Seeking Simple Comforts

Diverse group of six workers wearing safety vests posing in front of a loading dock.

What do you seek when you’re in the need for a little relief? Do you climb into your favorite pair of jeans like me or head out for a bit of retail therapy at your local Goodwill retail store?

Nonprofits Are Creating Jobs Even in Tough Times

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Much has been written about the Great Recession and the impact it continues to have on our economy. It’s been seven years since the housing bubble began to collapse, triggering the worst stock market collapse since the Great Depression and a loss of an estimated $10 to $12 trillion in wealth in both the housing […]

How Free Education Tools Can Propel Your Career

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If you’re looking to switch careers, get a promotion or learn a new skill, consider furthering your education with free online tools and resources. Here are five free ways to help you achieve your career goals.

My Story: Christcell Grant

Smiling man with a shaved head in a blue plaid shirt stands beside a large black-on-white sign.

Coming into Goodwill, my life was kind of miserable. I was overcoming a lot of distractions as far as getting to work and staying on the job. I needed a whole lot of things done with my health. Those were the challenges I faced, a lot of addiction with alcohol and drugs. I was getting a […]

Plaid, A Hot Fall Design Trend

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What says “autumn” more than pumpkin spice and foliage? Plaid. Even just looking at plaid makes me feel comfy cozy.

Missing in Action – The Long-Term Unemployed

Diverse group of six workers wearing safety vests posing in front of a loading dock.

Recent economic news has been brighter as of late with consumer confidence starting to move upward, and monthly unemployment rates and jobless claims declining. But every silver lining has a cloud, and that cloud are people who have been out of work for a long time.

Nearly a third of Americans who were unemployed last month have been without a job for 26 or more weeks, double the rate recorded before the recession began late in 2007. Those out of work for extended periods of time are often less likely to be hired than those unemployed for shorter stretches. The result is a more devastating impact to household savings and long-term earning potential for those job seekers.

One Indispensable Career Advice Tool

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When you’re looking for a job, trying to enhance your career or even thinking about switching fields, you might find that the journey is full of false starts and complications that you didn’t anticipate. It can be a frustrating experience, but the trick is getting real advice that you can help you get ahead.

My Story: Cherise Turner

Portrait of a person with short hair and glasses seated at an office desk with sticky notes and files.

Goodwill helped me get out of the Welfare to Work program and become self-sufficient by helping me train and providing the tools needed to apply for and obtain a job. Over the past several years Goodwill has taught me work ethic and gave me opportunities to grow by allowing me to attend seminars, help out […]

Teach a Man to Catch a Lot of Fish

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There’s a famous proverb about poverty and charity that says, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I’ve always thought this saying needed to be updated by adding, “…but teach a man to catch a lot of fish, to sell them at the market and to save his money to buy more boats, and pretty soon he catches enough fish for everyone.”

Okay, it needs a little work, but you get my point. The challenge of course isn’t teaching the man to fish, or even to catch a lot of fish; the challenge is getting him to save his money. That challenge has never been greater than it is today.

My Story – Jean Edmond

Smiling man in a blue shirt shopping for clothes at a thrift store; a price tag reads $8.99.

I went to VR (the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers). They helped me fill out the application and interview and get the job at Goodwill. When I got the job here, I felt really happy.

Goodwill Makes Halloween Dreams Come True

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When you shop at Goodwill, you are no longer limited by the availability of certain ready-made costumes or by the funds in your bank account. You’re limited only by your imagination. Anything is possible! No matter how obscure your costume idea is, it can happen with a little help from your local Goodwill.