FORT WORTH, TEXAS (May 8, 2017) – From May 7 – 13, Goodwill® Fort Worth is celebrating Goodwill Industries Week and will host a resource fair, job readiness training, an open house and job fair as well as shopper and donor appreciation events in celebration.For 115 years, Goodwill has worked in communities to help people with disabilities, disadvantages and anyone facing challenges to finding employment — including youth, seniors, veterans and military families, immigrants, and people with other specialized needs — gain skills and credentials, find employment, obtain job training, gain economic self-sufficiency, and receive necessary support services, such as financial education and transportation. During this commemoration, Goodwill organizations across the United States and Canada will host a variety of events highlighting the impact Goodwill has in the communities it serves.
For 115 years, Goodwill has worked in communities to help people with disabilities, disadvantages and anyone facing challenges to finding employment — including youth, seniors, veterans and military families, immigrants, and people with other specialized needs — gain skills and credentials, find employment, obtain job training, gain economic self-sufficiency, and receive necessary support services, such as financial education and transportation. During this commemoration, Goodwill organizations across the United States and Canada will host a variety of events highlighting the impact Goodwill has in the communities it serves.
Every day, Goodwill North Central Texas connects people who are unemployed or underemployed with career navigation and skills attainment so they can advance their careers and earn long-term economic stability for themselves and their families. There are many examples of those who have used Goodwill specialized training to advance their career. Gina Casteal, a single mother of four with a GED and a criminal record is one such example. When the bank foreclosed on her home, Gina and her children became homeless – with the encouragement of her family, Gina enrolled in Goodwill’s North Texas Institute as part of the CDL (commercial driver’s license) training program. She was the only woman in her class, but she rose to the top and actually got a job with Goodwill transporting donated goods after graduation. “Goodwill helped me through school, get a job and provide a home for my kids,” she said. “I can look my kids in the eye again and they are so proud of me.” View more success stories like Gina’s at ThankYouGoodwill.org.
Goodwill Industries Week celebrates Goodwill’s innovative social enterprise model. Goodwill North Central Texas sells donated items in its 23 retail stores, online at shopgoodwill.com® and through Fort Worth e-books, an e-commerce platform, to create employment placement services, job training, financial wellness and other integrated services customized to meet the needs of individuals and families in the greater Fort Worth area.
In 2016 alone, Goodwill North Central Texas placed 264 people into employment through Goodwill Staffing Services, provided vocational skills training to 125 people through Goodwill’s North Texas Institute for Career Development, provided 219 people with vocational assessment and 48 people participated in Goodwill’s Work Adjustment Training program (paid work experience).
“Goodwill North Central Texas invites you to celebrate Goodwill Industries Week and make a difference in the community by donating things you used to love and no longer use, shopping at Goodwill for an item you are in need of this season or volunteering,” said David Cox, president & CEO of Goodwill North Central Texas. “We are proud to help people achieve independence through learning and the power of work.”
About Goodwill North Central Texas
Goodwill is more than a thrift store. The largest employer of people with disabilities in the world, Goodwill believes that work has the power to transform lives by building self-confidence, independence, creativity, trust and friendships. Everyone deserves this chance.
Goodwill North Central Texas’s 23 retail locations provide revenue through the sale of donated goods to support Goodwill’s mission – job training and career services for people with disabilities, such as physical or mental disabilities and other barriers to employment including lack of education or work experience and homelessness. For more information on Goodwill North Central Texas, please visit www.goodwillnorthcentraltexas.org.
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