Immediate impact: California CPAs reach out to Katrina victims.

• Author: Barreto, Mitzy
• Position: Hurricane Katrina - Cover Story

Make a difference.

Who first urged you to "make a difference?" A parent? A teacher? A mentor? A peer?

Making a difference is harder than it seems. Often, our professional and personal lives consume us, so we leave the betterment of the world to someone else--but not always.

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In addition to the more than 27,000 CalCPA members who make a difference every day to their clients and businesses, CalCPA has an extraordinary number of members who are engaged in personal finance education to improve the financial literacy of Californians.

So, it's not surprising when the IRS called CalCPA urgently seeking assistance in California for what then was reported to be up to 20,000 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, members answered the call.

PART EXPERT, PART IMAGE ENHANCER

CPA Mitzy Barreto was one of hundreds of members who volunteered to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina who had been removed to FEMA disaster recovery centers in Los Angeles as part of a joint effort with the IRS, AICPA and CalCPA. She noticed that almost everyone entering the room purposely avoided the IRS table and headed toward those with information about unemployment insurance, job possibilities and legal aid.

With her infectious smile, she approached the Hurricane Katrina evacuees to tell them that the IRS wasn't there to extract taxes but to help them claim a casualty loss. "You'll get money back from last year's taxes so that you can reconstruct your life," she explained.

Like Barreto, member Margaret Inglis found that evacuees were a little wary about an IRS presence at a recovery center, but she strove to explain how the IRS could assist hurricane victims.

"There were people asking me things like what is the definition of a casualty loss and how do I get started compiling an inventory of my personal property," she says. "The IRS had brochures there that I could walk them through."

The displaced hurricane victims can more than be excused for this reticence. After watching their city ravaged by floodwaters, federal tax details may be just another task on a staggering to do list.

That's where CalCPA members like Barreto and Inglis come in, offering victims a helping hand in reconstructing their finances, one casualty loss claim at a time.

SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION

Indeed, CalCPA volunteers have tackled the assistance efforts with gusto.

"Their contribution has been substantial," says Derek Ganter, an IRS senior stakeholder liaison, of the CalCPA volunteers...