes.
Lena says she loves doing taxes and finding ways to save people money, so volunteering to help the seniors was a natural fit and helps them get all that they are entitled to.
“They have no idea what these things are and this is where we come in as tax preparers in order to give them the extra benefits,” she said. “That's what we're supposed to be looking for is to help them to get the extra benefits.”
Those extra benefits went a long way for Bill Swan, one of the people Lena has helped.
“I made a lot of mistakes on my income tax, they sent it back, I was way behind, I came in here, seen Lena, she fixed everything up for me and I walked outta here smiling,” he said.
This year alone, Lena has helped around 400 seniors get their taxes done on time, a feat that’s been noticed and appreciated at Kirby Centre.
“She's been here for years and she is so talented with taxes,” said Luanne Whitmarsh, CEO of Kirby Centre. “She can help guide people so they're getting the maximum amount of taxes and the best amount of benefits because without taxes being done, folks aren't able to get all their pensions and all the benefits that they're due.”
For all she does to help seniors with what can be a daunting task and getting them maximum benefits, Lena McKenzie is our Inspired Albertan this week.
