Category: The Goodwill Blog

As an adolescent, Haley struggled to progress along her educational path due to her bipolar disorder, but eventually gained her high school diploma and secured a job. Unable to maintain the position, she began working with the Department of Rehabilitation Services, who connected her with Goodwill. There, as part of the "Let's Go to Work!" program, she built her job readiness skills and was eventually hired in a cashier position. "I know without the help and support of my job coach in Goodwill I would have never been able to move into a competitive job," she says.

READ MORE from My Story: Haley Paone

Of all the Thanksgivings I spent at my late grandmother’s house (18 years worth!), there’s one that really sticks out to me. With fragrant wafts of the feast coming our way from the kitchen, she asked each family member to choose something we were really thankful for and mark it on a "gratitude tree" that she had created on her wall. That was the year I realized that this holiday is about much more than just playing with my cousins, and that I was a very lucky girl.

READ MORE from This Thanksgiving, Create a DIY Gratitude Tree

On October 28, Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids (MI) and Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore launched Every Dress Has a Story!, a fashion-forward dress drive. The two organizations have partnered to collect gently used dresses from the community to assist the Grand Rapids Goodwill in its mission of providing job training and placement services to area residents. While donors can bring a dress to any Grand Rapids area Goodwill store, members of the community can also host donation bins at their places of business or community centers. Bins can be delivered and picked up by the agency’s staff.

READ MORE from Every Dress Has a Story in Local Goodwill®, Girl Scouts Partnership

Some college girlfriends called me a few months back and wanted to arrange a baby shower back in my hometown. I was thrilled and excited at a chance to see everyone and show off the bump, but talk of showers always leads to talk of registries. I have to admit-- the thought of registering made me a little bit queasy. Babies need so much stuff-- but does it all really need to be new? So when I flew back to Missouri last weekend, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I have to hand it to my friends and family-- they know me better than I ever imagined. I was treated to a brunch with good friends, family, food, generosity, crafts, love and THRIFTY gifts!

READ MORE from Throw an All-Thrifty Baby Shower

Following Election Day, headlines are dominated by outcomes, voter turnout and even thoughts on the next major race.  As important as casting your ballot may be, voting is just one of the many ways we can be engaged in the legislative process. Throughout the year, you can meet with your lawmakers, attend hearings, provide testimony

READ MORE from What Legislative Issues Are Important to You in 2014?

Camila from Paterson, NJ, asks, “I’ve always filed my taxes on time and never had any issues. Now I’m receiving phone calls from the IRS saying I owe them money. This doesn’t make sense – how can I check this out?”

READ MORE from Scam Alert: Protect Your Finances from IRS Telephone Fraud

Nikkinta knew she was in for a journey as she left incarceration and started to look for work -- she just wasn't sure where to start. After participating in a Goodwill job readiness program, she obtained a machine operator job and has been steadily working her way up the career ladder since. "You should never judge what you’ve done in the past. The first step is to forgive yourself — because if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will," she says.

READ MORE from My Story: Nikkinta Murphy

Paint brushes with paint on themOn October 24, Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (Johnstown, PA) joined forces with the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center to host The Art of Recovery, an art exhibit celebrating the journey to mental health and wellness. More than 80 guests attended the event, including practitioners, family members, participants and community members.

READ MORE from In PA, Goodwill Hosts Art Exhibit Featuring Recovering Artists

Seventy-five years ago this Halloween Orson Welles and CBS Radio created panic in several parts of the US when they aired a nearly uninterrupted national broadcast of the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. Congress, maybe hoping to top that effort, recently spooked the entire country and most of the financial world by shutting down most of the US government and nearly driving the nation into default.

READ MORE from Congress: Creating More Panic than Orson Welles

Amy from Bloomington, IL, asks, “I have to give a big presentation next week at work, and I’m super nervous. I haven’t had to create slides since I was back in college. Any advice?”

READ MORE from Five Pointers for Delivering an Effective PowerPoint Presentation

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending Goodwill’s The Art of Fashion Runway Show and Gala here in DC for the first time. Just walking in, it was obvious this wasn’t going to be your typical fashion show. Past a gaggle of valet parking staff and the tables brimming with hors d’oeuvres, up the stairs at Artisphere and past the Andy Warhol exhibit, there they were -- racks and racks of curated thrift store goodies!

READ MORE from Thrifty Ladies Work the Runway at Goodwill® Fashion Show and Gala

Goodwill of the Heartland (Iowa City) has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Workplaces for 2013 by the Des Moines Register. The agency was honored at a ceremony last month. The rankings are based solely on employee opinions from an anonymous survey of around 80,000 respondents conducted by WorkplaceDynamics. The survey of companies across Iowa asked employees to share their satisfaction with their workplace, including what is most important to them and how their employers rate on these priorities.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Ranked among Top Places to Work in Iowa