Alabama Young CPAs Volunteer CPA Services on Mississippi's Gulf Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Diane Christy - dchristy@ascpa.org [or] 334.834.7650

MONTGOMERY—May 29, 2008—What makes a group of young men and women helping Hurricane Katrina victims different than the rest? Three words: Certified Public Accountant. CPAs volunteering their time and CPA services to small businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina recently made a difference on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

Five Alabama Young CPAs joined CPAs from Mississippi and Massachusetts to participate in the 2008 Gulf Coast Service Camp, a project designed to support small businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina.

This group of 12 CPAs reached over 100 small businesses and non-profits and volunteered an estimated $75,000 in billable time over four-and-a-half days. The project was made possible through the leadership of Tom Pender, CPA, director of finance and administration for the North Carolina Association of CPAs, and a partnership between the Mississippi Development Authority and Operation Hope.

The motivation for the project came when Pender, a Birmingham native, sought a way for professionals to volunteer their services in a community service setting.

“After Hurricane Katrina I wanted to find a way to use my professional skills to get in there and be a part of the solution,” said Pender. “What I found was the intersection of my professional talents and personal passion.”

Members of the Alabama team were Kristi Bratton, CPA—Carr, Riggs & Ingram (Birmingham), David Brown, CPA—Barfield Murphy Shank & Smith (Birmingham), Don McCleod, CPA—Don McCleod, CPA, PC (Dothan), Amanda Scott, CPA—Carr, Riggs & Ingram (Montgomery) and Amanda Tyler, CPA—Smith, Dukes & Buckalew (Mobile).

“It was amazing to see the gratitude of people truly in need and to witness my peers open up their lives to serve,” said Amanda Scott. “Quite simply, it was people touching people. The world needs more of it."

Kristi Bratton was able to assist a variety of clients, especially those with QuickBooks issues, which turned out to be a large portion of the audience. She also gave an Introduction to QuickBooks presentation along with Amanda Tyler and Dr. Bob Spencer of K2 Enterprises.

David Brown assisted clients with start-up and business formation issues and gave a presentation on How to Start and Run a Small Business. He also assisted with QuickBooks and general business software matters.

As a sole practitioner who serves clients with a broad range of economic needs, Don McCleod was able to help a variety of clients, in particular those with start-up and business formation issues.

Amanda Scott’s experience in non-profit audits proved helpful to a range of clients throughout the week. She was able to reach out to those who were looking to form a non-profit as well as those already in existence.

One of those clients was Katie King, who was looking to start a non-profit to aid women and children affected by the hurricane. “For someone with a very limited budget, these volunteers gave me great insight into helping me fulfill my passion,” said King.

With experience in small business audits, Amanda Tyler assisted clients on small business matters and gave a presentation on QuickBooks to a group of small business clients.

Thanks to volunteers like these, Mississippi’s Gulf Coast is back in business. Employment levels have rebounded completely, school enrollment is back to 94 percent of pre-Katrina figures and the Gulf Coast has suffered only a 2 percent population decrease. In January 2008, Forbes ranked the Gulfport-Biloxi area the ninth fastest growing small metro area in the nation.

The Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants is a statewide organization working on behalf of over 6,400 members to promote the professional interests of the Alabama CPA.