Goodwill® Prosperity Center and Community Partnerships Empower Financial Self-Sufficiency

The Prosperity Center at Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties (Eugene, OR) opened in 2010 thanks to a community impact grant from United Way of Lane County. Since then, the center has helped 227 people improve their financial and employment situations through a unique one-on-one mentorship model made possible by local partnerships. The center’s participants are “members” not “recipients,” helped by five “prosperity planners,” not “case managers”—deliberate language that helps transition mindsets from reliance on social services to financial self-sufficiency.

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Two Valentine’s Day Gifts to Make from Goodwill® Finds

Here are two really great gifts you can make from Goodwill® finds. The candy dish is a sweet and easy project that can be assembled in a few minutes. The book gift is a little more involved, but is a nice, romantic surprise for a special sweetheart. Either way, that special someone will love these thoughtful Valentine's presents, and your purchases will help Goodwill create jobs for people in your local community -- a doubly sweet deal!

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Two Valentine's Day Gifts to Make from Goodwill® Finds

Here are two really great gifts you can make from Goodwill® finds. The candy dish is a sweet and easy project that can be assembled in a few minutes. The book gift is a little more involved, but is a nice, romantic surprise for a special sweetheart. Either way, that special someone will love these thoughtful Valentine's presents, and your purchases will help Goodwill create jobs for people in your local community -- a doubly sweet deal!

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Unemployment: Are We Treating Symptoms or the Patient?

As the nation slowly recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression, and concerns about the deficit remain front and center, some policymakers are tempted to consolidate the workforce system in the name of reform. While a case can be made that broad consolidation would lead to some savings and efficiencies, I believe — especially because several key laws are due for Congressional review — the current dialogue must shift from consolidation to promoting integration and collaboration among existing resources and programs.

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Goodwill® Team Member Returns Class Ring to Young Cancer Survivor

In mid-January, a store team member from Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin (Menasha) found and returned a young cancer survivor’s missing class ring. The Post-Crescent, a local newspaper, reported that Deirdra Moon, a team member at the Grand Chute store, was sorting through the donations when she spotted a 2013 class ring from Appleton West High School—Moon’s alma mater. It bore the word “survivor” and a yellow sarcoma cancer awareness ribbon.

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My Story: Justin Throckmorton

When Justin first started work, he struggled to understand appropriate boundaries and actively listen to directions from his supervisor. Goodwill's program gave him the structured setting he needed in order to build those skills, and he is now employed at a local supermarket. "Overall, Goodwill has helped me overcome many obstacles to obtain a job that I really love."

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How to Incorporate Vintage Clothing into Your Workplace Wardrobe

Vintage clothing can be an excellent way to express your creativity and individuality -- even within the confines of your 9-to-5 job. Goodwill® is and always will be an excellent source to get these items inexpensively, due in part to their entrepreneurial business model of collecting and selling donated goods in its more than 2,800 stores and its auction site, shopgoodwill.com. To add a little vintage spice to your workplace wardrobe, consider these tips.

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Every Day Is Groundhog Day in Washington, DC

Millions of classic movie lovers will recall the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray, in which his egocentric character is doomed to repeat February 2 day after day. Just a couple hundred miles to the southeast in Washington, policymakers are living a real-life political version of the 1993 movie classic.

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