Bridal Blog: Gaylord Opryland Hosts Goodwill Gala Shoot

By NaTisha Moultry, Community Relations Manager

Great talent and a beautiful location for our Goodwill photo shoot equals one fabulous Look Book. On January 28th, the Goodwill team and Goodwill employee models all met at the Gaylord Opryland Resort to create our 2011 Look Book. We had been planning this photo shoot for months. Model fittings and meetings with hair and makeup artists were just the beginning of the process that ended with selecting the perfect gown, hair and makeup for each model. Then came creating a comprehensive shoot schedule that included the time, location of the shoot, and outfit for each model, along with making flower arrangements and matching accessories to compliment each look.

We want to thank the marketing and wedding teams at Gaylord Opryland Resort for allowing us to use their beautiful newly remodeled facility. We really appreciate everything they did to help make the photo shoot a success. Gaylord Opryland Resort is the perfect location for a beautiful wedding or even special proposal. They have so many locations. Also, we want to thank Street Tuxedo for providing tuxedos for the photo shoot. Linda from Nicholson’s Cleaners was gracious to assist us by cleaning the wedding gowns modeled in the photo shoot. Thanks to all of the Goodwill employee models who agreed to participate and were so easy to work with.

All of the gowns featured in the Look Book will be available for sale at the Goodwill Wedding Gala which will be held on March 19th from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. I have personally prepared the wedding gowns for the sale and we have some beautiful designer gowns. Gowns by Alfred Angelo, Maggie Sottero, Casablanca, Allure, Forever Yours, Watters Brides and Mary’s, just to name a few. No wedding gown will be priced for more than $400 and that is a huge bargain because some of the original prices exceeded $4,000. So please take time to check out the 2011 Wedding Gala Look Book to see some of the beautiful gowns that will be available at the sale.

D Movement: Calculate Your Spring Cleaning Impact

By Jennifer Kalifa, Donations Manager

Spring is in the air! Yes it is. Does anyone feel like you need to do some Spring cleaning? Cleaning out closets and drawers is a great way to start a new season. Really, come on get these items into Goodwill, where you can change lives. Goodwill is in need of gently-used items that you no longer need. We turn your items into jobs. Jobs for those who need help finding one and gaining that feeling of independence.

I know what it’s like to help someone change their life. I see it every day with the members of my team. For instance, Byron Sheffield. I know you’ve seen him in Goodwill’s television commercials. He is a real life success story and I’m pleased to say that I had a hand in helping Byron become the man he is today. When I worked in Goodwill’s retail department he was an attendant at one of our stores. He impressed me with how hard he worked to please the donors. Today he is a donations supervisor.

Since coming to the donations department I have watched him grow in so many areas. He now has some computer knowledge and creates the schedule for all of the employees who work for him. In a nutshell, he has just really shown me that the sky is the limit with him. This is what your donations do for people. How awesome is that? It gives me chill bumps just thinking about how cool it is to be a part of a company that really does change lives.

Have you calculated your impact?

Been Green: It’s the little things that count

A little more than a year ago, we started a new project to compliment our established metal recovery program in the salvage/recycling department.

We send all of our electronics to a responsible electronics recyclers, but before they go out the door our goal is to cut off every cord from every device. Since the product is at the end-of-use cycle, it doesn’t need the cord. It is quick and easy to do with wire snips. The cord has something valuable inside the rubber insulation and that is copper. Our metal recovery recycler melts the rubber leaving the copper. In addition, any type of electrical cord and wire and electronic cables are included. We sell the cords, wires and cables to reclaim the value of the copper.

In 2010 we have sold over 45,000 lbs. of cords, wires and cables which provided Goodwill $21,000.00 in additional funding for our mission and created a part time job in our salvage/recycling department.

A huge plus is the efficiency and low cost of the project. It takes very little space and the transportation costs are low due to the dense weight of a gaylord box (large cardboard box) filled with cords, wires, and cables.

For several years we have had a metal recovery recycling program collecting metals. We have metal collection bins at our Holt Building in Nashville, the Berry Road facility in Nashville where the salvage team is located, and recently added a collection bin at a Goodwill warehouse in Nashville. In 2010 we sold 468,000 pounds of metal for more than $33,000 in revenue.

Goodwill kept more than one half million pounds of steel or mixed metals, copper and aluminum of end of life products, from going into the landfill. Instead it is shredded and repurposed into new products.

Although an old USB cable or a non-working extension cord may seem small, it is a very valuable commodity.

In addition to donating to Goodwill, what other tips and practices do you use to recycle and divert items from landfills?