Goodwill Industries International Honors Fred ‘Cab’ Stitt wit the 2013 Elsine Katz Volunteer Leader of the Year Award Macon, GA — Fred “Cab” Stitt owns a successful portable restroom and restroom trailer service in Augusta, GA, but says his primary vocation is philanthropist and volunteer. For the past decade, his volunteerism has benefited Goodwill Industries
READ MORE from Entrepreneur Puts Passion for Volunteerism First
Goodwill Industries-Manasota Honored as the 2013 Goodwill Volunteer Program of the Year Award Sarasota, FL — A cadre of more than 300 volunteers dedicated 25,000 hours in 2012 to spreading the mission of Goodwill Industries-Manasota (Sarasota, FL). Goodwill Industries International named the Sarasota Goodwill’s Ambassador Program the 2013 Volunteer Program of the Year. Ambassadors from
A couple years ago, Goodwill Industries International instituted a program to help low-income individuals gain financial stability thanks to a grant from the Charles Schwab Foundation. In 2010, as part of this Schwab grant, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana (Indianapolis) partnered with the Indianapolis Charles Schwab office to pilot the volunteer-based financial education program, Good Assets. Local Charles Schwab employees, as well as Goodwill® staff, teach financial education in a group setting. They also serve as financial coaches, meeting one-on-one with participants to advise on financial needs and goals. A financial coach’s roles include facilitating realistic goals, enhancing accountability and providing opportunities for practice so that participants can ultimately develop their own financial goals.
READ MORE from Volunteer-Based Financial Literacy Program Empowers Goodwill® Employees
President Obama Calls on Americans to “Give Back to Our Communities” ROCKVILLE, MD — Goodwill Industries International will be among some 100 service organizations participating in President Obama’s National Day of Service Summit on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Saturday, January 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to being
READ MORE from Goodwill® to Take Part in National Day of Service Fair
An increasing number of Americans are using the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday to honor Dr. King’s legacy by volunteering in their communities. The holiday takes place on January 21, 2013, this year, the same day as U.S. President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Volunteers are using this day as ‘a day on, not a day off’ to address the needs in their communities and help create solutions to social problems. Local Goodwill® agencies are engaging volunteers on this day for a number of community service projects.
READ MORE from Goodwills to Engage Volunteers During Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Goodwill of North Georgia (Atlanta) recently held its first Veterans, Service and Leaders Summit, a half-day knowledge-sharing and information-gathering session for about 60 individuals, including representatives from veteran-serving organizations, Georgia elected officials and local veterans. The event aimed to strengthen and increase understanding of the resources that are currently available to veterans and their families, and surface areas where needs are still unmet through the newly created Veteran Leader Corps (VLC).
READ MORE from Atlanta Goodwill Co-Hosts Inaugural Summit for Veterans, Service and Leaders
Young child hangs from monkey bars.Children at the Gordon Smith Child Development Center, a project of Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast (Mobile, AL) will soon have a brand new playground to enjoy. In November, children at the center enjoyed a “design day” as they put crayon to paper to design their dream playgrounds. With a significant investment from the PNC Foundation, volunteers and organizers from KaBOOM! will help make these drawings a reality. Elements from the children’s drawings will be incorporated into the final design for the new community playground, scheduled to be constructed in January.
READ MORE from Dream Playground to Become Reality for Gulf Coast Goodwill Children
The GCF Farm at Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina (Durham) has donated 20,636 pounds of fruits and vegetables to the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina in 2012, more than doubling last year’s amount. In addition to new developments in leadership and volunteerism, the increase in produce is also attributed to expanded garden space and more greenhouse use in colder weather to grow summer vegetables, including cucumbers and tomatoes.
READ MORE from NC Goodwill Donates More Than 20,000 Pounds of Produce to Food Bank
To combat this cycle that often traps borrowers in debt due to predatory lending processes, Goodwill Industries of Central Virginia (Richmond) has partnered with the Virginia Credit Union and St. James Episcopal Church for almost two years now to offer an alternative to payday lending coupled with financial education and coaching. The program provides borrowers with a short-term loan that has many of the features of a payday loan—essentially a pay or cash advance—but with important distinctions aimed at helping borrowers transition away from a dependency on these high-cost alternative loans.
READ MORE from Goodwill’s ‘goodChoice’ Program in VA Helps People Break Lending Cycles
In the weeks following Hurricane Sandy, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, headquartered in Astoria, NY, has rallied to support local relief efforts. The agency is working with New York radio station WPLJ and Modell’s Sporting Goods Stores to collect goods in over 90 store locations and distribute much needed clothing throughout the Greater New York and New Jersey area. The NY/NJ Goodwill is also working with United Way and other organizations and shelters throughout the Northeast to receive and distribute much-needed items such as temporary mattresses, blankets, and basic survival items including water and blankets.
READ MORE from New York Goodwill Supports Recovery Following Hurricane Sandy
