Kalamazoo Goodwill® Honored with Advocacy Leader Award

ROCKVILLE, MD — Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan (Kalamazoo, MI) has been honored with a 2013 Advocacy Leader Award from Goodwill Industries International. The award recognizes a Goodwill® agency that has demonstrated leadership and commitment to advancing Goodwill’s advocacy and policy efforts to further its mission of helping people secure employment and build stronger communities.
President and CEO John Dillworth has focused 2012 policy discussions on education — from kindergarten to adult literacy programs — as the key to economic development. Three Michigan state representatives and one state senator toured the Goodwill facilities in 2012 and were impressed with the efficiencies achieved through a human services campus that houses seven nonprofits. Dillworth also attends a monthly legislative meeting hosted each month by the Chamber of Commerce. The meeting attracts both state and federal policymakers for dialogue on issues impacting the community and region.
“Advocacy comes before policy action and the Kalamazoo Goodwill team has focused its energy on educating those leaders who can have impact on issues that affect Goodwill and the people and families we serve,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “The team is to be commended for furthering discussion on the critical need for education funding.”
The award was presented at a May 15 reception in Washington, D.C. The reception is part of Goodwill Industries International’s seventh annual Advocacy Day – “Designing Goodwill into the Future.”