Find My Goodwill

Find Prom Perfection at Goodwill

Diverse group of friends posing for a party photo in front of a gold fringe backdrop with balloons.

Prom season is right around the corner and most of the early birds have probably already gotten their elegant attire worms. For those of us who are always hopelessly last minute or for anyone who has been searching for months to no avail, I have a few ideas to share today that could replace your prom season stress with a spark of excitement. These last months of the school year should be filled with an eager joy or even a sweet nostalgia, so prepare to put your worries behind you and get pumped about a new prom ensemble instead!

Imagine if Your Donations Filled an Entire Plane

Two workers in blue vests sort a pile of donated clothing at a clothing recycling facility with blue sorting bins.

This Friday marks 46 years since the first Earth Day in 1970. You may not know it, but if you have donated to your local Goodwill or shopped at a local Goodwill store or online you have helped make our planet a little cleaner and a little greener. How much greener? In 2010 Goodwill (and you!) helped divert more than 2.4 billion pounds from landfills through donations to, and purchases from, Goodwill.

Spring at Goodwill Means Finding a Fresh Start

Close-up of a slender branch with fresh green buds and young leaves, against a blurred green background

What’s the most exciting thing about the springtime? For me, it’s how BRIGHT everything becomes. After the time change there are more daylight hours and once the leaves pop, their vibrant greens seem to electrify the air. Today I want to focus on how we can capture that luminous quality that springtime has and use it to enthuse the rest of our lives.

Goodwill Advocacy Leader Award Winners Announced

Two men in suits shake hands as one presents a framed award plaque with photos at a ceremony.

Goodwill Industries International (GII) honored five members of Congress and the director of mission strategies for Goodwill Industries of Central and Coastal Virginia (Richmond) with the nonprofit’s annual advocacy awards. The awards, which recognize commitment to advancing Goodwill’s mission of helping people build careers and gain employment, were presented on Tuesday, April 12 during a reception in Washington, DC, as part of Goodwill’s annual advocacy event.

My Story: Angelo Pegeuese

Smiling man seated in a forklift cab inside a warehouse

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

Tarnished silver spoon engraved with 'ROMERD' resting among green plant stems.

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!

The United States Capitol dome centered with its wings against a clear blue sky.

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

Cheerful cartoon breakfast foods with faces and limbs: orange juice, coffee, bacon, tomato, and sunglasses-wearing egg.

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.

Career and Financial Advice for March 2016

Person drawing a career planning diagram featuring goals, experience, and interests connected to career.

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

Professional woman with braided hair in an office, seated near a computer monitor.

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

Young woman between hanging clothes with a surprised expression against a pink background

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.