Austin Goodwill Seeks to Open Charter School to Help Adults Earn High School Diplomas

Goodwill Industries of Central Texas (Austin) is on the road to opening a charter school aimed at helping people over age 25 earn high school degrees. If the Texas State Board of Education accepts the application, the Excel Center will open its doors in August 2014 at the Goodwill Community Center in Austin.

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Goodwill® Prosperity Center and Community Partnerships Empower Financial Self-Sufficiency

The Prosperity Center at Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties (Eugene, OR) opened in 2010 thanks to a community impact grant from United Way of Lane County. Since then, the center has helped 227 people improve their financial and employment situations through a unique one-on-one mentorship model made possible by local partnerships. The center’s participants are “members” not “recipients,” helped by five “prosperity planners,” not “case managers”—deliberate language that helps transition mindsets from reliance on social services to financial self-sufficiency.

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Goodwill® Team Member Returns Class Ring to Young Cancer Survivor

In mid-January, a store team member from Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin (Menasha) found and returned a young cancer survivor’s missing class ring. The Post-Crescent, a local newspaper, reported that Deirdra Moon, a team member at the Grand Chute store, was sorting through the donations when she spotted a 2013 class ring from Appleton West High School—Moon’s alma mater. It bore the word “survivor” and a yellow sarcoma cancer awareness ribbon.

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In WV, Goodwill®-Community College Partnership Helps Participants Build Skills, Advance Education

Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area and Mountwest Community and Technical College's partnership dates back to 2005, when an instructor was teaching a part-time computer class at MCTC and at Goodwill. She realized that the Goodwill participants were doing the same amount and caliber of work as the MCTC students, and believed they should earn the same college credit hours. As the organizations shared their expertise, an original one-course partnership grew to three tracks that now allow students to accumulate 12 credit hours or more at Goodwill.

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Goodwill® Employee Returns $8,000 Found in Donation Pile at Georgia Store

On December 28, an 18-year-old Goodwill sales associate found and returned four bank envelopes containing $8,000 found while sorting donations at a Chattanooga Goodwill Industries (TN) store. Following Goodwill policy, she immediately notified the store’s lead sales associate and the manager on duty.

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Goodwills to Engage Volunteers During Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

An increasing number of Americans are using the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday to honor Dr. King’s legacy by volunteering in their communities. The holiday takes place on January 21, 2013, this year, the same day as U.S. President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Volunteers are using this day as ‘a day on, not a day off’ to address the needs in their communities and help create solutions to social problems. Local Goodwill® agencies are engaging volunteers on this day for a number of community service projects.

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Atlanta Goodwill Co-Hosts Inaugural Summit for Veterans, Service and Leaders

Goodwill of North Georgia (Atlanta) recently held its first Veterans, Service and Leaders Summit, a half-day knowledge-sharing and information-gathering session for about 60 individuals, including representatives from veteran-serving organizations, Georgia elected officials and local veterans. The event aimed to strengthen and increase understanding of the resources that are currently available to veterans and their families, and surface areas where needs are still unmet through the newly created Veteran Leader Corps (VLC).

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Goodwill and Donors Brighten the Holiday Through Giving

While the holidays seem to bring out the kid in people of all ages, the wide-eyed wonder and magic still belong to the little ones this time of year. Sadly, many families lack the financial resources to buy gifts — and sometimes even necessities like winter coats and shoes. Goodwill agencies like those below have stepped in to spread a little joy and warmth to those who need it most.

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Greater Nebraska Goodwill Sends Holiday Gifts to Marines in Afghanistan

Goodwill employee holds supportive sign for troops.This year, employees at Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska (Grand Island) are sending gifts to 25 U.S. Marines stationed in Afghanistan. A few years ago, Goodwill employees opted to forgo the office gift exchange in favor of providing gifts for others in need. Since then, more and more Goodwill employees and program participants are getting involved. This year’s decision to send gifts to Marines has become one of the Grand Island Goodwill’s biggest efforts yet to help people outside of the local community.

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Dream Playground to Become Reality for Gulf Coast Goodwill Children

Young child hangs from monkey bars.Children at the Gordon Smith Child Development Center, a project of Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast (Mobile, AL) will soon have a brand new playground to enjoy. In November, children at the center enjoyed a “design day” as they put crayon to paper to design their dream playgrounds. With a significant investment from the PNC Foundation, volunteers and organizers from KaBOOM! will help make these drawings a reality. Elements from the children’s drawings will be incorporated into the final design for the new community playground, scheduled to be constructed in January.

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NC Goodwill Donates More Than 20,000 Pounds of Produce to Food Bank

The GCF Farm at Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina (Durham) has donated 20,636 pounds of fruits and vegetables to the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina in 2012, more than doubling last year’s amount. In addition to new developments in leadership and volunteerism, the increase in produce is also attributed to expanded garden space and more greenhouse use in colder weather to grow summer vegetables, including cucumbers and tomatoes.

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Goodwills in GA, TX Advance Educational Opportunities for Local Students

At Goodwill®, we work to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work. Helping people prepare for jobs and advance their careers often means first connecting them with education options, which range from single courses to a complete certification or degree. Read on to learn about how two Goodwills are increasing access to educational opportunities for people in TX and GA communities.

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