ROCKVILLE, MD – Goodwill Industries International is pleased to honor Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) as a recipient of its National Policymaker Leaders Award for 2011.The award recognizes an elected leader who has clearly demonstrated support for the public policy priorities of Goodwill®.
Rep. Goodlatte was nominated by Goodwill Industries® of the Valleys (Roanoke, VA) for his engagement in job creation through the following advocacy roles: increasing the number of Goodwill stores to support the mission of employment programs for people with disabilities and disadvantages, supporting funding to secure grants for job training initiatives, and serving as a liaison with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on the issue of children’s clothing.
“Compliance [with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act] was a major issue for the consumers who shop and donate at Goodwill retail stores to fund our mission of job training,” said Bruce Phipps, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. “Congressman Goodlatte understood that Goodwill had policies and procedures in place to identify defective and recalled products and took it upon himself to deal directly with the commissioner to try to gain clarity for the new rules regarding the children’s items resale ruling.”
Congressman Goodlatte respects the business model that Goodwill operates under as a nonprofit and shows his support through the considerable amount of personal and staff time he provides to his local Goodwill agency. Goodlatte was nominated not only for the amount of public service time he devotes to Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, but also for the knowledge he has of the programs that the organization implements and the direct impact it has on people within the sixth congressional district.
“I am honored to receive the National Policymaker Leaders Award from such a distinguished organization such as Goodwill,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte. “I am proud of the great work Goodwill Industries of the Valleys does in our community. The creation of the Goodwill Melrose Jobs Campus has worked to train thousands, helping to provide a hand up to those in need during our difficult economic time.”
At a reception in Washington, DC, on Monday, April 11, 2011, Rep. Goodlatte was recognized and thanked for his ongoing concern for issues relevant to Goodwill. The reception was part of Goodwill Industries International’s fifth annual Advocacy Day.
