Category: The Goodwill Blog

LaVonne Hitchcock was shopping Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire’s Santa Rosa outlet store when she noticed a plastic bag full of old airmail envelopes. Knowing the package would ultimately be recycled if not sold, the secondhand buyer and seller added the package to her pile of finds and bought the entire lot for $5. When she opened the package and started reading through the letters, she realized she was in possession of nearly 150 love letters written by a young sailor to a girl he’d met before shipping off to Pearl Harbor shortly before WWII.

READ MORE from WWII Love Letters Found at Goodwill® Reunited with Writer's Daughter

LaVonne Hitchcock was shopping Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire’s Santa Rosa outlet store when she noticed a plastic bag full of old airmail envelopes. Knowing the package would ultimately be recycled if not sold, the secondhand buyer and seller added the package to her pile of finds and bought the entire lot for $5. When she opened the package and started reading through the letters, she realized she was in possession of nearly 150 love letters written by a young sailor to a girl he’d met before shipping off to Pearl Harbor shortly before WWII.

READ MORE from WWII Love Letters Found at Goodwill® Reunited with Writer’s Daughter

Andi Petley never thought of herself as an "overcomer." After battling a drug addition that lost her custody of her children, she knew a change had to be made. Hear how Andi overcame her fears and took back her life with support from Goodwill®.

READ MORE from My Story: Andi Petley

Goodwill Industries International  (GII) is looking forward to conducting its sixth annual advocacy day on Tuesday, April 17, as part of the GII Spring Conference.  Nearly 200 Goodwill advocates from around the country will visit Capitol Hill to advocate for federal funding for programs that leverage Goodwill and benefit the people we serve, and for

READ MORE from Join the Goodwill® on the Hill – Virtual Advocacy Day!

Question My boss doesn’t talk much, and sometimes I think he doesn’t like what I’m doing. What should I do? – Susan from Baton Rouge, LA Answer Hey Susan, That is a great question and one that commonly arises in today’s workplace.  Having an effective communication relationship with your supervisor is critical to your ability to

READ MORE from Can You Hear Me Now? Tips for Getting Your Boss’s Feedback

Question My boss doesn’t talk much, and sometimes I think he doesn’t like what I’m doing. What should I do? – Susan from Baton Rouge, LA Answer Hey Susan, That is a great question and one that commonly arises in today’s workplace.  Having an effective communication relationship with your supervisor is critical to your ability to

READ MORE from Can You Hear Me Now? Tips for Getting Your Boss's Feedback

Goodwill's mobile store set up shop at the 2012 Las Vega Stand Down for homeless veterans in March, helping more than 500 people access clothing and employment services.

READ MORE from Las Vegas Goodwill® Takes Store on the Road to Help Homeless Vets

After serving in the U.S. Army, Robert became addicted to alcohol and lived on the streets for five years. He was referred to a rehabilitation program following some legal troubles, a stint which ultimately led him to Goodwill's Veterans Integration Program (VIP). With the program's support and encouragement, Robert was hired to work at the Goodwill, eventually rising to the rank of VIP program manager. "Their belief in me has allowed me to pas along my courage, strength and hope to other veterans facing the same challenges I faced not too long ago," he says.

READ MORE from My Story: Robert Williamson

As the economy slowly recovers, governments at both the state and federal levels are hard pressed to stretch limited resources to cover an increasing number of priorities. Squeezed between the proverbial rock and a hard place, government officials are not only looking for programs that they can eliminate or scale back, but new sources of revenue.

READ MORE from Tight Government Budgets Make Nonprofit Sector a Tempting Revenue Source

Veterans in Central Illinois will receive support in training and search for a job, thanks to a new partnership between Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois and Spoon River College. The program aims to help veteran job seekers overcome challenges to employment and create a cohesive community network to support this population

READ MORE from IL Goodwill® Partners with Local College to Help Vets Get Jobs

Tierra was hanging around with the wrong crowds before she joined a Goodwill program for youth. In the program, she found the encouragement she needed to apply and land a job and the connections that later helped her find employment with the Goodwill itself. She says, "Goodwill gave me a chance to prove myself and what I can do. I have developed a wonderful extended family, and I have become a successful professional.

READ MORE from My Story: Tierra Scott

Today, Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), and Joe Heck (R-NV), all members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 . While Goodwill is still analyzing the bill’s details, it proposes to consolidate 27 programs into one Workforce Investment Fund. The new proposal is based upon on previous bills introduced last year by the three representatives.

READ MORE from Employment-Boosting Legislation Introduced in House of Representatives