Over the years, countless Goodwill® leaders have traveled the world spreading the belief that there is dignity in all useful occupations. The power of this vision resulted in the establishment of 14 international Goodwill-affiliated agencies, including the creation of Goodwill Industries of Korea in 2003.
Goodwill Industries International is partnering with the Together Foundation to expand the Goodwill Industries® mission and social enterprise model in South Korea, establishing a social welfare model that creates jobs and support for people with disabilities.
The plan includes opening up 100 stores, serving 3,000 people with disabilities and creating 1,000 jobs for people with disadvantages over the next five years, specifically within the network of Goodwill affiliates in the cities of Busan, Seoul and Suwon.
The collaboration will also focus on promoting mission-based services, such as multicultural family support services and the North Korean resettlement program. The Together Foundation plans to increase the partnership to include: housing for people with disabilities, support services for people from other cultures that have married Koreans and assistance to North Korean refugees.
Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International and Dr. Young Woo Kang, founder of Goodwill Industries of Korea and former Goodwill Industries International board member have been instrumental in the strategic growth plan together with Hyong Ok Jang, Chairman of the Together Foundation and former CEO of Samsung China.
“We are confident that Goodwill Industries of Korea has the capacity to lead, unify and strengthen the Goodwill brand in Korea,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “We are now in a position to create thousands of jobs for people with disabilities and other disadvantages in Korea through the sustainable Goodwill social enterprise model.”
“The Together Foundation will cooperate and unite with the Goodwill Industries of Korea member agencies and invest every ounce of energy into spreading the Goodwill enterprise throughout Korea,” said Dr. Young Woo Jang.
For more information on Goodwill’s presence outside North America, visit http://global.goodwill.org.
