The end of the year is always the best time to reflect on our past accomplishments and to prepare for the challenges that await us the upcoming year. As 2017 quickly draws to close, the Goodwill Industries International (GII) government relations team is grateful for the work and effort of all Goodwill advocates. Because of your advocacy efforts we have been able to share the work and mission of local Goodwill organizations across the country.
This past year alone Goodwill advocates have written over 1750+ letters to lawmakers on issues important to the Goodwill family such as; protecting workforce development, job training programs, Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSCEP) and defending Charitable giving incentives. This is quite the accomplishment! Constituent letters remain one of the most powerful tools in informing elected officials about the things that matter most to their constituency. Make sure to sign up to receive the action alerts from the Legislative Action Center so that you too can send messages to your members of congress regarding the issues that can impact your local Goodwill.
This year also marked the 10th Anniversary of our annual advocacy day. During this rainy day last April, over 125 Goodwill advocates from across the country made their way to Washington D.C. and visited over half of the members of congress. Additionally, during the new Goodwill CEO orientation last September, several newly appointed Goodwill CEOs took the time to visit over 70 congressional offices to introduce themselves and to share with them the important issues that matter most to local Goodwills.
With the start of the second session of the 115th Congress and the second year of the Trump administration, there are plenty of opportunities for Goodwill advocates to again make our voices heard. Now more than ever are citizen voices needed to tell our lawmakers our priorities and ask that they continue to support the issues and causes we care about. Make sure to mark your calendars for April 18th and 19th of 2018 for the upcoming virtual advocacy efforts.
To each of you who engaged in our advocacy efforts this past year at any time and at any level we sincerely thank you! Our work is far from over and we look forward to working side-by-side with you in 2018.
