Goizueta Foundation Awards Goodwill Financial Education and Youth Development Grant

Rockville, MD — The Goizueta Foundation has awarded Goodwill Industries International a grant valued at $2,055,084 to develop employment and education initiatives in Hispanic communities in the state of Georgia. The grant will be funded over a three-year period.
The four independent Goodwill agencies that receive the funding will improve their job training programs and employment-based services to meet the needs of increasingly growing Hispanic populations in the Atlanta, Columbus, Vidalia, and Augusta areas in the state of Georgia. In addition, Goodwill Industries International will hire a statewide program manager to coordinate the efforts of the local Goodwills and document their successes.
“Through support from The Goizueta Foundation, Goodwill agencies in Georgia will customize career services to meet the needs of the growing population of Hispanic residents through a multi-faceted, customized approach,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “This approach will include the development and growth of financial literacy training and effective youth development services for Hispanics, and specifically, the expansion of access to services for Hispanic individuals with disabilities.”
Most importantly, Goodwill will expand the number of career development centers in or near neighborhoods with high Hispanic populations in order to offer their residents with basic skills training. This training will empower them to achieve economic independence and be able to support themselves and their families. Each center will provide a range of services, which might also include English as a Second Language courses as well as specific vocational language instruction.
Using these effective practices as a base, the Georgia Goodwill agencies will find ways to adapt and customize career services through community needs assessments and community partnerships with Hispanic-serving organizations and businesses. The project will serve as a national model to other Goodwills, through lessons learned and best practices, in their targeted outreach efforts to Hispanics.