Thankful for Advocates

This Thanksgiving we’re giving thanks for our advocates.  Regardless of your connection to Goodwill, you volunteer your voice to speak up on behalf of those who face challenges to employment.  You educate policymakers about the mission of Goodwill and the impact of their decisions.  You take action via GII’s Legislative Action Center, share blogs like this, and interact with us on social media.  You share your stories about the importance of federal job-training programs and how you have been impacted by the mission of Goodwill.  You join us in Washington, DC to meet with Congress, and you amplify our efforts via our virtual advocacy day.  You make a difference.

Despite these best efforts, there is still more work to be done.  There are numerous new lawmakers beginning their terms in January at all levels of government.  At the federal level, there were history-making elections, true surprises, and major benchmarks. But we know that you are the real history makers. You know better than anyone which policy issues are important in your community, and it will be your job and ours to keep those concerns in focus for national and local elected officials in the coming year. The individuals and families they serve depend on all of us to advocate for the people who rely on the services provided by local Goodwill organizations around the country – whether it’s at Congress or at the City Council meeting.  We thank you for this powerful year and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. We’ll be continuing to count on your strong voice in the year ahead.