Goodwill

Computer Recycling

I N T H I S I S S U E

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I n d u s t r i e s o f Tu l s a , I n c . FALL

2009

3BoomerangGiving2

hen you go to the Food Court at the Promenade Mall, on

most nights you can thank Robert Simmons for the clean

atmosphere. Robert takes great pride in keeping the floor

clean and swept, cleaning the food trays, picking up the

trash and emptying the large trash receptacles. Robert is another

success story of Goodwill Industries of Tulsa’s Transitional Work

Adjustment program for high school students and our Supported

Employment job placement

program.

Robert was first referred

to our Transitional Work

Adjustment program for high

school students as a junior

from Union High School in

September of 2006. He stud-

ied work readiness in the

classroom at Goodwill’s

Broken Arrow retail store

and worked in the store as

part of our curriculum.

Robert graduated from Union

High School in 2008, and

attended Transitional Work

Adjustment’s summer session. Robert’s Goodwill Instructor and the

staff at the Broken Arrow retail store worked with him to improve his

communication skills and self confidence. Robert would check in with

the store management team to get the class work assignment, coordi-

nate assignments with the other students, complete the assigned

tasks and then report back to the store management team. By the end

of the summer session, Robert was confident in his skills and abilities,

had significantly improved his communication skills and was ready to

enter the workforce.

By September 2008, Robert had enjoyed his last summer vacation

and was ready to participate in Goodwill Industries of Tulsa’s

Supported Employment program. His job coach assessed his skills,

abilities and work interests. She found that Robert had helped to clean

and vacuum the classroom and store in the Work Adjustment program

and was interested in custodial work.

Waren came to

Goodwill’s

TulsaWORKS

program in January

of this year. During the

orientation, Karen began to

cry because she was

concerned that her

substance abuse background

would once again be the

reason why she might not see

success. That’s when Karen

met her case manager, Kisha

Bogle, and they began to

work on making a new path for Karen to blaze.

And blaze she did! Even though Karen has a bachelor’s degree in

education, her life of abusing drugs took her world and turned it up-

side down. She found herself living in deplorable conditions, being

with the “wrong crowd” and eventually being incarcerated. But in

coming to the TulsaWORKS program, she was amazed at the care and

concern that was freely given to her despite her past. She didn’t

believe in herself, “so how could it be that this program wants to

help me?”

TulsaWORKS Life Skills class assisted Karen in discovering her

inner self and the bond that Kisha Bogle developed and nurtured has

kept that light shining. This was all Karen needed to take off and

knock down those road blocks that kept her stumbling for so long.

Karen enrolled in the Call Center Training class where her

excellent customer service skills were apparent. It looked as if

finding employment was going to be easy since she

Good AttitudeRises to the Top

My Turn to Carrythe Torch

K

SEE ATTITUDE, BACK COVER

SEE MY TURN, PAGE 2

Going Green

BOARD OFDIRECTORSOFFICERS

Chairman of theBoardRonny Altman

Vice ChairmanTammie Maloney

Secretary/TreasurerJerry Scherer

PresidentDavid E. Oliver

Directors

Page Bachman

James R. Beasley

Chris Benge

Steven R. Berlin

James R. Beverley III

Terry D. Blain

Jim Bush

Nicholas E. Fitzgerald

John Goodwin

Linda Gunnells

Rudy Herrmann

Donald M. Himelfarb

Debra McIntosh

Steve Mackey

Steve Penrose

Ron Peters

Paul Rossler

John Shearing

Clark Southmayd, Jr.

BernardTomlin

R. CharlesWilkin, lll

John R.Woodard, lll

Paul J.Woodul

HonoraryDirectors

AlanW.Carlton

J. Patrick Cremin

Lee H. Davis

J. Michael Geer

Bob Haring

Brian Hunt

VernonT. Jones

David G.Murray

A. B. Steen

LeroyThomas, Sr.

Jack Zarrow

2

fter more than

thirty years of

serving the

Claremore com-

munity in the same location,

our store at 1204 North

Lynn Riggs was temporarily

closed in March and April

for an extensive remodel.

Long-time faithful cus-

tomers were thrilled with

the results when a Grand

Re-Opening celebration was

held on April 29th.

The store was enlarged

by the addition of a receiv-

ing area and office on the

south end of the building and the center of the sales

area was opened up to provide a brighter and more

spacious showroom. Visitors were amazed at the

transformation that was completed in just two months.

First day sales were double what had been projected

for the Grand Re-Opening.

This upgrade has allowed us to enhance the shopping

experience for our Claremore customers and has

resulted in an increase in the number of visitors to this

CCllaarreemmoorree SSttoorree RRee--OOppeennss

location on a weekly basis. On your next trip along Route

66 be sure to visit Claremore and stop in to see our

beautiful “new” store.

If you would like to receive our NEW “Shopper eNews”

please send your name and email address to info@good-

willtulsa.org. Our Shopper eNews will keep you up to date

on all the latest news about our nine stores plus you will

receive notices about all of our upcoming monthly sales

and specials promotions.

A

was bright, articulate and willing to work. But those

road blocks were still lingering. After interviewing with

two employers who extended her job offers, Karen was

unable to secure employment due to past fines from her

incarceration. Not having a job meant having no money.

How could she pay her bills, if no one would hire her

because of the fines? She almost gave up as the situation

seemed impossible. Her case manager continued to

encourage her and her Mosque assisted her financially

and now, she is on the path of true independence.

Karen is working as a store manager, and tells

everyone she meets that “there is hope if you believe in

yourself. Life is a journey and you’ll have bad times and

good times. Show love by making good, positive steps

along your way.” Karen said she believes she was

destined to come to Goodwill. Because of the care she

has been shown through the respect and the concern of

her case manager, she knows she can now carry the

torch for others.

MY TURN, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Help Us Go Green!Receive Newsletters Electronically!• Be good stewards of your donations. We want to take advantage of available technology and save money when possible, so it can be put to its best use: directly to those we serve.• Do our part in reducing paper use. The average office worker in U.S. uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year.* That’s 4 million tons of copy paper used annually. * Environmental Protection Agency

• Bring Convenience to You. An online newsletter will allow us to bring you more timely updates.

You Decide! If you want to Go Green let us know. Email us at info@goodwilltulsa.org. We’ll need your full nameand address so we can delete you from our “mailing” list and add you to our “email” list. Otherwise, you’ll continuereceiving by mail.

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What if you could make a gift to charity where the charity could use it for a period of time and at the end, the original gift would come back to you? We like to refer to this strategy as a boomerang gift, because it allows you to do just that.

In fact, there are several strategies that can provide a direct benefit to you and your family by using a chartable tool or technique while assisting your favorite charity. Below is one of themany strategies that might benefit you!Grantor Charitable Lead Trust: In this arrangement a

person, called the Grantor, sets up a trust and transfers property toit. During the time the trust exists, the trust income is paid to charity each year. At the end of the term, the trust property is returned to the Grantor.Some of the benefits of a Grantor Charitable Lead

Trust are:• The Grantor receives a current income tax deduction equal to

the present value of the income paid to charity over a term of years• Your favorite charity receives the interest from the trust at

least annually• At the end of the trust term, the property is returned to the

Grantor tax freeIf you would like to learn more about a charitable lead trust or

about other strategies, we would be pleased to answer any questions or meet to discuss your personal goals and objectives.

Goodwill would like to invite you to attend a Donor Seminar thatwill be held in September that will cover this and other strategies. Ifwe do not have your email address, we would love to add it. To provide us your email address or to learn more about Planned Giving at Goodwill Industries of Tulsa contact Karla Davis at (918)581-1234 or kdavis@goodwilltulsa.org. There is no charge to you forthe seminar or the planning assistance...it’s our Thank You to you!

The Placement Corner highlights the wide range of jobs and occupations in which our training graduates are now employed.

Participant's Name Employer Position

Anthony Williams James Hodge Ford Sales Manager

Karen Johnson-Ross Tulsa Liquidation Inc. Store Manager

Kermit Crawford Reasor’s Maintenance

Rhonda Markham Rosenheck’s Co. Inc. Sales Representative

Melinda Reynolds Aire Master Route Driver

Christy Nelson Workforce Oklahoma Service Specialist

Leland Edwards Deloitte IT

Lue Vang Zebco Forklift Driver

Karen House Business Office Mgr. Muskogee Comm. Hospital

Kenneth Manion River Spirit Casino Facilities Maintenance

BBOOOOMMEERRAANNGG CCHHAARRIITTAABBLLEEGGIIFFTTIINNGG

Goodwill Partners With Dell ReconnectA FREE Computer Recycling Program

ell and Goodwill Industries of Tulsa have partnered to

Reconnect, a no-charge computer recycling program for

consumers. The program is intended to raise awareness

of the importance of responsible computer disposal and

give residents a free and convenient way to do the right thing with

their unwanted computer equipment, working or not from any

manufacturer.

Reconnect is managed by

Dell and Goodwill

Industries. The program

offers more than 1,400 drop

off locations for consumers

throughout the United

States. Oklahoma is one of

seven states recently added

to the list of 18 states par-

ticipating in this program.

Goodwill Industries of

Tulsa’s 21 donation sites are

participating drop-off

locations. Proceeds from the

recycled computer equipment go to Goodwill to support job training

and employment services programs.

Mike Watson, senior manager of Dell Global Recycling Services:

“We believe it should be as easy to recycle a computer as it is to

purchase one. Our partnership with Goodwill makes recycling

incredibly convenient for consumers. That it helps create jobs and

preserve our planet at the same time makes the program a win all

the way around.”

Jim Gibbons, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries

International: “The Dell-Reconnect partnership with Goodwill is a

great model for the technology industry. The partnership has not

only allowed us to responsibly recycle and divert more than 50

million pounds of electronic equipment from the landfills, but also

create green-collar jobs and skills training at a time when both are

very much needed.”

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa will gladly accept donations of

computer equipment (including computers, monitors, keyboards,

mouse, scanners, fax/

printers, printers, small speak-

ers) at any of their 21 donation

sites. For a complete list of

locations and hours visit our website at www.goodwilltulsa.org or

call (918) 581-1200. For a list of participating Goodwill locations

across the U.S., visit www.reconnectpartnership.com.

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa provides work opportunities,

job training and support services for people with disabilities

or other employment barriers.

PEOPLEWORKING. LIVES IMPROVED.

D

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa, Inc.PO Box 9811 • Tulsa, OK • 74157-0811

PEOPLEWORKING. LIVES IMPROVED.

NON PROFITORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAIDTULSA OK

PERMIT NO. 128

STORES* TULSA 2800 Southwest Blvd. 102 S. Garnett 19021 E. 51st St.

2210 W.Washington St. (91st & 145th E. Ave), Broken Arrow1204 N. Lynn Riggs, Claremore3826 E. Frank Phillips, Bartlesville 8525 N. 117th East Ave., Owasso715 S. George Nigh Expressway, McAlester2102 Range Line Road, Joplin, MO

*For store hours, visit our Web site www.goodwilltulsa.org or call (918) 584-7291

DONATION CENTERSTULSA 2800 Southwest Blvd./Goodwill (open 24 hours) 102 S. Garnett/Goodwill Store 19021 E. 51st St./Goodwill Store3807 S. Harvard/Storefront*51st & S. Harvard/Stein Mart/Trailer 9242-H S. Sheridan/Storefront/Sterling Plaza 1691 S. Yale/Storefront/Seventeen Hundred Yale Mall 6933 S. Sheridan/Storefront/Plaza Village Shopping Center 8028 S. Yale/Storefront/Country Hollow Shopping Center 10925 S. Memorial/Storefront/South Park Shopping Center8125-M East 51st St/Storefront/Memorial Park Shopping Ctr.

BIXBY14625 S. Memorial/Storefront/River Run Shopping Ctr.

BROKEN ARROW 91st & 145th East Ave./Goodwill Store 1027 N. 12th/Storefront*/ Kenosha Crossing Shopping Center

JENKS211 W. Main St./Storefront*

SAPULPA1022 E. Taft/Storefront

OWASSO 8525 N. 117th East Ave./Goodwill Store

BARTLESVILLE3826 E. Frank Phillips Blvd./Goodwill Store

CLAREMORE 1204 N. Lynn Riggs/Goodwill Store

McALESTER715 S. George Nigh Expressway/Goodwill Store

JOPLIN2102 Range Line Road/Goodwill Store

*THIS LOCATION IS A FREE-STANDING BUILDING For donation hours or information on special pick-ups call: (918) 581-1200 or visit us at www.goodwilltulsa.org

Goodwill Stores and Donation Centers

The job coach began to help Robertlook for employment in October2008, but the combination of aneconomy sliding into a recession andjob offers that were not a good fitmade Robert’s job search last longerthan usual. His job coach made contact with Promenade Mall. InJanuary of 2009, they had a jobopening for a part-time food courtcustodian. The job coach determinedthat this was a good job match andset up an interview. The supervisorwas impressed by Robert’s good attitude towards employment and his willingness to work. A job offerwas extended and Robert started hisfirst job with his job coach helping to provide one-on-one instruction sothat he could learn his job duties. Six months later, Robert is workingindependently at the PromenadeMall and his supervisor is workingwith him to teach him new job tasksin other parts of the mall.

Congratulations, Robert, for a jobwell done!

ATTITUDE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1