The first week of May each year, I dedicate a blog post on Wardrobe Oxygen to #ShareTheGood of Goodwill Industries. It's an organization I believe in and am proud to support. May 1 - May 7 marks Goodwill Industries Week. Sure you know Goodwill as the place where you can take all the bags of things that didn't spark joy when you Marie Kondo-ed your home. They also have plenty of stores where you can score great deals on others' donated items (FYI there's a new location in Bowie, Maryland that's gorgeous where I recently scored some amazing things). But, do you know why Goodwill accepts your donations? Do you know where the proceeds from those retail sales go?
Simply put - Goodwill helps people find jobs. Not just any people - people who are your neighbors, people whose kids go to your kids' schools, people who are sitting next to you on the Metro or in line behind you at the grocery store. Goodwill of Greater Washington's primary mission is to provide free job training and employment services to people with disadvantages and disabilities. Their goal is to give the populations they serve the tools they need to become self-sufficient.
This year, Goodwill is opening The Goodwill Excel Center in Washington, DC. It's the first adult charter high school to award a high school diploma and industry recognized credentials rather than a GED. Students will receive the resources and support needed to earn a high school diploma and post-secondary education while developing career paths that present greater employment and career growth opportunities. In addition to the academic curriculum, the Goodwill Excel Center will provide a free, on-site drop-in child development center, transportation assistance and life coaching, while emphasizing a school-work-life balance through flexible scheduling, extended hours and year-round terms. How awesome is that?
In 2015, Goodwill directly affected the lives of more than 2,000 people in our community. These are people who have discovered the dignity that comes with being a contributing member of our society. Goodwill also diverted over 28 million pounds of material from local landfills through their donated goods program. In addition to training and placing people into jobs, providing consumers with access to quality, low cost merchandise, and acting as one our region's largest recyclers, Goodwill is also a job developer. With each new store and donation center that Goodwill opens, 25-30 new jobs are created. As a matter of fact, their new Bowie, Maryland store created 50 new jobs! Goodwill of Greater Washington's mission is summed up by its tagline - "Transforming lives and communities through the power of education and employment".
If you could walk in someone else's shoes for just one day would you help them? If you'd like to learn more about Goodwill of Greater Washington, find their nearest store or donation center, or get involved, please visit www.dcgoodwill.org or download their free mobile app. To learn more about the Goodwill Excel Center visit www.goodwillexcelcenter.org.