Career Scoop: The dish on our services

Betty Johnson, Vice President of Employment Services

The Goodwill Career Solutions division provides job readiness, job training, job placement and job retention services for people who are unemployed and seeking employment. We offer many choices or “flavors” for clients to select.  We’ll speak more specifically about these choices in future postings.

Sometimes people who are unemployed have experienced some difficulties in their lives. These difficulties may make it that much harder to find a job or keep a job.  One difficulty may be someone who has been through a downsizing.  In some cases, some encouragement, assistance in updating a resume and some job leads may be all it takes.  Another difficulty may be someone who doesn’t have a HS diploma or GED.  Aside from referring someone to GED classes, Goodwill helps folks learn how to complete applications, resumes and generally present themselves in the correct light.

Our counselors work individually with job seekers to determine their particular interests and abilities to better focus the job search direction. We also offer some short term training programs for people who are interested in learning new jobs.

Keep checking back to learn more about our services and to read about clients who have been successful in their job search process through Goodwill’s Career Solutions Division. This year we hope to assist more than 11,000 people with finding jobs in their communities.  If you need our services, maybe you will be one of them.

Been Green: Good for our community

By Mary Stockett, Manager of Continuous Improvement

Going Green is a natural state for Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. If you think about it, what we do everyday in this organization is the process of recycling. The goods we receive in donations still have another cycle-of-use directly into the homes of our retail customers, recycling from one home to our store to another home. Apparel and household goods that have the potential of ending up in the landfill after just a single family’s use now have a chance of being used again. Whether it is moving a product to continue the cycle-of-use into another home or recycling the raw elements which will be used to create another product, it is all recycling. It’s good for Goodwill and good for our community.

For that we must first salute our donors for engaging, not only in a donation to provide us with the funds necessary to fulfill our mission, but also actively participating in extending the cycle-of-use of a product.

 

D Movement: We’ve hit the mark and it’s because of you

Karl Houston, Senior Director of Marketing & Community Relations

How can we say, ‘Thank you,’ to all of our donors?  Words certainly aren’t sufficient. For the first time ever, our Goodwill has served more than one million donors by mid-October, allowing us to continue our mission of providing employment and training services in middle and west Tennessee. In 2009, donations topped one million in November. Since words can’t say enough, we want all those who have generously given Goodwill their gently-used items to calculate what every item has meant to our mission.

Goodwill sells your donated goods to provide employment and training opportunities for people who have disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs.  Through September of this year, your donations have provided free job training and services for more than 9,100 clients.  And, 2,237 of those clients were placed in a job.  

Here’s another way to think about how cleaning your closet, clearing your clutter and giving what you no longer need, want, or use, has helped someone who wants to find work. Donate eight pieces of clothing and you’ve given a Goodwill client one and a half hours of free training.  

So, thank you for every piece of clothing you donate, every dish, toaster, TV and toy.  Your donations have changed many lives.  To read about some of the people who’ve been helped because of the generosity of our donors, and to calculate what your donations mean to others, please visit our Web site. 

The donations team makes it easy for you to continue donating to Goodwill.  There are 68 Donation Express Centers in the 46 counties served by our Goodwill.  The company plans to open as many as nine new sites by the end of 2011. Thanks, again!

Mission Possible: I will remain as Goodwill’s President and CEO

“I have changed my mind about retiring, and our board has graciously allowed me to do that,” was the message David Lifsey sent to Goodwill Industries International in September.  Months after informing our Board of Directors that he planned to retire as president and CEO at the end of the year, Lifsey had a change of heart.

I have asked our board of directors to allow me to retract my request for retirement.  They have graciously accepted my request, and I will be allowed to remain as president and CEO of our Goodwill.

Our Goodwill enjoys many exciting opportunities for growth.  At the top of the list is the opening of our Career Solutions Building followed by the search for new sites for stores and increasing our business.  I have said many times that we are fortunate to be a part of a company that, after 50-plus years in existence, still faces its most exciting days.

As I neared the date of my retirement, and evaluated what life would be like without actively participating with the good people I’ve worked with throughout my years at Goodwill, I realized I had made a mistake.  Leaving a job, let alone a career that spans more than 40 years, is never an easy decision.  I came to the realization that I enjoy coming to work every day and I’m not ready to stop growing Goodwill and sharing the success of our clients and employees.

As we move ahead I will relish the many opportunities we have to work to expand our mission.  The spirit of our employees and the reward of seeing our clients succeed continue to drive me in my job.  We have important work to do and I look forward to being a part of that work.