Category: Press Releases

Last year, Goodwill provided job training programs, career counseling and other support services to a record-breaking 1.9 million people, a 28-percent increase over 2008. This Goodwill Industries Week, May 2–8, Goodwill is encouraging people to donate their gently used household goods and clothing so that the organization can continue to provide critical community-based programs to people in need. Through its network of 166 independent headquarter agencies throughout the United States and Canada, Goodwill collectively garnered an estimated $3.7 billion in revenues in 2009, and channeled 83 percent of those revenues directly into programs to help people improve their lives, families and communities.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Employment Programs Benefited Nearly 2 Million People in 2009

Goodwill Industries International recently named Richard Lopez its 2010 Achiever of the Year for overcoming addiction and building a strong career at Goodwill. Lopez started doing drugs when he was 12 years old. At 17, he was selling drugs and addicted to alcohol. When he was 36, Lopez and his wife, who also had an alcohol addiction, made the choice to get sober together. They wanted to be better parents to their young children, and they supported each other as they worked toward their shared goal.

READ MORE from Texas Man Builds Career at Goodwill® After Recovering from Addiction

In honor of Goodwill Industries® Week (May 2-10), Goodwill Industries International will be hosting a “Travelin’ Trunk Show” at its headquarters location to showcase racks of contemporary and vintage fashions. The donated clothes will be available for sale to the public and the revenues from the sale will go to support Goodwill® of Greater Washington’s mission to educate, train, employ and place people with disabilities and disadvantages in jobs throughout the greater DC area. Goodwill of Greater Washington is one of 159 headquarter agencies in the United States.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Holds Travelin’ Trunk Show for Goodwill Industries® Week

Goodwill® Contract Services Hawaii (Honolulu) successfully manages a federal contract to provide property management services for 6,500 single soldier barrack units in 56 buildings across five Army bases in Hawaii. The Army Hawaii Soldier Housing (ASH) contract created 65 full-time equivalent jobs, including 28 for people with severe disabilities. The contract exemplifies an important tenet of Goodwill’s 21st Century Initiative — to prepare people with special needs for the 21st century workforce. The contract and Goodwill Industries® of Hawaii are honored this year with the 21st Century Initiative Award from Goodwill Industries International. Employees work as property managers, desk clerks, laborers, stock clerks and maintenance workers. The contract allows Army personnel to focus on specialized military job duties while creating jobs for civilians.

READ MORE from Goodwill Industries of Hawaii Receives 21st Century Initiative Award from Goodwill Industries International

Rockville, MD. — Federal government officials have said that the economy is on the road to recovery, but there are many people still struggling to find employment. This economic recovery won’t feel real until our friends and neighbors who are unemployed can earn paychecks and support their families. As it commemorates Goodwill Industries® Week (May

READ MORE from Goodwill® is Helping People Find Work Despite Slow Economic Growth

Columbus, GA. — Doctors told Joy Diolosa’s parents that she would never walk and that her congenital birth defects — including scoliosis and a club foot — could keep her from working. Diagnosed later in life with paranoid schizophrenia, Diolosa’s mounting disabilities were nothing compared to the cruel treatment she received from co-workers. After being

READ MORE from Goodwill Industries® Honors Joy Diolosa with the 2010 Edgar J. Helms Award for Graduate Staff

Cheryl Keller retired from the board of directors for Goodwill Industries® of the Southern Piedmont in 2007 after almost 18 years of service, but she has since “doubled her efforts,” using her financial, analytical and strategic planning skills to improve programs and services at the Goodwill®. Due to her efforts, Keller is being honored by Goodwill Industries International with the 2010 Elsine Katz Volunteer Leader of the Year Award. During the past two decades, Keller served as the chair of the Goodwill’s board of directors as well as a member of several committees. She has an extensive background in the banking industry. While at Bank of America, she was a passionate champion for Goodwill, recruiting bank colleagues to volunteer in the agency’s training programs and as members of the board. “One of Cheryl’s strengths is her ability to combine passion and intellect to inspire change,” said Michael Elder, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. “She is always looking for new opportunities for Goodwill. Cheryl is not afraid to ask tough questions about what we can do to better ourselves.”

READ MORE from Financial Expert's Volunteer Commitment to Charlotte Goodwill Spans Two Decades

When a resource counselor at Goodwill Industries^® of Denver saw that, without caring adult mentors to offer guidance, African-American males at a local high school faced multiple personal struggles, the agency created the Men at Work African-America Male Mentor Group. This year, Goodwill Industries International honors the program with its 2010 Goodwill® Volunteer Program of the Year Award. The Men at Work program pairs African-American professionals from the Denver-metro area with African-American students at East High School. The mentors and mentees discuss everything from schoolwork, grades and the college experience to healthy interactions with authority figures and how to overcome personal and professional adversity. In 2008, all seven of the program’s mentees went on to college, a primary goal of the mentor program.

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Cindy Stone, custodial training coordinator at Goodwill Industries® of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, developed a custodial training and certification program for people with physical and cognitive disabilities, giving unemployed individuals a leg up in an almost recession-proof industry. Her innovative workforce solution is being honored this year with the Robert E. and Charlotte Watkins Award for Mission Advancement from Goodwill Industries International. The Commercial Custodial Technician Program is a four-week training that teaches basic components of custodial services. Having completed the program, participants obtain a portable, nationally recognized certification. Of the 113 individuals trained so far, more than 80 percent are now employed in the custodial field.

READ MORE from Custodial Training Helps Place Workers in ‘Recession-Proof’ Jobs

Goodwill Industries International is pleased to honor Tina Ballard, Executive Director of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, with its first-ever Outstanding Leadership Award for Federal Executives. This award is given by Goodwill® to a federal executive who has clearly demonstrated support for Goodwill’s policy agenda. Increased employment opportunities under the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Act is one of Goodwill’s top priorities as Goodwill makes up nearly 15 percent of the AbilityOne Program. Enacted in 1938, the Wagner-O’Day Act sought to create employment opportunities for people who are blind by using the vast purchasing power of the federal government. In 1971, under the stewardship of the late Sen. Jacob Javits, the employment program was expanded to include people with significant disabilities. That expanded program — called AbilityOne — operates today under the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Act. The Committee for Purchase has oversight of the AbilityOne Program.

READ MORE from Tina Ballard Receives Goodwill Industries International Outstanding Leadership Award

Goodwill Industries International is pleased to honor Congressman Vern Buchanan (R–FL) as a recipient of its Goodwill® National Policymaker Award for 2010. The award recognizes a federal policymaker who has clearly demonstrated support for Goodwill’s public policy priorities. Rep. Buchanan was nominated by Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc. (Sarasota, FL) for consistent support of Goodwill’s public policy agenda. He co-sponsored legislation to expand Goodwill capacity and is a champion for Goodwill’s job training and reintegration efforts for veterans.

READ MORE from Congressman Buchanan Recognized by Goodwill Industries®

Goodwill Industries International is pleased to honor Congressman Brett Guthrie (R–KY) as a recipient of its Goodwill® National Policymaker Award for 2010. The award recognizes a federal policymaker who has clearly demonstrated support for Goodwill’s public policy priorities. Rep. Guthrie was nominated by Goodwill Industries of Kentucky (Louisville, KY), for his leadership in the House to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and for strengthening job opportunities for workers and job seekers in a struggling economy.

READ MORE from Congressman Guthrie Recognized by Goodwill Industries®