Happy Birthday Edgar J. Helms (Our Founder): By Sarah DiPasquale

     Rev. Edgar James Helms was born 155 years ago this year on January 19th. Helms didn’t know it then, but he was going to forever change the way society thought about charity. Helms dabbled in law and publishing before he decided ministry was his true calling. In 1889 he enrolled in Boston University Theological School and was appalled at the conditions that the poorest communities in the city faced. His commitment to helping others and business innovation led him to Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods, where he went door-to-door asking for donations of clothing and household goods. He hired people to repair the goods, and then resold or donated them to the workers in exchange for their labor.

    If only Helms could see his legacy today. At the time of his death, in 1942, there were a little more than 50 local Goodwill organizations.  In 2018, there are 161 independent, local Goodwill® organizations across the United States and Canada, with a presence in 12 other countries. The Goodwill network hasn’t just grown in size – Goodwills have developed a sophisticated donated goods retail business model and enhanced mission services. Job placement and training services include technology, healthcare, hospitality and more, along with family-strengthening and other community-building programs. Helms may also be surprised to discover that mission delivery has expanded beyond traditional in-person services to include virtual training and digital resources. The collective Goodwill network placed more than 300,000 people into employment last year. 

     Helms pioneered the first social enterprise and today Goodwill is a globally-recognized brand. Consumers have ranked Goodwill as the #1 brand doing the most good in the world for two consecutive years.

     Thank you, Edgar Helms, and happy birthday! (Article by GII Executive Research & Communications Specialist, Sarah DiPasquale)

A portrait of Goodwill Industries founder Dr. Edgar J. Helms was created by renowned portrait artist Steven Penley on commission from Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, which owns exclusive rights to the painting.

Positive Energy Translates to a Magnetic Personality: By Mary Murray

     You can’t help but notice Tasha, the team lead in textiles at the Goodwill Summit Towne Centre store. With a dazzling smile accentuated by bold lipstick and polished attire, she brightens up the production area with her positive aura.

     It’s no surprise that her kindness and warm smile propelled a teenager to show her appreciation after a recent visit. Kiara, an Erie High School student, returned to the Goodwill store the following week with a hand-drawn card to present to Tasha. 

     “It made my day,’’ Tasha recalled. It should come as no surprise that Tasha would be recognized by others.  She listens to spiritual messages, she said, and blocks out the negative. “When someone can feel a positive vibe or good spirit, people notice it.”

     Tasha admits she hasn’t always been this way, but has worked diligently to create her positive bubble. No doubt, her three teenage children have a lot to do with it. As a single mother, Tasha proudly showed pictures of her children decked out in their Christmas finery.

     Getting back to Kiara, Tasha remembers that Kiara said she loved her bright fuchsia lipstick even though Kiera was not working directly with Tasha, but at a nearby station in the production area. The next week, Kiera arrived and presented Tasha a card that read: “You’re beautiful.” Not surprisingly, both Tasha and Kiara were both wearing the same red lipstick that day!

     Tasha greets students with a cheery hello when they volunteer at the store, and she often rewards those working with her with a ‘high-five’ for a job well done. Her kindness extends to the store employees as well. She took it upon herself to decorate the employee lunchroom for both Halloween and Christmas just to make the environment more festive for her coworkers.

     Tasha’s light shines brightly and her energy and spirit are part of what makes Goodwill a special place.

Eliminating Barriers & Leveling Up: By Jewel Chappell

     The Workforce Development team in Lake County, adopted the theme “LEVEL UP” for the 2017-2018 program year of the Comprehensive Case Management & Employment Program (CCMEP). LEVEL UP is a term that we use to describe any positive step that our clients take toward reaching self-sufficiency. Each participant that enters our program has barriers or challenges preventing them from gaining sustainable employment. These barriers may include a lack of transportation, housing, mental health challenges, or lack of childcare, employment history, or an educational credential, such as a high school diploma or GED.
     The Employment Case Manager works with each participant to identify their unique barrier(s) and assists them in eliminating them. Program staff work with participants to develop their job readiness skills, life skills, social skills, self-awareness, workplace etiquette, and literary/math skills. In addition, participants receive assistance with resume building, interview skills, and career development. The Job Developer solicits Lake County businesses that allow participants to work in their establishments for a specific amount of time to gain experience and on the job training.
     The Job Developer works to match the participant in the career field of their choice, and the participant’s wages are paid through CCMEP funding. The desired outcome of this program is for employers to be so satisfied with the performance of the participant, that they decide to hire them full time at a sustainable wage. The CCMEP staff have seen considerable success with the paid work experience program, and these participants are wonderful examples of what it means to LEVEL UP!
     One participant, in particular, is currently attending Lakeland Community College, majoring in Business. They entered the program with a goal of obtaining employment in an administrative assistant-type position. This participant was matched and placed with American Family Insurance in Mentor, OH and successfully completed 12 weeks of paid work experience. On January 15, 2018, she started her first day of full-time employment as an Administrative Assistant. The owner, Angela Caswell, recognized this participant’s potential to be a successful insurance sales agent. With the assistance of the Goodwill program staff, this participant has enrolled at Hondros School of Business to support her goal of obtaining her property & casualty, and life licensures. She is a prime example of what it truly means to level up!
     When we level up, we are making continuous steps toward our goals, eliminating barriers, and achieving great accomplishments on the way up. No matter what point we are at in our lives, we can apply this concept because there is always room for growth. I challenge you to be intentional about identifying the barriers in your own life, and working diligently to remove them. In doing so, you will create endless opportunities for yourself and the people you hold dear. Here’s to LEVELING UP!

Living The Dream ( No, Really!): By Mary Murray

     Not many 18-year-olds can say they’ve lived the dream, but don’t tell Christian that. Unlike most teenagers his age, the Harborcreek High School senior couldn’t wait to give up his Friday nights, back-to-back Saturdays and occasional Sundays to work.

    Inside the cavernous Erie Insurance Arena, just blocks from Erie’s waterfront, Christian dug right in, powering up computers, flipping switches and pushing buttons on a large console. Soon the 218,000-square-foot arena came to life with the swoosh of skates cutting effortlessly through the ice amid the cacophony of thousands of diehard fans, and the authoritative boom of the announcer calling the game.

     Christian got the rare opportunity to marry his two loves – media production and hockey – as a media production intern for the Erie Otters, which is part of the Ontario Hockey League. “I don’t consider this work, “Christian explained in an interview on the eve of his final weekend on the job. “I consider it a passion for something I love to do. When I go there (the arena), it doesn’t feel like work.”

     He recently completed 90 hours of employment in the Work-Based Learning Experience program run by Goodwill’s Erie staff, under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Job coach Andre Lyons joined Christian on the journey, shadowing Christian as he learned the ropes of producing a live professional sporting event under the Otter’s game day operations guru, Andrew Schacht.

     A standout high school cross-country runner, Christian is accustomed to working hard, training hard to reach a goal. Last summer, Christian set the stage by earning his USA and Hockey Official Level 1 certification, which has allowed him to officiate games. He also fine-tuned his video and audio production skills through job shadowing opportunities at MenajErie Studio and CATV-Erie, both arranged by Goodwill’s Erie office. 

     In a fitting conclusion to a successful work experience, the Otters came from behind to win the Sunday night game that marked Christian’s final day of employment with the team. He now has his sights on a camera operator position that has been posted. With his eye on the finish line, much like a cross-country race, Christian is focused on making his future happen. 

A Closer Look: By Megan Myers

    The programs provided at our Ashtabula Goodwill can make a huge impact on the way people interact and behave in the workplace. Each program is individualized based on the needs of the participant, but the end result is the same: building self-sufficiency through the power of work.

     The Job Development program assists the individual with job leads that are consistent with their vocational goal. They are also assisted with interviewing, job seeking skills, and post-employment support.

     The Work Adjustment program provides a supportive, realistic work experience at Goodwill or at a community employment site to persons who need minimal adjustment and work experience in order to enhance their potential for competitive employment.

     The PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in Developing Employment) program focuses on the reduction of barriers that stand in the way of gaining and maintaining unsubsidized employment by using applied work activity to develop practical work-related skills.

     The yO! (youthOpportunities) program is for youth 21 and under and offers a wide variety of educational and work-oriented options to assist the youth in being successful in school and in life.

Goodwill Expands Mission Services in Erie Area: By Hanni Nazario

   Goodwill’s Workforce Development team worked to spread the mission of “building self-sufficiency through the power of work” throughout Erie County in 2017. The team of instructors and job coaches, including Andre Lyons, Coji Maddona, Angela Murosky, and Mary Murray brought instruction to students in 14 Erie County schools. The Goodwill team instructed over 300 students, ages 14 to 21, in job readiness, self-advocacy, and independent living skills. A highlight of the springtime classes included Corry High School’s study of dressing for success in the workplace, which incorporated a fashion show put on by students. An additional highlight included Erie County Technical School’s study of work-life balance, which culminated in a “hobby day” allowing students to learn more about a myriad of recreational pastimes. The fall saw seven groups of students making weekly trips to the Goodwill stores in Summit Township and Harborcreek for hands-on work experience.

     Goodwill job coaches were also hard at work providing career exploration and practical work experience with employers throughout the area. Accompanied by job coaches, clients learned to stock shelves at retail stores, practiced safe food handling at restaurants and bakeries, cared for animals at area shelters, operated sound and cameras at outdoor concerts, landscaped at a local botanical garden, and even interned with the marketing team for a semi-professional hockey team.

     In 2018, Goodwill hopes to continue offering the same classroom-based and hands-on experience to clients, while also offering new services to students. With a customer service training program slated to launch in the spring and more industry-specific training programs in development, the Goodwill team will continue “building self-sufficiency through the power of work” in Erie County.

Donated Goods Retail, Moving Forward in 2018: By Chris Oleski

     The Donated Goods Retail team is excited about the possibilities that 2018 brings!  Despite the weather, we ended 2017 on a positive note and hope to continue that momentum into 2018. Our stores are well staffed, and our management teams have never been stronger. We continue to look for efficiencies in our processes and have developed new reporting and analytical tools for 2018 that should give us a narrower focus on where our opportunities lie.
     The end of 2017 saw the expansion of new goods assortments in our stores, continuing into 2018. In addition to the winter hats, gloves, and thermal socks, look for a new line of undergarments for men, women, and boys as well as leggings and yoga pants for women. 
     We’ve also begun to offer a line of organic soaps and an assortment of candles in many scents. Tech items are also newly available, beginning with wireless cords and batteries. We’ve even successfully begun offering Coca-Cola products and Utz chips in our Summit Towne Center location and we will continue to look for other new goods to enhance the customer shopping experience in 2018 and beyond.
     We kicked off 2018 with our 6th annual Donate to Win campaign with our sponsors, Marybeth and Todd Nassief from Nassief Auto Family. This is a very exciting time for our customers and donors, as someone will have the opportunity to drive off in a brand new 2018 Toyota Corolla in May of this year! We treasure the partnership we have with Nassief Auto Family and are so grateful for this program that helps us maintain donations in this usually slow donating period.
     Here’s to a successful 2018 in our Donated Goods Retail department! We wish everyone a very happy and healthy year!