FAIRFIELD — The Kennebec Valley Community College business program recently received the United Way’s Spirit of Partnership award at the United Way’s annual meeting, according to a United Way press report. Tina Chapman, president and CPO of the United Way of Mid-Maine recognized KVCC’s business program as a strategic partner leading to extraordinary success in the United Way’s Cash Coalition.

Each winter, KVCC business majors volunteer as tax preparers for those who qualify for assistance from the cash coalition. The business students receive official training from the Internal Revenue Service and are supervised by a tax professional. In 2014, the United Way of Mid-Maine’s Cash Coalition helped individuals receive more than $174,000 in federal tax returns. Chapman stated in the release that “Without KVCC’s partnership, the coalition would not be nearly as successful in serving the residents of central Maine”.