Shelley McCracken-Rania, a member of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) Notices and Correspondence committee, attended an outreach event in Indiana alongside representatives from the IRS and Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). The event, held on Friday, November 3, was organized by U.S. Senator Mike Braun’s office to celebrate and honor U.S. service members, veterans, and their families, and share information about the valuable resources and services available to veterans and current members of the military.

At the event, Shelley was accompanied by Stakeholder Relationship Tax Consultant, Katherine McKnight from the IRS’s Customer Assistance Relationship and Education office; Taxpayer Advocate Group Manager, Theresa Seyfreid from the Taxpayer Advocate Service; and Dee Dee Gowin from IRS, who works with the Low Income Tax Clinics and other agencies.

Events like these are an important part of TAP’s grassroots outreach initiatives. It gives the members the chance to hear from taxpayers about any systemic problems they are experiencing in their community and provides TAP members the chance to educate their neighbors about TAP’s mission to improve IRS processes and customer service and serves as an opportunity to recruit new volunteers.

During the event, Shelley had the opportunity to connect with, including other vendors in attendance, by sharing information about TAP, its mission, and the incredible work that drives the TAP members. Shelly said one of the highlights of the event was when Senator Braun presented a certificate of appreciation to her and the other participants for their dedication to helping veterans and the taxpaying public.