My Story: Angelo Pegeuese
My name is Angelo Pegeuese. I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. I was a troubled teenage boy who was raised by a single mother. I started getting into trouble with the law at the age of 14 and in 2005, when I was 18, I was convicted of multiple offenses and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Those had to be the toughest years of my life.
Creative Repurposing: Three Fresh Ideas
With Earth Day only two weeks away and environmental consciousness on everyone’s mind, we thought we’d share a little about how Goodwill helps to save our planet. On top of creating a wonderful opportunity for neighbors to reuse one another’s second-hand items through retail stores, Goodwill stock that doesn’t sell after a significant amount of time in stores and outlets is baled and sold to textile recyclers, which extends the life of already manufactured goods. Right there we have two of the three sustainability Rs, now let’s look at the third: reduce. Here are a few fresh ways that people have reduced their need to buy new things simply by reusing the old for their creative repurposing projects!
Join the #GoodwillOnHill Virtual Advocacy Day!
This week, Goodwill advocates from around the country will visit Capitol Hill and meet with hundreds of lawmakers to advocate for federal investments in workforce program, protecting charitable giving incentives, and reauthorizing the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. You can help bolster the success of their visits and help strengthen Goodwill’s public policy influence.
Delicious Décor
Well, it’s Friday, and I think we’ve all earned a little treat to reward ourselves for a week well spent. Go ahead and think of your favorite guilty pleasure food and let’s all have a moment. Now what else is on today’s to-do list? Maybe you should make plans to indulge in that yummy delight after you’ve accomplished your final tasks for the day. Food can be an incredible motivator, so let’s harness this desire and use it to drive us not just today, but in all we do throughout the week.
“News You Can Use” for Financial Literacy Month
April is Financial Literacy Month and with Congress adjourned and tax season upon us, we thought this was a good time to remind you of two financial tools that might be of use.
Career and Financial Advice for March 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—read each piece, share your thoughts, and join GoodProspects to take advantage of everything at Goodwill’s online career navigation portal!
My Story: Yolande Zabre
My story begins in July 2010 when I arrived in London, Ontario from Burkina Faso in West Africa, where education for girls is not a priority. It is a very poor country with a lot of political corruption. I experienced quite a culture shock moving to Canada. I faced three main challenges on my journey to a better life: a language barrier, an educational barrier and a work experience barrier. I had two options: either fight or go back home to unknown ground. I decided to tackle my challenges.
Your Spring Cleaning Makeover Begins Here
Okay, friends. It’s that time of year again – spring cleaning! If you find yourself motivated to whip your home into shape, but need some direction, you’re in the right place. The hard part about this yearly ritual isn’t so much the scrubbing, dusting, and vacuuming (since those tasks are necessary year round), but the opportunity it creates to really comb through our belongings, discard (i.e. donate!) what we don’t need, and organize what is kept. We’ve got some great tips to share today that will help you tackle even the trickiest of organization situations and all of them will upgrade your space while also helping your neighbors.
Contact Congress and Help SNAP Recipients Find Work
You may have read a post earlier this week by guest blogger Ed Bolden from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on the startling fact that over half a million Americans are losing food assistance this year. His post notes, “Ultimately, Congress should eliminate or revise this harsh rule. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is often the last line of assistance for these individuals. It means the difference between eating and going hungry.” Now we’re asking you to urge Congress to take action!
On The Prowl for Wild Finds? Try Goodwill!
I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who wasn’t absolutely charmed by at least one particular species of animal. Some identify as “cat people”, some as “dog people”, but most individuals seem to go gaga for basically any furry animal. Other critters, too, manage to fly, swim, or scamper into the hearts of humans without a whole lot of effort. There’s just some innate connection we feel with the other members of the animal kingdom that makes us want to include them in our lives. Today I want to celebrate that friendship, and what better way than by sharing some incredible Goodwill finds?
Leveling the Financial Playing Field for Everyone
Goodwill has provided job training and employment services since its founding more than 100 years ago. That is the heart of what we do to help Americans get back on track in good times and bad. However, there is more to what we do than helping someone who is out of work gain the skills they need to find a job. A job is just the beginning because for a lot of us, financial skills and security are just as important, especially when times are tough.
My Story: Randy Bakker
I was born with hydrocephalus, a condition that caused pressure on my optic nerve, and I have been visually impaired most of my life. As a young man in the late 1970s, I enrolled in a work training program at Goodwill Industries of Central Iowa (Des Moines). I was hired as a dishwasher at the Iowa State Capitol, where I worked for 14 years. I later worked for the Iowa Department for the Blind for two years. But then I did not work for a period of about 10 years.