Working! Volume 15, No. 1 - Goodwill Industries International
Working! Volume 15, No. 1 - Goodwill Industries International
Working! Volume 15, No. 1 - Goodwill Industries International
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2012 – <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>15</strong>, Number 1<br />
®<br />
People<br />
Gain Skills<br />
for Advanced<br />
Employment<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> ®<br />
Supports<br />
America’s<br />
Heroes<br />
Recognizing 2012<br />
Award Winners
Get involved and become<br />
a <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® advocate to<br />
strengthen communities!<br />
Receive alerts through<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>'s<br />
Legislative Action Center at<br />
goodwill.org/get-involved/advocate<br />
www.goodwill.org<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> advocates for the people it serves, including older workers, veterans, families and youth.<br />
Follow us on Twitter: @<strong>Goodwill</strong>CapHill. For more information contact public.policy@goodwill.org.<br />
II
Table of Contents of Contents<br />
1<br />
4<br />
Educating for Employment<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> is linking people to the educational<br />
preparation, skills training and resources<br />
needed to access well-paying jobs.<br />
Winning through Work<br />
Many of the more than 4 million people<br />
who looked to <strong>Goodwill</strong> for career services<br />
and related support in 2011 have known<br />
what it’s like to be without work, including<br />
the 2012 Graduate and Achiever of the Year.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> for America’s Heroes<br />
Through its latest initiatives, Operation:<br />
GoodJobs and Got Your 6, <strong>Goodwill</strong> is<br />
building on previous successes, as the need<br />
for a continuum of coordinated, integrated<br />
services is at an all-time high.<br />
In the News<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> Expands Capacity to Benefit<br />
Persons with Disabilities in Brazil; <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
Joins Summer Jobs+ Initiative<br />
9<br />
11<br />
brazil<br />
7<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> for Families<br />
Each year, <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong><br />
recognizes outstanding family strengthening<br />
organizations. This year, five agencies became<br />
certified Centers of Excellence.<br />
The <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® Mission<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to<br />
opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.<br />
A Publication of<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>, Inc.<br />
2012 — <strong>Volume</strong> <strong>15</strong>, Number 1<br />
<strong>Working</strong>! is published by <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>, Inc.<br />
<strong>15</strong>810 Indianola Dr., Rockville, MD 20855<br />
© 2012 <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>, Inc. All rights reserved.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> member organizations may reproduce any portion of this<br />
magazine without permission. Any other reproduction is strictly prohibited<br />
without written permission. To request reproduction permission, call<br />
(301) 530-6500, ext. 5262, or email contactus@goodwill.org. For more<br />
information about <strong>Goodwill</strong>, or to find the <strong>Goodwill</strong> nearest you, call<br />
(800) GOODWILL or visit our web site at www.goodwill.org.<br />
<strong>Working</strong>! magazine now features<br />
quick response (QR) codes. Scan<br />
the codes with your smart phone<br />
to find related information.<br />
President and CEO<br />
Jim Gibbons<br />
CCO, Sr. VP of Global Affairs<br />
Kim Zimmer<br />
Managing Editor Contributing Editor<br />
Katherine Michaud Mandy Mikulencak<br />
Writers<br />
Melissa Egan<br />
Lauren Lawson<br />
Art Director<br />
Thomas Roszkowski<br />
Layout<br />
Molly Huelbert<br />
Printing<br />
Dartmouth Printing<br />
Company<br />
Hanover, NH<br />
On the cover:<br />
Joanna McVicker<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
of Monocacy Valley<br />
Photo by:<br />
Thomas Roszkowski<br />
I
Before you go<br />
back-toschool<br />
shopping,<br />
see what your kids<br />
have outgrown and<br />
donate to <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® .<br />
Teach kids the value of their<br />
donations and how they help<br />
people in your community at<br />
donate.goodwill.org.<br />
II<br />
POWERED BY:<br />
Support your local<br />
by donating.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> ®
Educating for Employment<br />
Educating for Employment<br />
Individuals Prepare for Good-Paying, Middle-Skill Jobs<br />
BY MELISSA EGAN<br />
The United States has seen some improvement<br />
after a two-year recession, and middle-skill jobs<br />
are a bright spot on an otherwise bleak employment<br />
horizon. Defined as jobs requiring more than a high school<br />
diploma but not a four-year degree, these positions<br />
continue to comprise the largest segment of jobs in the<br />
U.S. economy, according to the National Skills Coalition.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> ® links people to the educational<br />
preparation, skills training and resources needed to access<br />
well-paying jobs, including positions in banking, information<br />
technology, retail, health care and more.<br />
Certification, On-the-Job Training<br />
Boost Employment Success<br />
In Maryland, a partnership among <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of the<br />
Chesapeake (Baltimore), Anne Arundel Community College,<br />
and local nonprofit Art with a Heart provides merchandising<br />
education for youth. Started in July 2010, the program prepares<br />
participants for a customer service skills certification exam<br />
from the National Retail Federation. At the same time, students<br />
acquire on-the-job retail experience.<br />
Deidre Webb, a program manager at the Baltimore <strong>Goodwill</strong>,<br />
says eligible participants take part in a rigorous 12-week curriculum.<br />
Three days a week, a community college instructor teaches the<br />
customer service curriculum from a <strong>Goodwill</strong> satellite office in<br />
Baltimore. Twice a week, <strong>Goodwill</strong> staff members impart life<br />
and job readiness skills. On these days, students also go to Art<br />
with a Heart to work on projects emphasizing teamwork, collaboration,<br />
and community beautification and ownership. They create<br />
large mosaics commissioned by area institutions as well as<br />
other saleable art. Students also have access to a <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
case manager, who helps them and their families with various<br />
barriers to work such as lack of transportation and child care.<br />
Art with a Heart participants gain valuable work and life skills<br />
during an intensive 12-week customer service curriculum.<br />
At Art with a Heart, participants work on projects emphasizing teamwork,<br />
collaboration, and community beautification and ownership.<br />
Educating for Employment<br />
1
Educating for Employment<br />
Educating for Employment<br />
“For <strong>Goodwill</strong>, we’re achieving our mission, not just in serving young people, but<br />
in providing services to their families.”<br />
— Diedre Webb, Program Manager, <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of the Chesapeake<br />
In the fifth week of the program, participants begin spending<br />
eight hours a week in a <strong>Goodwill</strong> store practicing the retail<br />
and customer service skills they’ve learned. The last step is<br />
a one-hour certification exam, administered at the <strong>Goodwill</strong>.<br />
Following certification, individuals have gained employment<br />
in retail, transportation and dietary services — some earning<br />
as much as $10 to $14 an hour.<br />
The program has also brought numerous benefits to each of<br />
the partners. “It gives Anne Arundel Community College and<br />
Art with a Heart more exposure to the community. It also gives<br />
Art with a Heart a ready pool of young people to work with,”<br />
Webb says. “For <strong>Goodwill</strong>, we’re achieving our mission, not<br />
just in serving young people, but in providing services to<br />
their families.”<br />
Formerly Incarcerated Youth Transition<br />
to Educational Opportunities<br />
At <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of <strong>No</strong>rth Louisiana (Shreveport), a<br />
partnership with an area community college helps young people<br />
who have been incarcerated make the transition from taking their<br />
General Educational Development (GED) exam to entering a<br />
two-year college program.<br />
The <strong>Goodwill</strong> offers a literacy class twice a week, during which<br />
an instructor from Bossier Parish Community College tutors<br />
students on the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE). The tool<br />
assesses the student’s current educational level in the areas of<br />
reading, math, language and spelling, and must be passed before<br />
students can take the GED.<br />
“We bridge the gap from kids getting out of jail to taking the<br />
GED,” says Lindsey Leith, the <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s reintegration program<br />
supervisor.<br />
Once they have passed the level “A” TABE test, students<br />
become eligible to attend GED classes at the community<br />
college. Upon enrollment in the college’s middle college<br />
program, students receive instruction on passing the GED<br />
exam and can begin taking general college courses that are<br />
required of any degree seeker.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong> recently launched its<br />
Community College/Career Collaboration (C 4 ) initiative,<br />
which works to move people into middle skill jobs.<br />
A joint venture among <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® , the American Association<br />
of Community Colleges, the Aspen Institute,<br />
and Jobs for the Future, the initiative aims to boost<br />
college and career success for adults with low incomes<br />
by documenting, promoting and replicating successful<br />
models throughout the <strong>Goodwill</strong> and community<br />
college networks.<br />
“C 4 is all about community colleges and <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
agencies building intentional and sustainable partnerships<br />
that better equip local workforces,” says Bradford<br />
Turner-Little, director of mission strategy for <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>.<br />
2<br />
Educating for Employment
Skills Assessment Key to Future<br />
Career Decisions<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of Lower South Carolina (Charleston)<br />
claims its own unique partnership with the South Carolina<br />
Adult Education program. The <strong>Goodwill</strong> has partnered with<br />
several county adult education programs — the most recent<br />
in <strong>No</strong>rth Charleston — to offer a diverse array of services to<br />
people looking for jobs or wanting to further their education.<br />
Sharing space at five of the <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s JobLink Centers, the<br />
county adult education program offers Work Keys certification,<br />
Work Core Employability Skills training and GED preparation.<br />
Work Keys is a job skills assessment tool that determines the<br />
level at which employees can learn; it is increasingly used by<br />
large manufacturing firms and some hospitals. The Work Core<br />
Employability Skills training teaches students work skills such<br />
as the importance of proffessional dress and grooming, punctuality,<br />
and proper workforce behavior. The adult education programs<br />
offer the GED preparation course every six weeks.<br />
“[The partnership] allows us to reach more people and coordinate<br />
activities better,” says Jim Hughes, the <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s vice<br />
president of mission services for the Southern region. “Each<br />
of us is doing what what we do best.”<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of Lower South Carolina offers several<br />
programs to help adult learners gain middle-income jobs.<br />
“<strong>Goodwill</strong> is building intentional and sustainable partnerships that better equip<br />
local workforces.”<br />
— Bradford Turner Little, Director of Mission Strategy, <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong><br />
Educating for Employment<br />
3
Winning<br />
throughWork<br />
For more than 100 years, <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® has<br />
assisted people who have a hard time<br />
finding jobs due to disabilities, poverty, or<br />
lack of education and work experience. On<br />
these pages, you’ll meet the 2012 nominees<br />
and winners of the <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong><br />
<strong>International</strong> Graduate and Achiever of<br />
the Year Awards. These individuals have<br />
learned the difference a good job can make<br />
in their lives, the lives of their family<br />
members and the community at large.<br />
They are just a few of the more than four<br />
million people who looked to <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> ® for career services and related<br />
support in 2011.<br />
4<br />
Winning through Work
Winner 2012 Kenneth Shaw<br />
Graduate of the Year: Joanna McVicker<br />
Visitors to Maryland’s Frederick Visitor Center may catch sight<br />
of a young woman cheerfully restocking brochures or answering<br />
tourists’ questions. They’d never guess that Joanna McVicker, age<br />
23, sustained a brain injury as a child that affects her cognitive<br />
functioning to this day.<br />
McVicker has lived with her disability since age 4 when she was<br />
kicked in the head by a horse, and she wasn’t always aware of the<br />
resulting cognitive delays that caused difficulties in school and later<br />
in the workplace. She only knew she had trouble holding jobs and<br />
obtaining promotions.<br />
Only when she was referred to the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)<br />
program at <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of Monocacy Valley (Frederick,<br />
MD) did she learn strategies to be more effective in her work<br />
and personal lives. During the eight-week program, she learned<br />
how to organize her thoughts and work assignments, how to<br />
manage stress on the job, and how to communicate with<br />
co-workers, among other life skills.<br />
When a job became available at the tourism office, a <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
job developer knew McVicker would be a perfect fit. After a<br />
tour and interview, she landed a job that complements her skills.<br />
“For the first time, I feel empowered in my life,” she says.<br />
Graduate of the Year <strong>No</strong>minees<br />
Azziale Arnold<br />
Columbus, OH<br />
Valencia Dixon<br />
Tyler, TX<br />
Nyghee Pollard<br />
Atlanta, GA<br />
Kristy Ballew<br />
Macon, GA<br />
Michael Elsey<br />
Des Moines, IA<br />
Dustin Broshar<br />
Eugene, OR<br />
Joette Estep<br />
Huntington, WV<br />
Gradlin Davenport<br />
Shreveport, LA<br />
Calvin Okeson<br />
Fredericksburg, VA<br />
Winner<br />
2012 Achiever of the Year: Jim Barnette<br />
Jim Barnette, age 49, is legally blind and has mild quadriplegia as<br />
a result of a cerebral hemorrhage in infancy. He describes himself<br />
the way those around him depict him: happy and successful.<br />
Barnette first came to <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of the Columbia<br />
Willamette (Portland, OR) when he was 40. He originally worked<br />
in the production and contracts department, but after spending<br />
some time on the floor of a retail store, he was hooked and asked<br />
for a transfer.<br />
“I had to try out for two weeks to see if I could handle it. They<br />
always let me try new jobs. They didn’t tell me ‘no’ just because I’d<br />
never done it before,” Barnette says. “And I was earning enough<br />
money to go shopping for albums. That’s my life — music.”<br />
Today, Barnette has a number of duties, from sorting donations<br />
and staffing dressing rooms to stocking shelves and displaying<br />
merchandise.<br />
“He was determined to become a fully integrated employee,”<br />
says Director of Vocational Services Cheri Folk. “And, with the<br />
support of <strong>Goodwill</strong> staff, he’s definitely achieved that objective.”<br />
Today, Barnette requires very little supervision, and his confidence<br />
has soared. “Things are really good for me,” he says. “I have<br />
a girlfriend who is perfect for me, I have a job, and I earn money.<br />
I wish I would have found <strong>Goodwill</strong> sooner.”<br />
Achiever of the Year <strong>No</strong>minees<br />
Gabi Argotti<br />
Pittsburgh, PA<br />
Francis Edwards<br />
Shreveport, LA<br />
Patrick Leasure<br />
Frederick, MD<br />
Daniel Watson<br />
Atlanta, GA<br />
Roger Brooks<br />
Dayton, OH<br />
Robert Grau<br />
Des Moines, IA<br />
Richard LeCount<br />
South Bend, IN<br />
Gloria Ann Wiggins<br />
Savannah, GA<br />
Sarah Carter<br />
Eugene, OR<br />
Eureeka Jackson<br />
Macon, GA<br />
Rafael Munoz<br />
Lorain, OH<br />
Tyrone Coleman<br />
Phoenix, AZ<br />
Vic Lamont King<br />
Indianapolis, IN<br />
Amber Thompson<br />
Fredericksburg, VA<br />
Winning through Work<br />
5
<strong>Goodwill</strong> for Families for Families<br />
Centers of Excellence Recognized for Putting Family First<br />
BY MANDY MIKULENCAK<br />
Over the last decade, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has funded a number of programs to increase the capacity of <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> ® to take a holistic, family-centric approach to service delivery. In 2011, <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong><br />
launched a new award — the Family Strengthening Center of Excellence Award — to commemorate the 10th anniversary<br />
of its partnership with the Casey Foundation.<br />
The awards showcase <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® agencies that integrate family strengthening strategies throughout their organizations and in<br />
programs for both their employees and program participants. The 2011 recipients are <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of Lane and South<br />
Coast Counties (Eugene, OR); <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina (Greenville); <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of<br />
Southwest Florida (<strong>No</strong>rth Fort Myers); <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of San Antonio (TX); and <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> of <strong>No</strong>rthwest <strong>No</strong>rth<br />
Carolina (Winston-Salem).<br />
These agencies demonstrate that there are innumerable<br />
ways to become a family strengthening organization. Each<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> drew inspiration from different sources and tailored<br />
services to the communities and people they serve, but there<br />
were common threads that contributed to their successes.<br />
Targeted Partnerships<br />
By working with strong partners that complement <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s<br />
core competencies of job placement and employment services,<br />
agencies build capacity and provide holistic services through<br />
resource sharing. One example comes from San Antonio, TX.<br />
Through a partnership with Alamo Community Colleges, Good<br />
Careers Academy offers a tuition-based educational program<br />
where students earn certifications in eight fields. Currently, the<br />
following certifications are offered: nursing assistant, pharmacy<br />
technician, medical front office, medical coding, medical<br />
assistant, computer support specialist (A+ and Network+) and<br />
accounting payroll clerk.<br />
In San Antonio, TX, Good Careers<br />
Academy offers a tuition-based<br />
educational program where students<br />
earn certifications in eight fields.<br />
Sue Howell studies for her certified nursing assistant exam<br />
through the Good Careers Academy.<br />
6 <strong>Goodwill</strong> for Families
A Focus on Human Resources<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> agencies reported that they provide employees with<br />
benefits to improve their professional and personal well-being<br />
and widen the safety net when staff members face financial<br />
or personal challenges. For example, the <strong>Goodwill</strong> in Winston-<br />
Salem, NC, beefed up its benefits to include a new Employee<br />
Emergency Assistance Fund that provides up to $1,000 to<br />
staff members experiencing catastrophic events; a scholarship<br />
fund providing $1,000 awards each year to the dependents of<br />
employees; and expansion of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance<br />
services so that more staff can have their taxes prepared for free.<br />
The <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s board of directors also recently quadrupled<br />
tuition reimbursement from $500 to $2,000 a year and authorized<br />
an increase in pension contribution from 8 percent to 10 percent<br />
of salary each year.<br />
The <strong>Goodwill</strong> in Winston-Salem, NC,<br />
provides employees with assistance that<br />
widens the safety net when staff members<br />
face financial or personal challenges.<br />
Cindy Saboe,<br />
at right, is getting<br />
a handle on her debt<br />
with help from Mark<br />
Brauer, Prosperity Planner<br />
with the Eugene, OR, <strong>Goodwill</strong>.<br />
Building on Current Successes<br />
The <strong>Goodwill</strong> Centers of Excellence are adept at evaluating<br />
what works and doesn’t work within their organizations, and<br />
then visioning next steps, including how to fund family strengthening<br />
activities. The Eugene, OR, <strong>Goodwill</strong> built on the success<br />
of its Job Connections program by introducing the concept of<br />
a Prosperity Center. The agency secured a two-year grant of<br />
$<strong>15</strong>0,000 to fund a program where individuals could maximize<br />
their employment potential and develop assets to feel more<br />
financially secure. Two dedicated Prosperity Planners work<br />
one-on-one with members of the center to develop goals and<br />
long-term plans to meet them.<br />
The Eugene, OR, <strong>Goodwill</strong> built on<br />
the success of its Job Connections<br />
program by introducing the concept<br />
of a Prosperity Center.<br />
Tanika Hawkins, at right, Career Connections manager at the<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> in Winston-Salem, NC, counsels Lonnie Nesmith, on<br />
how to better manage his finances.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> for Families<br />
7
<strong>Goodwill</strong> for Families for Families<br />
Ongoing Communication<br />
with Employees<br />
While the <strong>Goodwill</strong> in <strong>No</strong>rth Fort Myers, FL, previously offered<br />
a number of benefits that fall under the family strengthening<br />
umbrella, its leaders felt they could do more. The “How’s Life<br />
Committee” — comprising staff members from each department<br />
— uses surveys and focus groups to engage employees<br />
and identify pressing needs, such as financial planning and child<br />
care. Based on the feedback received, the <strong>Goodwill</strong> made<br />
changes. For example, the agency has committed $50,000 to a<br />
child care fund in 2012, which the State of Florida will match.<br />
So far, up to 20 staff members have expressed interest.<br />
Promoting from Within<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> has long valued employees as one of its greatest<br />
resources and sees value in developing talent in-house. The<br />
Greenville, SC, <strong>Goodwill</strong> established a framework for its<br />
employees who demonstrate leadership skills to be better<br />
positioned for supervisory or management roles. The Junior<br />
Leaders Academy trains employees in leadership success,<br />
conflict management, team building across departments,<br />
business ethics and time management. As job opportunities<br />
become available, <strong>Goodwill</strong> leaders may encourage graduates<br />
of the academy to apply. The <strong>Goodwill</strong> aims to fill 50 to 70<br />
percent of its vacancies internally.<br />
The <strong>Goodwill</strong> in <strong>No</strong>rth Fort Meyers,<br />
FL, formed the How’s Life Committee<br />
and is responding to employee<br />
suggestions, including establishing a<br />
child care fund.<br />
Tina Pressley, a corporate trainer, leads a Junior Leaders Academy<br />
workshop with Greenville <strong>Goodwill</strong> staff members (from<br />
left) Sue Borho, Kendra Saxon and Eu-nice Plummer.<br />
The Junior Leaders Academy in<br />
Greenville, SC, is a resource to<br />
develop in-house talent.<br />
Joyce Rivera, a branch manager at Sun Trust Bank, leads a<br />
financial literacy course for <strong>No</strong>rth Fort Myers <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
employees Mary Lavelle and Charrisa Comerota.<br />
8 <strong>Goodwill</strong> for Families
America’s <strong>Goodwill</strong> for America’s Heroes Heroes<br />
Returning Heroes Overcome<br />
Job Obstacles<br />
BY LAUREN LAWSON<br />
Nearly one in three Americans who served their<br />
country in distant lands cannot find jobs here at<br />
home. The staggering unemployment rate among veterans<br />
who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — currently at 29<br />
percent — is just one of the reasons <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> ®<br />
ramped up its efforts to help returning military service<br />
members and their families.<br />
At least 1 million men and women are scheduled to leave<br />
military service in the next five years and join the more<br />
than 22 million veterans who live in the United States today.<br />
While not every veteran faces obstacles to rejoining the<br />
workforce, a substantial number return with physical disabilities<br />
such as traumatic brain injury, and psychological<br />
disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder, while<br />
others face substance abuse and homelessness. Veterans<br />
also endure long waits for benefits and other supports,<br />
which can keep them from building successful non-military<br />
careers and supporting their families.<br />
Last year, through an initiative called <strong>Goodwill</strong> for America’s<br />
Heroes and Their Families, <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® provided employment<br />
placement services and other community-based programs<br />
to more than 44,000 veterans, military spouses and their<br />
families, hiring more than 1,000 of these individuals into<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> employment.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w, two other initiatives — Operation: GoodJobs and<br />
Got Your 6 — will build on those successes at a time<br />
when the need for a continuum of coordinated, integrated<br />
services is at an all-time high.<br />
Operation: GoodJobs<br />
Administered by <strong>Goodwill</strong> and funded by a $1 million grant<br />
from the Walmart Foundation, Operation: GoodJobs empowers<br />
military veterans with the tools they need to find employment,<br />
advance in their careers and ensure long-term financial stability<br />
for their families.<br />
The program targets three key markets through 2013: Austin<br />
and Houston, TX, and Tacoma, WA. Together, <strong>Goodwill</strong> and<br />
the Walmart Foundation will collaborate with a broad array<br />
The unemployment rate among veterans<br />
who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is a<br />
staggering 29 percent.<br />
of community partners, including business, government and<br />
faith-based organizations, to assist veterans and their families<br />
with job training and placement. <strong>Goodwill</strong> will also plan for<br />
each participant’s continued success by designing individualized<br />
plans that support the needs of his or her entire family.<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> for America’s Heroes<br />
9
America’s <strong>Goodwill</strong> for America’s Heroes Heroes<br />
Participants in Operation: GoodJobs receive complete career<br />
assessments as well as development plans that address a range<br />
of family needs, from basic needs like nutrition, shelter and<br />
child care, to specific job training identified in the assessment<br />
process. Often, prior military service can count as training or<br />
work experience toward future employment.<br />
“By convening, collaborating with and leveraging strategic<br />
partners in the community, Operation: GoodJobs provides the<br />
necessary career counseling, résumé help and skills training<br />
that veterans need,” says Wendi Copeland, vice president of<br />
mission advancement for <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>.<br />
“More importantly, employers can realize veterans’ skills and<br />
talents and match those skills with available jobs.”<br />
At least 1 million men and women are scheduled to leave military service in the next<br />
five years and join the more than 22 million verterans who live in the U.S. today.<br />
An activation partner — a nonprofit organization that is a subject<br />
matter expert in its field — leads each pillar. Activation partners<br />
establish a set of goals that can be identified, measured and<br />
reported. The goals will be made public and provide the campaign<br />
with specific, substantial benchmarks. <strong>Goodwill</strong> will work in<br />
tandem with partners from all six pillars. The collective goal<br />
of these partners is to prepare and place 500,000 veterans in<br />
sustainable employment over the course of the campaign,<br />
which ends in 2014.<br />
Got Your 6<br />
Launched in May, Got Your 6 is a campaign led by the entertainment<br />
industry and national nonprofits designed to spark<br />
a new conversation in America: one in which veterans and<br />
military families are perceived as both leaders and civic assets.<br />
Got Your 6 seeks to connect Americans with veterans and<br />
military families to build relationships that will aid transition,<br />
foster leadership and reinvigorate communities. The campaign<br />
focuses on the six pillars of reintegration: jobs, education, health,<br />
housing, family and leadership.<br />
In combat, Got Your 6 means, “I’ve got<br />
your back; I’m covering you.”<br />
Nearly every major Hollywood entertainment studio, broadcast<br />
and cable network, talent agency, and guild are involved with<br />
nearly two dozen top-tier national nonprofit and government<br />
organizations. Public service announcements feature popular<br />
actors like Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker,<br />
Bradley Cooper and Matt Damon, among others.<br />
“We all owe a debt of service to our military veterans and their<br />
families,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
<strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>. “Veterans still have a lot to give us. They<br />
have crucial leadership skills and other assets that will help them<br />
succeed in civilian life and contribute to their communities at<br />
home.”<br />
View the PSA by scanning this<br />
code with your smart phone<br />
or visit www.gotyour6.org.<br />
10 <strong>Goodwill</strong> for America’s Heroes
In the News News<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> Expands Capacity to Benefit Persons with Disabilities in Brazil<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong> has<br />
announced it will partner with AVAPE,<br />
a workforce development leader in<br />
Brazil that provides services to people<br />
with disabilities and others with challenges<br />
finding employment. The capacitybuilding<br />
project, known as <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
Brasil, will be supported with funding<br />
from the Caterpillar Foundation over<br />
the next three years in the amount of<br />
$500,000.<br />
Nearly one-third of Brazil’s population<br />
currently lives in poverty, and serious<br />
environmental challenges are mounting.<br />
To help address these challenges,<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> will equip AVAPE with the<br />
tools and systems needed to operate a<br />
sustainable donated goods retail enterprise.<br />
The money that AVAPE earns<br />
through these operations will allow the<br />
organization to increase its capacity to<br />
provide job training, employment and<br />
additional support services to people with<br />
disabilities, youth at risk for delinquency,<br />
and others in Brazil who are having<br />
difficulties gaining employment.<br />
Despite the Brazilian government’s<br />
attempt to mandate that businesses<br />
hire persons with disabilities, the<br />
latest government study reports that<br />
the disability hiring quota law is less<br />
than 24 percent fulfilled. <strong>Goodwill</strong><br />
Brasil will help adequately train this<br />
population on a large enough scale to<br />
meet the growing need.<br />
“As a proven, environmentally sound<br />
social services model that conserves<br />
national resources while providing<br />
employment opportunities for people<br />
with disabilities and disadvantages,<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> is providing AVAPE leaders<br />
with the tools to launch, sustain and<br />
grow sites that will serve vulnerable<br />
populations in Sao Paulo, Brazil,” says<br />
Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>.<br />
“The aim is to continue to expand<br />
these services to other cities over the<br />
next few years.”<br />
For more information, visit<br />
global.goodwill.org<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> Joins Summer Jobs+ Initiative<br />
<strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong> is<br />
committed to expand job opportunities<br />
for youth as a nonprofit partner of the<br />
White House Summer Jobs+ initiative.<br />
The White House launched the initiative<br />
to provide pathways to employment for<br />
youth who are from low-income families<br />
or who face disadvantages to finding<br />
employment and related opportunities.<br />
This year, <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® is expanding<br />
services for youth at the beginning of<br />
their careers. <strong>Goodwill</strong> is committed to<br />
hiring 1,200 youth ages 16-24, providing<br />
more than 3,200 young people with life<br />
skills services and more than 2,300 with<br />
work skills. Almost 2,000 youth will<br />
be engaged in learn-and-earn services.<br />
Thousands more will receive virtual<br />
career mentoring and exploration services.<br />
“The youth of today are not just the<br />
leaders of the future; they also have the<br />
potential to be the leaders of the now,”<br />
says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO<br />
of <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>.<br />
“<strong>Goodwill</strong>’s pledge to Summer Jobs+<br />
reflects our demonstration to youth to<br />
utilize their untapped skills and leadership,<br />
and complete their educations, attain jobs<br />
and transition into productive careers.”<br />
In the News<br />
11
DONATE, PLAY & WIN<br />
Start off the new school year helping<br />
others in need. Join Family Circle in<br />
supporting the Donate Movement,<br />
powered by <strong>Goodwill</strong> ® . Your donations<br />
to Family Circle and <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s<br />
Back-to-School Clothing Drive provide<br />
job training, youth support services and more for people<br />
in your community. The Donate Movement challenges<br />
all of us to donate responsibly.<br />
Teach your kids how to tell the difference between<br />
what to recycle and what to donate with <strong>Goodwill</strong>’s<br />
Donation Match Game.<br />
Sponsored by:<br />
REAL<br />
parents<br />
REAL<br />
answers<br />
.com<br />
12<br />
* Enter to win at Facebook.com/<strong>Goodwill</strong>Intl; subject to official rules. <strong>No</strong> purchase necessary to enter or win. “Donate, Play & Win” sweepstakes begins August 1, 2012, and ends September 4, 2012.<br />
Sweepstakes entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (eastern), on September 4. Open to legal residents of the United States and Canada. One entry per Facebook account. Void where<br />
prohibited. Sponsored by <strong>Goodwill</strong> <strong>Industries</strong> <strong>International</strong>. Prizes awarded by Meredith Corporation.