Goodwill Employment Programs Benefited Nearly 2.5 Million People in 2010
ROCKVILLE, MD — Last year, Goodwill®, a leading social services enterprise, provided job preparation, skills training, career counseling, mentoring, and other support services to a record-breaking 2.4 million people, a 26-percent increase over 2009. This Goodwill Industries® Week, which started on May 1 and ends May7, Goodwill is encouraging people to join the Donate Movement by donating their gently used household goods, electronics and clothing, which will allow the organization to continue providing community-based programs for people facing challenges to finding employment.
Goodwill sells donated goods in its retail stores and online and creates thousands of jobs and millions in revenues that fund job training programs across the United States and Canada. Through its network of 165 independent headquarter agencies, Goodwill collectively garnered an estimated $4 billion in revenues in 2010 and channeled 84 percent of those revenues directly into supporting and growing education, career services and other critical programs for people with disabilities, those with a lack of education or job experience, and others facing challenges to finding employment.
“Every 42 seconds of every business day, Goodwill places someone in a good job,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Goodwill trains people for careers in fields such as financial services, computer programming, and manufacturing, as well as in emerging industries such as green construction, technology and health care.”
Each Goodwill agency works closely with local businesses in high-growth industries to understand where jobs are growing and what skills are needed to fill them. Then, the agencies tailor training programs to ensure that job seekers are developing the skills that employers want. These tailored programs enable people from all backgrounds to feel successful, valuable and dignified through the power of work. Goodwill agencies also have professional staff available to assist in addressing personal and family needs, as the difficulties of everyday life can sometimes prohibit people from finding and keeping good jobs. Goodwill provides a variety of support services so that job seekers can maintain a stable life. These services include child care options, reliable transportation, access to counseling services, and youth mentoring.
“Goodwill generates opportunities for people to build brighter futures for themselves and their families,” said Gibbons. “This Goodwill Industries Week and every day, we thank our shoppers and our more than 74 million donors who help further Goodwill’s mission of helping people find jobs and experience the pride and independence that comes from working.”
Make a difference by donating and shopping at Goodwill or becoming a community partner.