My Story: Patrice Blackstock

I became a mom at the age of 15. I hadn’t any real guidance because my mom was often sick. I got involved with the wrong crowd very early in life. I just wanted to belong, be loved and appreciated.

Bring Home the Triple Crown Experience

The competition for the second jewel of the Triple Crown will be underway in just a matter of hours – how exciting! We know that most of our readers won’t be able to attend the event itself so we’ve got some lively ideas in mind for how you can celebrate on your own this weekend. So saddle up and get ready for the ride of your life (or at least of this month).

Give Grads the Gift of a Career

My Facebook feed has recently been filled with pictures from the class of 2016. My cousin Sofia graduated from the University of Florida, a friend received her master’s degree from Howard, and President Obama gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Rutgers University. The pictures and well wishes were full of hope and encouragement for these recent graduates. Yet, a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute tells a different story.

Feeling Fruity: Pineapple Inspired Creations

For centuries, the pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality, fortune, and, yes, goodwill. So it seemed only fitting that we take some time to highlight this fantastic fruit! As it turns out, we’re not the only ones inspired by its spiny beauty. In fact, pineapples have been a pretty trendy motif for a while now. I’ve seen this shape gracing small brass statues in magazines for almost $100 and wallpaper that would be over $1,000 to install, but if you keep reading you’ll find a few fun ways to cash in on this juicy fad (other than putting it in a fruit salad) without parting with all of your cash.

Support Our Veterans During Military Appreciation Month

Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999 to ensure the nation was given the opportunity to publicly demonstrate their appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by our service members – past and present. Each year the president makes a proclamation, reminding Americans of the important role the U.S. Armed Forces have played in the history and development of our country.

My Story: David George

The beauty I have found in others and their help far exceeds any expectation I would ever have. With that being said, the help I received from Goodwill and their training programs gave me the skills I needed to excel in life. The soft skills training course taught me to learn people skills and the ability assert myself to give the proper direction to others in ways to help themselves to help me gain what is needed to motivate in a team comradery.

Bookworms Rejoice: Storage Solutions for Your Abundant Collection

Any bibliophile knows how a rare edition of their favorite book (even if they already own two other versions) is a necessary purchase, and how although I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, that gorgeous tome just NEEDS a new home (on my bookshelf) right now. It’s these struggles that often get us into trouble with spouses or square footage. But in my mind, excessive book buying is okay if we can just find the perfect spot. Am I right? Here are a few tips I’ve learned along my way through life as a chronic book buyer.

Lend Your Voice to Support Goodwill Industries Week

This week marks Goodwill Industries Week, which has taken place every full first week of May since 1951.  As part of the celebration, Goodwill organizations around the United States and Canada are hosting career fairs, donation drives, and offer tours and conduct other celebratory events. The sale of donated goods at Goodwill’s more than 3,100 stores […]

Honor Hardworking Mothers by Shopping at Goodwill

Considering all of the incredible things our moms have done for us over the years, the very least they deserve is a really wonderful, heart-felt celebration on Mother’s Day. With just over a week left to prepare, I’m hoping you’ve already got some great ideas. If not, let us help! Goodwill’s goal is to aid in the success of people who are striving to earn a paycheck and support their families – many of those people are moms who work tirelessly to provide. Here are a few ways that you can help those mothers in your community while also giving your mom a little relief next Sunday.

Give a Second Chance During National Reentry Week

Each year, more than 600,000 individuals return to society after serving time in federal and state prisons, and another 11.4 million individuals cycle through local jails. Nearly a quarter of Americans has had some sort of encounter with the criminal justice system – mostly for relatively minor, non-violent offenses, and sometimes from decades in the past.

Career and Financial Advice for April 2016

The Goodwill blog’s career and financial advice posts have all moved to GoodProspects, but you can still get great advice on your job search, learn about career fields and connect with virtual career mentors. Here are some recent articles published this month—match your skills to your ideal workplace, learn networking strategies for older workers, explore careers in solar installation, and learn details about health care benefits and retirement options.

My Story: Crystal Jacobs

My name is Crystal Jacobs and I was born deaf. Much of my life and the decisions I’ve made have been regulated by fear. Fear of being different, fear of failure, fear of feeling alone. Most people don’t think the divide between hearing and deaf to be that big of a deal, but it’s something I had a lot of trouble with. I’m not confident in the way I talk or sound, and this caused a lot of issues for me and how I interacted with people who can hear.