GOODWILL INDUSTRIES WEEK CELEBRATES
63 YEARS OF SERVICE IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA

More than 15,000 served in 2009
PDF Version
5/3/2010

As it commemorates Goodwill Industries® Week (May 2 – 8) and 63 years of service, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, Inc. (Goodwill) is seeking donations of gently used clothing, house-wares and monetary pledges so it can continue to provide job training programs, employment placement services and
other community-based programs for people who need them most.

Last year alone, Goodwill helped thousands of individuals with barriers to employment onto a path toward reclaiming their independence. More than 15,000 visited Goodwill’s job training centers; 10,310 persons received basic services such as resume writing, job search assistance, job readiness workshops, job referrals
and career counseling; and 5,225 persons received more intensive services such as job skills training, job placement services, group workshops, and work experience opportunities. Goodwill also provided 70,000 meals to homeless people living in transitional housing last year via its Culinary Arts training program.

“At Goodwill, we are committed to helping people earn a living and improve their lives, families and communities,” said William L. Jessee, Goodwill’s president and CEO. “This Goodwill Industries Week, we want to thank everyone who has helped us further our mission of helping people find jobs as well as strengthen our efforts of changing lives through the power of work.”

Giving to Goodwill is a simple act of community service and charity that anyone can perform and helps to support programs such as Goodwill’s GoodGuides youth mentoring program and a culinary arts training program that helps employ and feed individuals who are homeless and living in transitional housing. Goodwill also provides training in work readiness, literacy, janitorial, landscaping and retail; and helps people find jobs by contracting with government and businesses to provide commercial services such as custodial services, landscaping, mail processing and switchboard operations.

Shopping at Goodwill stores is also a great way to save money and support the environment by extending the lifecycle of items. More than eighty-four cents of every retail dollar supports Goodwill’s programs and services.

Although best known for its retail operations, Goodwill is the original social enterprise, established nationally in 1902 by a group of community-conscious individuals on the premise of offering ‘a hand up, not a hand out’ to society’s most disadvantaged. Today, Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based, independent member organizations in the U.S. and Canada. All serve people with disabilities, low-wage workers and other disadvantaged job seekers by providing education and career services, as well as job placement opportunities and post-employment support. Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, Inc. was founded in New Orleans in 1947 at a site originally on Chartres Street in the French Quarter.

Saturday, May 8th, is Customer Appreciation Day at all 14 of Goodwill’s stores where customers can enter to win a chance to win gift cards. Goodwill’s website, www.goodwillno.org, offers complete details.



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ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
Since 1947, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, Inc. has been a leading provider of job training and employment support services for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. In 2008, Goodwill served 9,677 people and helped 6,124 successfully find jobs. Goodwill serves 23 parishes and operates 13 thrift stores.