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Tenured Volunteer Demonstrates Breadth of Commitment to Goodwill and Community

Betty Jo Olson Earns National Goodwill Volunteer Award

October 18, 2005

Rockville, MD - Goodwill Industries International has awarded Betty Jo Olson the 2005 Elsine Katz Volunteer Leadership Award for her contributions to the local community, society-at-large, and Goodwill.  Olson has been active in furthering the work of Goodwill and communicating its mission for more than 30 years.

Olson is president of The Goodwill Bags, the volunteer group of Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay (Oakland, CA).  She is responsible for recruiting new members, illustrating to the community the unique items often donated to Goodwill, promoting Goodwill’s mission, and developing funds to support the organization’s employment service programs.  In this role, Olson has conducted more than 1,000 vintage fashion shows throughout the San Francisco Bay Area to promote Goodwill.  She is also a current member of the Goodwill’s local board of directors.  For more than 18 years, she has participated on numerous board committees to help guide the organization’s program development and outreach work, including the Community Support and Workforce Development Committees.

“Goodwill board members are instrumental in securing funding and resources, as well as in guiding the overall strategic direction of their organizations in the 21st century,” says George W. Kessinger, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.  “Betty Jo has dedicated countless hours and demonstrated tremendous leadership qualities in her work on Goodwill’s international and local boards.  Her long tenure demonstrates her commitment, not only to Goodwill’s mission of putting people to work, but to the many volunteers that assist with that work.”

Olson’s commitment to Goodwill extends beyond her local community.  She was a member of Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services (GIVS) board of directors from 1985 to 1994.  During this time, she was also president of the GIVS board and a member of Goodwill Industries International’s board of directors (1989-1991).  Her involvement on these boards gave Olson an international perspective on the Goodwill movement, helping to enhance the local work for Goodwill in Oakland.  Olson has been actively advocating for volunteers within the Goodwill movement for years.

The Elsine Katz Volunteer Leadership Award is given to an outstanding volunteer who works in support of a member Goodwill organization.  The award is designed to focus attention on the expanding role of volunteers in Goodwill Industries.

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 205 local, community-based organizations in the U.S., Canada, and in 22 other countries.  Goodwill Industries provides job training and placement and other employment services to people with disabilities, dislocated workers, welfare recipients, and other job seekers.  In 2004, Goodwill provided jobs and met the employment needs of more than 723,000 people.