Thank You!

A Message from Goodwill’s President and CEO, David Lifsey

It may seem strange to some employees of other businesses, but among the things for which I know many of us are grateful this holiday season is the opportunity to continue working with our Goodwill and with each other. We are a business changing lives for the better, and that gives each of us an opportunity to rejoice. And while being grateful may seem like a lost art sometimes, I hope during this season each of us has the opportunity to tell someone we are grateful for them whether they are family, friends or co-workers. We are especially grateful for those of you who support our Goodwill whether you donate your gently-used items, shop at our stores, have taken advantage of the services we offer through Career Solutions or have hired one of our ready-to-work graduates. We say thank you for all you do to help others. What better gift to give at any time of year!

He not only found a job, he found much more. Meet Jose Ortega …

There is patience and kindness in his voice as he works with clients trying to master their computer skills and need help with their job search.  “All you need to do is register on this log-in page,” he tells a woman in the computer room in the Spring Hill Career Solutions Center, “and then you can begin your search.”

Jose Ortega was once one of those who needed help finding a job.  As he rolled in to meet with prospective employers he had more than one say they didn’t have a good fit for his skill set.  Ortega says he believes all they saw was someone in a wheelchair.  What they didn’t see was the talent just waiting to be tapped.

When Jose and his family moved to the Nashville area to escape the mean streets of south central Los Angeles in 2004 they thought they were leaving the violence behind.  And after a violent encounter almost took his life, Jose came to Goodwill for the help he needed to find a job.  He not only found a job, he found acceptance, success and reward.  Watch why Jose Ortega was named the recipient of the 2011 Goodwill 110% Award.

EVERY DAY IS CYBER MONDAY ON ONLINEGOODWILL.COM

by Anne Marie Sisk

Shop Till You Drop Without Ever Leaving Home!

Gift giving can lead to the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat depending when you do your shopping.  Finding a parking space at the mall may be the biggest victory, but not finding the right color, size or style of an item for someone you’re shopping for might feel defeating.  So why not stay home?  Forget the fight for a parking space.  Don’t worry about the jostling.  Instead, log on to onlinegoodwill.com where you can bid, browse and buy and check off every name on your list.

Onlinegoodwill.com has more than 1000 items from the most sought-after brands to the rare collectible.  Not only that, but we list as many as 300 new items daily.  Talk about shopping!

So, find those special gifts for the ones you love, while helping change lives by shopping on onlinegoodwill.com.  The proceeds from the sale of every item on the site go towards our Career Solutions programs.  By the time 2011 ends, our Goodwill will have provided free training and job services to more than 11,500 Tennesseans.  Thank you to our onlinegoodwill.com shoppers, our donors and those who support Goodwill’s brick and mortar stores.

Find great gifts for incredible prices:

Nikon D3000 18-55VR Camera Kit NIB item 9005179 ends 12/5.

Wilson Leather #8 Dale Jr. Jacket size M item ends 12/6.

Happy shopping!

Saying ‘Thank You’ Just Doesn’t Seem Adequate.

Jennifer Kalifa, Donations Manager

 Saying ‘thank you’ just doesn’t seem adequate.  How can I, how can all of us at Goodwill, thank you enough for all the donations you give?  Without you, our donors, Goodwill could not fulfill its mission of providing free employment and training services throughout Middle and West Tennessee.  Without you we could not serve the more than 11,000 Tennesseans who will visit our 17 Career Solutions Centers for help with their job search.  Without you we could not employ 1,600 Tennesseans who work throughout the 46 counties served by our Goodwill.  Without you, lives could not be changed.

 Just how do your gently-used items help Goodwill serve its mission?  The items you donate are immediately put to good use.  They are processed and transported to each of the 30 Goodwill stores in Middle and West Tennessee.  More than 85 percent of the revenue from the sale of each piece of merchandise is used to provide mission services.   

 To read about some of the people who’ve been helped because of the generosity of you, our donors, and to calculate what your donations mean to others, please visit our website.  Add up what each piece of clothing, every household item or electronic donation means in terms of free job services.  You’ll see that you really do change lives.  And for that we say, “Thank you.”

Growing Your Skills While Serving Others

Debbie Grant, Development Director

We often hear people say things such as, “I like helping others, or “I really want to help but don’t know how” and “I just wouldn’t know what to do.”  

If you really enjoy helping others and have a desire to work in the health care field, Goodwill has a great deal for you.

Did you know that Nashville has 56 health care companies located here? Did you know that the labor market has a shortage of skilled nurse assistants who can provide home health care and care at medical facilities? At Goodwill, we are able to help the labor market by training individuals to provide non-medically certified and certified medical care.

Goodwill Career Solutions offers a basic training program called, Health Care Initiatives, with a certified trainer who teaches basic medical terminology, how to take vital signs, and when you graduate you become certified in CPR and first aid. The training is free to our students and takes four weeks to complete. Our graduates have found entry level positions and began earning a paycheck within days of graduation from the training.

But Let’s Not Stop There!

Some of Goodwill’s students want to move up the career ladder in a health care occupation. By enrolling in a five- week certified nursing assistant’s (CNA) training program, you can become a certified nurse assistant and work in a hospital, rehabilitation center or other medical facilities managing patients’ long-term care or acute care.

Our first class is currently engaged in the clinical portion of their training at a local long-term care facility. By early December they will be ready to take the state certification test and earn a credential allowing them to work in a medical facility.

We have employers who have already contacted the program and want to interview our graduates for employment. We have a case manager who will help you with your application process and work with you on other concerns you might have related to training and work. She will help you with your job search, preparing a resume, learning how to complete the job applications and support as you practice your job interview skills. She will provide you with encouragement and stay in touch with you to help you feel supported as you start your new job.

Once you start to work you can identify other jobs in health care that might interest you and begin preparing yourself for taking that next step.

Get started in the medical field today, grow your skills, and help yourself to a better life while you help others.  If you are interested or need more information, call Sharonda Parks at Goodwill’s Career Solutions Center in Nashville at 615-346-1688 and get started on a successful career.  It’s never too late to grow your skills while you help others!

Career Scoop: Do You Really Need a College Degree?

AJ Helms, Career Counselor

I have clients ask me this all the time…. do I really need a college education to succeed? The short answer is YES. Not that you won’t succeed without one, but in a struggling economy and a tight job market what better way to make yourself stand out from the pack? There are a lot of variables to think about when considering college. How will I find the time? How will I pay for it? I don’t have four years to devote to school, is there a shorter program?

Not everyone is a traditional student so why would you look for a traditional college? Many people are discovering the advantages of career colleges. Career colleges offer many one-year and two-year programs to get you on your feet and moving in the right direction fast. One of the fastest growing fields is Healthcare, and career colleges are offering courses right now in your area such as Medical Assisting, Medical Office Administration, and Medical Billing and Coding, just to name a few. A Certified Nursing Assistant is another in-demand position and most of the programs only take 4-6 weeks!

Career colleges tend to be more flexible and understanding of the needs of the student as well. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd of a big university, but if you need that little extra of one on one attention, smaller class size, or even tutoring career colleges are there. There are financial aid officers to help you with all of your financial needs from tuition to books and supplies.

So what are you waiting for? Go make yourself stand out! A college degree is not as hard to come by as you might think. Go speak to an Admissions Representative today from the career college of your choice to see what they have to offer. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Learn about the training programs at Goodwill Career Solutions that will help you stand out in the job market.

 

 

D Movement: The Final Days of Project Organize

By NaTisha Moultry, Community Relations Manager

Enter Project Organize by September 30!

As we approach the final days of the Project Organize contest, I started thinking about the reason we created the contest. Most people have a hectic schedule with work, kids and social activities. Getting organized can be overwhelming at times and some people may feel like it is an impossible task. I wanted a fun way to encourage people to clear the clutter in their homes, offices or garage while offering them an incentive for doing so. I was actually at home cleaning my own closets and I wished that I had some help getting things organized. I also thought about how wonderful it would be to have someone else clean after everything was neatly put away. And that was how the idea of working with a professional organizer and cleaning crew was born.

Project Organize offers great prizes; a three-room makeover by Complete Organizing Solutions, a five hour cleaning by Angel Maids, as much as five hundred dollars worth of products from the Container Store and a one-hundred dollar Goodwill gift card.

I encourage all families, whether you win Project Organize or not, to create your own campaign to clear the clutter in your home. Encourage the kids to donate clothing they can no longer wear or toys they no longer play with. Go through the kitchen cabinets, closets and the garage. Donate any usable items that your family no longer needs to Goodwill. Not only are you creating a clutter-free environment in your home, you are also helping Goodwill fulfill our mission of providing employment and training opportunities to people in the community.

If you could clear the clutter in three rooms in your home, what would they be?

D Movement: Project Organize – Kick the clutter to the curb!

By Tanna Clark, Complete Organizing Solutions

Enter to Win Project Organize!

Let the yard sale season begin! As the cooler weather approaches it’s time to kick the clutter to the curb, with price tags of course!

This is the best time of year to get your house back in order after the busy days of summer, and to prepare for the upcoming holidays. The best way to do that is to declutter. It’s time to take a walk through the house room-by-room to gather all of those items you no longer use or love.

In order to have a successful yard sale here are a few tips:

1. Team with your neighbors. A community yard sale gets much more traffic than a solo sale. Pitch in with your neighbors to put a larger ad in the paper.

2. Price as you declutter. You can buy a pack of pre-labeled stickers with yard sale prices already printed.on them.

3. Set-up the night before. Prepare household items and clothing the night before the sale, preferably in the garage. Move the tables closer to the street the morning of the sale.

4. Get the kids involved. Our most successful yard sale was one in which we had the kids set up a table selling cookies we baked the day before. Cookies are a perfect snack for your shoppers and it drives in more traffic!

The most important clutter-fighting rule is to not let it back in. Once your sale is over pack it all up and head to your local Goodwill donation location or store. All too often we let the clutter back in to take care of it later and later never comes. Take care of it now in order to benefit a greater cause.

Good luck and have fun!

D Movement: Project Organize

By Tanna Clark, Complete Organizing Solutions

School is in full swing and you may be looking around at the clutter summer has left in its wake wondering how you’ll ever get back to normal! Don’t worry. Goodwill’s Project Organize is stepping in to help you clear the clutter and regain control at home!

That’s right! One lucky Middle Tennessean will win a three-room clutter rehabilitation from Complete Organizing Solutions. This will be the fourth year I have partnered with Goodwill to help a harried family get organized.  This year there’s even more! To help celebrate the upcoming opening of The Container Store in The Mall at Green Hills, the folks at the store have offered $500 in products to be used for Project Organize!

If that doesn’t sound like bliss already, we have something special planned to reward the homeowner for all of their hard work while decluttering. Angel Maids has kindly donated five hours of cleaning!

The contest runs from September 1st – September 30th. Enter here!

In the meantime here are a few tips to get you started on your next organizing project:

1. Sometimes the largest barrier to getting organized is just getting started! You may be looking at your whole house thinking “Where do I start?” That kind of thinking is likely to get you stuck in a disorganized rut. Stop focusing on the big picture and mentally separate your house into bite size manageable goals and work your way through them.
2. Don’t buy a single organizing product until you have sorted and weeded out what doesn’t belong. Containers can become clutter, too! Make sure you know what you need before stocking up on supplies.
3. Think outside the box. Get creative with your storage options. Just because that shoe organizer hanging on the door is for “shoes” it doesn’t mean you can’t find other uses for it  A pocket shoe organizer is great for toiletries, hats and gloves, or for smaller items in the pantry!

Most important – don’t let the clutter overwhelm you.  Think simple!

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc., has been serving Middle and West Tennessee for more than 50 years and Project Organize is one of its ways of saying thank you for your support and donations!

What room in your home would you most like to clear the clutter?

Career Scoop: Attitude is Everything

Kate Kiefling, Career Solutions Trainer

The orientation for our new Opportunities for Ex-Offenders class series here at Goodwill Career Solutions is titled “Attitude Is Everything.” Many job seekers come to the class with wonderful positive attitudes. They clearly have done some soul searching and take responsibility of their past. They are willing to do whatever it takes to find a better future, including sitting through yet another potentially boring class. They have learned about what kinds of events can trigger destructive thoughts and attitudes. They are leaders willing to help others over some attitude hurdles. They see the big picture and are already on their way to employment success!

Then again, it is heartbreaking when job seekers honestly share opinions about themselves “I have made too many mistakes in life” or “Nobody will hire me because of my criminal record.”

When these kinds of destructive messages play in our heads repeating negative self-images to ourselves over and over again, throughout the day, week, month or year, they sadly may become self-fulfilling prophecies. If these are our thoughts, how likely are we to have a positive attitude toward the job search process?

In the class, we invite job seekers to compose new, positive and hopefully healing self-images for themselves. Some of the most popular ones are:

• Although I am an ex-offender, somebody will hire me!
• I may need to work harder to get a job, but once I get one, I am willing to prove myself!
• I am not my past, I look to the future!
• I have learned from my mistakes.
• I am willing to learn new skills and attitudes.
• I am willing to make a positive change.
• I am worthy of a good job.
• I am able to handle rejection, bounce back, and continue my job search.
• It is their loss. They are missing out on a great worker!

We can sometimes be our own worst enemy. Our thoughts about the world of work, about the job search process and especially about ourselves will have an effect.

Now, can you afford the luxury of a negative thought?

Visit goodwillcareersolutions.org for more information on Goodwill Career Solutions programs.