Pamela, a lifelong track-and-field athlete, joined the Army's World Class Athlete Program after missing the Olympic team by two spots. Following her time in the military, she faced more than a year of unemployment and struggled to find a match between her military skills and civilian positions. After connecting with Goodwill, she was hired as an employment specialist and later promoted to program manager, where she now helps other veterans get back on their feet.
Category: The Goodwill Blog
Senate Panel Advances Job Training Bill
Yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 18-3 to advance bipartisan legislation (S. 1356) to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIA was enacted in 1998, and has not since been reauthorized. As a result, the law is long overdue for an update. Goodwill supports the bill as written and is urging the Senate to quickly bring the bill to the Senate floor.
Five TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Work and Think
Caitlyn from Boston, MA, asks, “I like my job, but I do the same things every day, exactly the same way. My colleagues don’t seem particularly interested in how to think or do things differently. I need to get the lead out and get inspired again. Can you help?”
READ MORE from Five TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Work and Think
In Colorado Springs, Goodwill® Parlays Custodial Experience into Street Cleaning Business
This spring, Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado (Colorado Springs) began a new service contract with the Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership to clean and maintain the city’s streets, sidewalks and alleyways. Not only is this a new contract, but it’s a new business venture that led to 100 percent of the agency’s Pursuits program graduates being placed in employment.
A Bevy of Craft Projects to Complete with Cigar Boxes
Every so often, I find a beautiful cigar box poised patiently on a thrift store shelf. It’s hard to pass up, knowing that these classic boxes have so much potential! I love their unique utility and aesthetic – they work so nicely in any shabby-chic or traditionally styled home. Plus, they cost next to nothing thanks to the low prices.
READ MORE from A Bevy of Craft Projects to Complete with Cigar Boxes
Senate Committee Vote on WIA Expected Next Week
News of the newest addition to Britain’s royal family has been the most anticipated event since we wondered who shot JR. This week, we learned of yet another much anticipated, if somewhat less newsworthy, event—the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s plan to consider the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (WIA) – S.1356 — next week.
READ MORE from Senate Committee Vote on WIA Expected Next Week
A Five-Step Process for Effective Brainstorming
Melanie from Wooster, OH, asks, “I like my job, but some of our processes and procedures are really inefficient. I want to be seen as a problem-solver – how do you recommend I approach these issues with my supervisor and team?”
READ MORE from A Five-Step Process for Effective Brainstorming
NE Goodwill Donation Campaign Strengthens Community
Six Lincoln, NE, neighborhoods donated nearly 18,000 pounds of clothing, furniture and household items to Goodwill Industries Serving Southeast Nebraska during its Neighborhood Challenge this summer. From May 26 to July 6, the Goodwill® hosted a friendly competition to encourage neighborhood associations to donate garage sale leftovers and other household items to Goodwill. The top three neighborhoods received funding for neighborhood-improvement projects.
READ MORE from NE Goodwill Donation Campaign Strengthens Community
My Story: Donald and Jennifer McGrath
Diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, OCD and a mild intellectual disability, Jennifer McGrath had limited job skills when she was referred to Goodwill. Her father, Donald, shares how she blossomed in the program and. "To see my daughter working at Goodwill has been like a miracle. I didn't expect that she would be able to come so far, so fast."
Thrift Stores: Where Nothing Is Ever Discontinued
When I registered for dishes all those years ago, I wanted dishes I’d actually use and not just look at. The ones I decided on were simple, adorable and apparently (unbeknownst to me) about to be discontinued. That’s why I nearly had a fit when I spotted a pile of my discontinued wedding dishes NEW WITH THE TAGS for sale on an endcap at the Goodwill.
READ MORE from Thrift Stores: Where Nothing Is Ever Discontinued
Collaboration Is Key to Doing More with Less
In recent years, the pool of resources for human services, including job training, has been steadily evaporating despite increased need. In the case of job training, federal funding for job training has steadily eroded over the last decade. Since 2002, funding for the Workforce Investment Act's (WIA) core funding streams has declined by $1 billion — more than 25 percent. Meanwhile unemployment was 5.8 percent in 2002, compared to 8.1 percent in 2012. As a result practitioners are asking themselves, “How do we do more with less?”
After the Interview: How to Send a Follow-Up Message
Roger from Dallas, TX, asks, “I finished school earlier this year and am applying for jobs in full force this summer. My mom says that I should send a card in the mail after each interview, but a friend in the business says email follow-ups are fine. What do you think?”
READ MORE from After the Interview: How to Send a Follow-Up Message
