Nikkinta knew she was in for a journey as she left incarceration and started to look for work -- she just wasn't sure where to start. After participating in a Goodwill job readiness program, she obtained a machine operator job and has been steadily working her way up the career ladder since. "You should never judge what you’ve done in the past. The first step is to forgive yourself — because if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will," she says.
Paint brushes with paint on themOn October 24, Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (Johnstown, PA) joined forces with the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center to host The Art of Recovery, an art exhibit celebrating the journey to mental health and wellness. More than 80 guests attended the event, including practitioners, family members, participants and community members.
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Seventy-five years ago this Halloween Orson Welles and CBS Radio created panic in several parts of the US when they aired a nearly uninterrupted national broadcast of the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. Congress, maybe hoping to top that effort, recently spooked the entire country and most of the financial world by shutting down most of the US government and nearly driving the nation into default.
READ MORE from Congress: Creating More Panic than Orson Welles
Amy from Bloomington, IL, asks, “I have to give a big presentation next week at work, and I’m super nervous. I haven’t had to create slides since I was back in college. Any advice?”
READ MORE from Five Pointers for Delivering an Effective PowerPoint Presentation
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending Goodwill’s The Art of Fashion Runway Show and Gala here in DC for the first time. Just walking in, it was obvious this wasn’t going to be your typical fashion show. Past a gaggle of valet parking staff and the tables brimming with hors d’oeuvres, up the stairs at Artisphere and past the Andy Warhol exhibit, there they were -- racks and racks of curated thrift store goodies!
READ MORE from Thrifty Ladies Work the Runway at Goodwill® Fashion Show and Gala
Goodwill of the Heartland (Iowa City) has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Workplaces for 2013 by the Des Moines Register. The agency was honored at a ceremony last month. The rankings are based solely on employee opinions from an anonymous survey of around 80,000 respondents conducted by WorkplaceDynamics. The survey of companies across Iowa asked employees to share their satisfaction with their workplace, including what is most important to them and how their employers rate on these priorities.
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In the weeks leading up to Halloween, as people look to get creative and put together the "be-all, end-all" Halloween costume, an area that gets overlooked is housewares. If you’re hosting a Halloween bash, there’s no need to spend lots of money on decorations. It may take a little planning, but if you know what you’re looking for, you can get in and out of there for under $20. Since you never know exactly what you’ll find, it’s a good idea to have a couple of options, and know what items you’ll need to find in order to execute your Halloween décor.
READ MORE from DIY: Make This Halloween-Themed Cupcake Stand
Goodwill® agencies around the country have joined the efforts to promote October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. As the month comes to an end, you have the opportunity to continue to support the rights of people with disabilities by urging your Senator to support the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
READ MORE from Act Now to Support the Rights of People with Disabilities
Liera, a single mother of three, found herself struggling to find a job and support her family -- at times staying with friends and family when her housing situation became unstable. Through the Seattle Goodwill's Green Corps program, she is building skills that will help her advance her career and provide for her family. "If you're a single mom that's looking for work, don't listen to people that tell you can't do it. I can be your motivation," she says.
Goodwill Southern California (Los Angeles), along with the Department of Veterans Affairs and more than four dozen community partners, held its first Veteran Stand Down on October 10-11, at Los Angeles Historic Park. The event aimed to meet the basic needs of attendees by providing a variety of free services including meals, clothing, haircuts and makeovers, health screenings, VA and Social Security benefits counseling, and referrals to other services such as housing and employment for veterans and their families.
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