Goodwill Industries International Honors Migdalia Figueroa
with the 2012 Edgar J. Helms Award for Staff
NEW YORK, NY — Each week, close to a 100 people approach the Goodwill® Back-to-Work Program in Bronx, NY, for assistance with emergent needs like food, housing and health care, as well as help finding education, training and employment services.
Migdalia Figueroa, the program’s coordinator, supports the site’s 10 case managers and 55 staff members by ensuring that participants have access to a variety of resources provided by Goodwill and other community partners. For her commitment to helping families get back on their feet, Figueroa has been honored with the 2012 Edgar J. Helms Award for Staff from Goodwill Industries International.
Figueroa has made a name for herself, not only within Goodwill, but among New York nonprofits as the “go to” resource connection. She’s made a point of strengthening relationships with community partners and other social services providers to ensure seamless delivery of assistance once someone walks through Goodwill’s doors. Her resource listing currently has more than 120 partner organizations.
“Migdalia has a keen sense of what a person needs and is able to coordinate the various types of resources available,” said William Forrester, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey (Astoria, NY). “Her assessment skills, her gentle and encouraging manner, and her astute ability to get things done make her a perfect fit for the work she does for Goodwill.”
Last year, the New York mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities invited Figueroa to discuss the vast array of resources available to New York City residents.
“We couldn’t ask for a better ambassador to represent Goodwill’s work at the front lines of service delivery,” said Jim Gibbons, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “For more than 10 years, Migdalia’s expertise and passion have helped transform thousands of lives within the New York area.”
Figueroa will receive her award at Goodwill’s annual Delegate Assembly meeting in Miami, FL, on Sunday, June 24.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Edgar J. Helms Award for Staff honors a current Goodwill employee who has not received Goodwill services in the past, and who exemplifies the mission of Goodwill Industries and its founder Rev. Edgar J. Helms’ values of unselfish service to people with disabilities or other disadvantaging conditions.
