Last week, Goodwill Ambassadors – community members who volunteer and support Goodwill Manasota’s (Sarasota) work throughout the area – from the First United Methodist Church of Sarasota donated 30 turkeys and Thanksgiving baskets to the organization's Veterans Services Program. These items were provided so that area veterans could enjoy a delicious holiday meal with their families.
READ MORE from Local Church Donates Turkeys to Sarasota Goodwill’s Veterans Program
Last week, Goodwill Ambassadors – community members who volunteer and support Goodwill Manasota’s (Sarasota) work throughout the area – from the First United Methodist Church of Sarasota donated 30 turkeys and Thanksgiving baskets to the organization's Veterans Services Program. These items were provided so that area veterans could enjoy a delicious holiday meal with their families.
READ MORE from Local Church Donates Turkeys to Sarasota Goodwill's Veterans Program
Lacking an education isn’t a crime, and it surely shouldn’t result in a prison sentence. Yet, research finds that 70 percent of the U.S. prison population can’t read. They are among the 32 million people (or 14 percent of the U.S. population) that read below a basic level. This week is American Education Week, and Goodwill® understands the important connection between employment and education. People who lack education face a grim future and bleak job prospects. Meanwhile, employers seek workers that have the skills to perform the technical jobs of today and the aptitude to learn the increasingly technical jobs of tomorrow.
Any time a group gets together, a lot must be planned. Add the chaos of visiting extended family to the struggle that is preparing a Thanksgiving meal and the stress compounds. Take heart though, because there are a lot of little things you can do to prepare that don’t have to be expensive or time consuming! While your holiday plans are likely pared down this year, we still have some suggestions to help ease your stress.
READ MORE from 3 UNIQUE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR THANKSGIVING EASIER THIS YEAR
The Instituto de Buena Voluntad, Goodwill’s affiliate organization in Uruguay, celebrated 90 years of history on Friday, November 13. The organization located in Montevideo, Uruguay, was founded in 1925 by Methodist pastor Earl Smith. Early Buena Voluntad leader Antonio Loureiro, was sent to Boston to learn the Goodwill model directly from the source while he prepared to return home and assist the new organization. After spending a year in training in Boston, he returned to Uruguay to help lead the new program.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Affiliate in Uruguay Celebrates 90-Year Anniversary
Like millions of workers, my day starts with a commute. While the mere mention of the word, “commute” is enough to make most workers groan, my ride is a daily highlight because it takes me past a list of must-see Washington, DC sites, starting with the Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) Memorial, and continuing with Arlington National Cemetery. Whether it’s Veterans Day, Memorial Day or any other day of the year, as my thoughts drift from the wife and kids to my daily to-do list, these adjacent memorials never fail to give purpose to my day by reminding me of the sacrifices made, and being made, by people who have served in the armed forces and their families.
Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont’s (Charlotte, NC) Career Leadership Academy for Youth (CLAY) was recently profiled in the Charlotte Observer. The goal of CLAY is to prepare area youth for jobs in today’s market. Eligible participants include high school and college students ages 14-21 who face academic or financial challenges, are pregnant or parents, first-generation high school or college graduates, have legal involvement or are without parents in the home due to incarceration or death.
READ MORE from Youth Receive Long-Term Job Training in Charlotte, NC
Justin Hon was able to use his self-presentation skills in conjunction with additional job training from Goodwill Industries of Southern Oregon (Medford) to find work after facing challenges related to his criminal history. As a result of his job placement, he is now able to be more involved in the lives of his children. Read more and watch as he shares his journey to self-sufficiency.
If you want something done right, you’d better do it yourself. This is a hard idea to swallow because it means putting a lot of elbow grease into everything you do, but, if you think about it, isn’t that the only way you’ll be perfectly satisfied with the outcome? Take clothing, for example, it’s rare to find a shirt that fits you exactly right on the first try. Even if it fits in the store when you by it brand new, after running it through the wash once or twice it can fit very differently! Why not whip out that sewing machine and turn it into something that is just right for your body. You’re unique. Your stuff should be unique, too!
With the 2016 presidential election dominating national media coverage, it was almost easy to forget that there was an election this week. The polls had been open for three hours when I received my “I Voted” sticker, and I was voter number 127. I’m not sure how many registered voters are in my precinct, but there are more than 150,000 in my county. An estimated 25 percent came out to cast their vote – the fewest since 2007.
