Help Those Affected by the Wildfires in Southern California Help Now

Goodwill® Ranked Nation's Leading Workforce Development Nonprofit by Philanthropedia

Goodwill Industries International, a leading social enterprise, is pleased to announce that it has been globally ranked as a top ten workforce development nonprofit by Philanthropedia, an organization devoted to improving and measuring nonprofit effectiveness. The organization surveyed a large group of experienced nonprofit experts, including foundation professionals, government officials, nonprofit senior staff, academics, researchers, and others, and asked them to identify some of the highest-impact nonprofits working in their sectors. The experts were surveyed about topics that were both timely and relevant to the country, and it was from that angle that they decided to study workforce development.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Ranked Nation's Leading Workforce Development Nonprofit by Philanthropedia

Talent Has No Boundaries: People with Disabilities are an Asset to the Workplace

Goodwill Industries International is urging employers to consider the unique talents, perspectives and contributions that people with disabilities bring to the workplace. Communities throughout the United States and Canada need workers ready to help rebuild our economy. People with disabilities are a talented source of labor ready and able to work. For more than 100 years, Goodwill® has been giving people with disabilities the tools they need to find jobs, build their careers and be independent.

READ MORE from Talent Has No Boundaries: People with Disabilities are an Asset to the Workplace

Goodwill® Extends Its Reach to Benefit Economic Development in Latin America

At the Clinton Global Initative’s Annual Meeting, Goodwill Industries International made a commitment to expand its sustainable business model in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a specific focus on Brazil and Mexico. Goodwill® will collect and sell gently used items in six areas throughout these countries to fund job training programs and career services for people facing challenges to finding employment.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Extends Its Reach to Benefit Economic Development in Latin America

Goodwill® and Lumina Foundation Give Millions of Americans a ‘Second Chance’ at Earning a Degree

Lumina Foundation for Education announced today a grant of $250,000 to Goodwill Industries International for the purpose of supporting The Community College/Career Collaboration, better known as the C4 project. The collaboration was launched in 2009, and includes Goodwill Industries International, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Aspen Institute, Jobs for the Future, and three pilot local community college/Goodwill partnerships with successful, replicable models in northern Virginia, San Antonio, TX, and Winston-Salem, NC. With 37 million adults ages 25–64—more than 20 percent of the working age population—having attended a college but never earned a degree or credential, these efforts to provide a second chance for these adults could be a big boost to the nation’s goal to dramatically increase college degree attainment and advance the nation’s workforce productivity.

READ MORE from Goodwill® and Lumina Foundation Give Millions of Americans a ‘Second Chance’ at Earning a Degree

Every Day is Labor Day at Goodwill®, As Your Donations Create Work Opportunities

Never has the economic energy that comes through work been more important, as the nation continues to struggle with a sluggish economy and high unemployment. Every 45 seconds of every business day, someone earns a good job thanks to Goodwill®. We train people in a variety of fields, based on the belief that the power of work can help build strong families and vibrant communities. In the past year, roughly 2 million people have been served by Goodwill’s employment and training programs.

READ MORE from Every Day is Labor Day at Goodwill®, As Your Donations Create Work Opportunities

Goodwill® Urges Congress to Act on Behalf of American Workers in Poverty

As America wraps up the summer with cookouts and parades this Labor Day, Goodwill Industries International is calling on Congress to ensure the continuation of a key form of employment assistance for families in need. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which was signed into law in 1997, provides much-needed cash assistance — commonly referred to as welfare — to millions of unemployed parents with dependent children. In addition, it allows states to work with community-based organizations such as Goodwill® to provide a variety of career programs designed to keep individuals off welfare for good.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Urges Congress to Act on Behalf of American Workers in Poverty

Goodwill® Commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

ROCKVILLE, MD — For decades, Goodwill® has helped people with disabilities find employment, become independent and support themselves and their families. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, it has helped increase access to goods and services, such as employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and prohibit

READ MORE from Goodwill® Commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Goodwill Industries International and Prison Fellowship Join Forces to Help Reduce Criminal Recidivism

Goodwill Industries International and Prison Fellowship signed an agreement on June 16, 2010 to collaborate on job training and mentoring services for people who spent time in prison and at-risk youth, and to influence public policy initiatives. The partnership aims to help these populations make a successful return to their communities following their release, support the children of formerly incarcerated individuals and reduce the rate of criminal recidivism.

READ MORE from Goodwill Industries International and Prison Fellowship Join Forces to Help Reduce Criminal Recidivism

Washington Woman Builds Better Life with Goodwill’s Help

Goodwill Industries International recently named Autum Beel one of its 2010 Kenneth Shaw Graduates of the Year for overcoming an addiction to drugs and for developing a promising career and strong family. Beel became addicted to crystal methamphetamines when she was 13 years old. She ran away from home when she was in high school and sold drugs to support her addiction. By the time she was 19, she had two children, but she asked her mother to raise them. Beel’s drug addiction made it very difficult for her to find and keep a job, care for her children and lead a stable life.

READ MORE from Washington Woman Builds Better Life with Goodwill’s Help

Florida Woman Becomes an Advocate for People Who Are Blind

Goodwill Industries International recently named Sandra Martin one of its 2010 Kenneth Shaw Graduates of the Year for her tireless work to improve the lives of people with visual impairments and disabilities in her community. Martin began losing her vision 30 years ago as a result of juvenile diabetes. She lost her sight completely when her daughter was just a few weeks old. When her daughter was in high school, Martin overheard someone telling the teen that she’d have to take care of her mother for the rest of her life. In that moment, Martin decided she needed to find a job to become more independent.

READ MORE from Florida Woman Becomes an Advocate for People Who Are Blind