After his release following nine years in prison, Dwayne didn't know how he was going to find a job and gain independence with his record. Goodwill gave him a chance and took away his anxiety about reentering the workforce. He says, "Thank you, Goodwill, for helping me regain me."
I love showers! Baby showers, wedding showers and April showers (because they bring May flowers!). So when I realized that one of my dearest friends, Robyn, didn't have a plan for a baby shower, I sprang into action enlisting the help of my craftiest friends to create a shower for her that she would never forget.
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The editorial page of this Sunday’s Washington Post featured the article, “Congress debates the future of job-training program.” Rather than presenting a refreshing and balanced perspective on an important, yet long-delayed, piece of legislation, the editorial rehashed an old partisan debate over a false choice: Should the nation’s network of job training programs be consolidated or not?
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Katarina from Savannah, GA, asks, “I just found out that I didn’t get a promotion I was really hoping for. I’m so frustrated and angry! How am I going to get past this and keep working with these people?”
READ MORE from Dealing with Disappointment at Work? It’s All in Your Head
The Lufkin Goodwill’s YouthBuild program is made possible by one of 74 Department of Labor grants distributed to community-based organizations throughout the country and will focus specifically on the construction industry. Over two years, it will help 64 18-to-24-year-old students in rural Angelina and Nacogdoches counties advance their education and job skills in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The area’s unemployment and poverty rates for this age group are 23.92 percent and 18.92 percent respectively, compared to national rates of 18.5 percent and 15.3 percent; the graduation rate is 67.83 percent versus 71.7 percent nationally.
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After experiencing a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, Kyle faced new challenges in finding and maintaining a job. Through a special program at Goodwill, Kyle made the connections he needed to land an internship at an auto shop, which later translated into a permanent job. He has regained his driver's license and now enjoys more freedom.
My Facebook feed was filled this week with posts and pictures of people commenting on the recent cases before the Supreme Court. I walked past the people who lined up for days in order to get a glimpse of the oral arguments, and I started to think about what motivates them to take action. Why aren’t people showing the same level of engagement when it comes to issues before Congress?
READ MORE from When Will Our Generation Take a Stand for Jobs?
Marcos from Albuquerque, NM, asks, “I’m in a bit of a financial bind and could really use my tax refund right now. There’s a tax preparation service down the street that says they can give me my money in 24 hours. What do you think?”
READ MORE from Want Your Tax Refund Early? Quick Options Cost More in the Long Run
Hand holds VHS tapeLast month, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties (CA) launched an ideas-based challenge to find a solution to the growing disposal problem of VHS tapes. As new technologies have increasingly replaced VHS tapes, these former staples of American living rooms are filling up landfills at an alarming rate. The tapes are harmful to the environment and pose a threat to the safety and health of communities as the chemicals coating the tape — toxic ferric oxide, iron oxide and chromium dioxide — seep into groundwater.
READ MORE from San Francisco Goodwill Launches Challenge to Solve VHS Disposal Problem
Dustin, who has a hearing impairment, shares how Goodwill's Prosperity Center in Eugene, OR, helped him find stable employment and access financial and educational opportunities.
