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.