Round Barn invites kids to a scavenger hunt

No matter what week your school district observes spring break or Easter break, the Arcadia Round Barn will be open for business with enrichment activities for students and their parents.

Prize bags are filled and waiting to reward young people who test their skills during the scavenger hunt. The search for 10 items to be found in and near the Round Barn was created about a year ago by volunteer Colleen Walker and has been wildly popular with the kids and the older folks who bring them to the historic Route 66 attraction.

“The scavenger hunt is a fun way to learn about Oklahoma pioneer history,” Walker said.

As with all activities at the Round Barn, the scavenger hunt is free but a suggested donation of $2 per person will be accepted for the maintenance of the structure, which was built in 1898.

Parents are invited to accompany their children on the scavenger hunts, and all young people will receive a prize bag for their efforts.

Children who do not want to participate in the scavenger hunt can ask for a coloring page of the barn to take home. They can also explore the vintage exhibits outside and around the inside perimeter of the downstairs museum, marvel at the architecture in the loft, hone their photography and video skills and browse the brochures rack for information, People who visit the barn during weekends in March, and any other month, can catch a concert by the Round Barn Ramblers from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays. The monthly Round Barn Rendezvous jam session is set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 12, and a concert by Edgar Cruz and Antsy McClain will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 19.

Locally Owned and Locally operated

Are GoFundMe contributions considered tax deductible?

By Sarah Heath

GoFundMe has become the largest crowdfunding platform that exists. Crowdfunding allows projects to be funded through contributions from the public. There are two types of donations you can make on GoFundMe- donations to a personal fundraiser, such as for medical bills or funeral expenses for an individual, and donations to a charity fundraiser such as churches, animal welfare agencies and educational organizations. With the rise of contributions to GoFundMe campaigns, many taxpayers have questions about the deductibility of such donations.

Are donations to GoFundMe tax deductible?

Yes, but only donations made to a GoFundMe charity fundraiser. Donations made to a personal fundraiser are not tax deductible. To be sure that you are donating to a charity fundraiser, verify who is organizing the fundraiser and where the funds are going. If the funds are going to a charitable organization, look for a green check mark next to the organization’s name. It will also be noted that the organization is a registered nonprofit and that donations are typically 100% tax deductible.

Will I receive a tax document from GoFundMe?

If the donation is made to a charity fundraiser, you will receive a tax receipt from GoFundMe’s charity partner, PayPal Giving Fund. If you donated to a personal fundraiser, you would not receive a tax receipt as this donation is not deductible. If you do receive a tax document, it is good practice to keep it for your personal records. Your tax preparer will likely ask for this documentation when it comes time to file your annual tax return.

How does this affect my tax return?

For tax years 2020 and 2021, taxpayers utilizing the standard deduction were eligible to receive a $300 deduction on their tax returns for charitable contributions. However, this is not the case for 2022 and no $300 deduction is available when utilizing the standard deduction. You may still deduct charitable contributions of up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), as an itemized deduction on Schedule A of your tax return. AGI can be found on page 1, line 11 of the 2022 Form 1040. However, taxpayers often will only use itemized deductions if it exceeds their standard deduction for 2022- $25,900 for married filing jointly, $19,400 for head of household and $12,950 for single taxpayers. The average taxpayer utilizes the standard deduction.

What are some examples of charitable organizations where my donation is deductible?

Some examples include United Way, American Red Cross, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Donations to local charities like the Homeless Alliance, Oklahoma Humane Society, the Regional Food Bank and Oklahoma Arts Institute are also deductible. These are just a few of the many charities that qualify as deductible charitable contributions. You can search for an organization’s eligibility to receive tax-deductible charitable donations on the IRS website at apps.irs.gov/app/eos.

Sarah Heath is a tax associate at Arledge, the largest locally owned accounting firm in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Arledge is a recognized leader in the accounting industry offering practical solutions in the areas of tax planning, auditing, consulting, accounting advisory services and client accounting.

This article contains general information only and does not constitute tax advice or any other professional services. Before making any decisions or taking any action that might affect your income taxes, you should consult a professional tax advisor. This article is not intended for and cannot be used to avoid future penalties that may be imposed by the Internal Revenue Service.

Genealogy meeting set for March 15

Getting your DNA done is very popular right now. Not only can you find your ethnicity, but it can connect you to family past and present.

But how do you know where they belong in your family? What is your relationship to the son of the daughter of the second son of your grandfather’s brother? Knowing how you are related to people that you share DNA with is important in finding common ancestors and connecting all those matches to you.

Glenn Clure Sr., a member of the Oklahoma Home and Community Education Genealogy Group, will help you figure out those relationships on March 15th, when he presents “How to Calculate Family Relations.”

The group meets at 10 a.m. at the Oklahoma County Extension Office, 2500 NE 63rd Street. If you are interested in genealogy or want to figure out how you are related to all those at your next family reunion this summer, please join us. For more information you can check out our website at https://www.ohcegenealogy.com or our Facebook page: ohcegenealogy