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.