®

2012 – Volume 15, Number 1

Goodwill®Supports

America’s Heroes

Recognizing 2012 Award Winners

People Gain Skills for Advanced Employment

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President and CEO Jim Gibbons

CCO, Sr. VP of Global Affairs Kim Zimmer

Managing Editor Contributing Editor Katherine Michaud Mandy Mikulencak

A Publication of Goodwill Industries International, Inc.2012 — Volume 15, Number 1

Working! is published by Goodwill Industries International, Inc.15810 Indianola Dr., Rockville, MD 20855© 2012 Goodwill Industries International, Inc. All rights reserved. Goodwill member organizations may reproduce any portion of this magazine without permission. Any other reproduction is strictly prohibited without written permission. To request reproduction permission, call (301) 530-6500, ext. 5262, or email contactus@goodwill.org. For more information about Goodwill, or to find the Goodwill nearest you, call (800) GOODWILL or visit our web site at www.goodwill.org.

The Goodwill® MissionGoodwill works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.

On the cover:Joanna McVickerGoodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley

Photo by: Thomas Roszkowski

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Educating for Employment Goodwill is linking people to the educa- tional preparation, skills training and resources needed to access well-paying jobs.

Winning through WorkMany of the more than 4 million people who looked to Goodwill for career services and related support in 2011 have known what it’s like to be without work, including

the 2012 Graduate and Achiever of the Year.

Goodwill for FamiliesEach year, Goodwill Industries International recognizes outstanding family strengthening organizations. This year, five agencies became certified Centers of Excellence.

Goodwill for America’s HeroesThrough its latest initiatives, Operation: GoodJobs and Got Your 6, Goodwill is building on previous successes, as the need for a continuum of coordinated, integrated services is at an all-time high.

In the NewsGoodwill Expands Capacity to Benefit Persons with Disabilities in Brazil; Goodwill Joins Summer Jobs+ Initiative

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Writers Melissa Egan Lauren Lawson

Art Director Thomas Roszkowski

Layout Molly Huelbert

Printing Dartmouth Printing CompanyHanover, NH

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Educating for EmploymentEducating for Employment

Educating for Employment

Individuals Prepare for Good-Paying, Middle-Skill Jobs BY MELISSA EGAN

Certification, On-the-Job Training Boost Employment Success In Maryland, a partnership among Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake (Baltimore), Anne Arundel Community College, and local nonprofit Art with a Heart provides merchandising education for youth. Started in July 2010, the program prepares participants for a customer service skills certification exam from the National Retail Federation. At the same time, students acquire on-the-job retail experience.

Deidre Webb, a program manager at the Baltimore Goodwill, says eligible participants take part in a rigorous 12-week curriculum. Three days a week, a community college instructor teaches the customer service curriculum from a Goodwill satellite office in Baltimore. Twice a week, Goodwill staff members impart life and job readiness skills. On these days, students also go to Art with a Heart to work on projects emphasizing teamwork, collabora-tion, and community beautification and ownership. They create large mosaics commissioned by area institutions as well as other saleable art. Students also have access to a Goodwill case manager, who helps them and their families with various barriers to work such as lack of transportation and child care.

The United States has seen some improvement after a two-year recession, and middle-skill jobs

are a bright spot on an otherwise bleak employment horizon. Defined as jobs requiring more than a high school diploma but not a four-year degree, these positions continue to comprise the largest segment of jobs in the U.S. economy, according to the National Skills Coalition.

Goodwill Industries® links people to the educational preparation, skills training and resources needed to access well-paying jobs, including positions in banking, information technology, retail, health care and more.

Art with a Heart participants gain valuable work and life skills during an intensive 12-week customer service curriculum.

At Art with a Heart, participants work on projects emphasizing teamwork, collaboration, and community beautification and ownership.

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Educating b for Employment

Educating for Employment

Educating for Employment

In the fifth week of the program, participants begin spending eight hours a week in a Goodwill store practicing the retail and customer service skills they’ve learned. The last step is a one-hour certification exam, administered at the Goodwill. Following certification, individuals have gained employment in retail, transportation and dietary services — some earning as much as $10 to $14 an hour.

The program has also brought numerous benefits to each of the partners. “It gives Anne Arundel Community College and Art with a Heart more exposure to the community. It also gives Art with a Heart a ready pool of young people to work with,” Webb says. “For Goodwill, we’re achieving our mission, not just in serving young people, but in providing services to their families.”

Formerly Incarcerated Youth Transition to Educational OpportunitiesAt Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana (Shreveport), a partnership with an area community college helps young people who have been incarcerated make the transition from taking their General Educational Development (GED) exam to entering a two-year college program.

The Goodwill offers a literacy class twice a week, during which an instructor from Bossier Parish Community College tutors students on the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE). The tool assesses the student’s current educational level in the areas of reading, math, language and spelling, and must be passed before students can take the GED.

“We bridge the gap from kids getting out of jail to taking the GED,” says Lindsey Leith, the Goodwill’s reintegration program supervisor.

Once they have passed the level “A” TABE test, students become eligible to attend GED classes at the community college. Upon enrollment in the college’s middle college program, students receive instruction on passing the GED exam and can begin taking general college courses that are required of any degree seeker.

Goodwill Industries International recently launched its

Community College/Career Collaboration (C4) initiative,

which works to move people into middle skill jobs.

A joint venture among Goodwill®, the American Asso-

ciation of Community Colleges, the Aspen Institute,

and Jobs for the Future, the initiative aims to boost

college and career success for adults with low incomes

by documenting, promoting and replicating success-

ful models throughout the Goodwill and community

college networks.

“C4 is all about community colleges and Goodwill

agencies building intentional and sustainable partner-

ships that better equip local workforces,” says Bradford

Turner-Little, director of mission strategy for Goodwill

Industries International.

“For Goodwill, we’re achieving our mission, not just in serving young people, but in providing services to their families.”

— Diedre Webb, Program Manager, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake

3Educating for Employment

Skills Assessment Key to Future Career DecisionsGoodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina (Charleston) claims its own unique partnership with the South Carolina Adult Education program. The Goodwill has partnered with several county adult education programs — the most recent in North Charleston — to offer a diverse array of services to people looking for jobs or wanting to further their education. Sharing space at five of the Goodwill’s JobLink Centers, the county adult education program offers Work Keys certification, Work Core Employability Skills training and GED preparation.

Work Keys is a job skills assessment tool that determines the level at which employees can learn; it is increasingly used by large manufacturing firms and some hospitals. The Work Core Employability Skills training teaches students work skills such as the importance of proffessional dress and grooming, punctu-ality, and proper workforce behavior. The adult education programs offer the GED preparation course every six weeks.

“[The partnership] allows us to reach more people and coordi-nate activities better,” says Jim Hughes, the Goodwill’s vice president of mission services for the Southern region. “Each of us is doing what what we do best.”

“Goodwill is building intentional and sustainable partnerships that better equip local workforces.”

— Bradford Turner Little, Director of Mission Strategy, Goodwill Industries International

Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina offers several programs to help adult learners gain middle- income jobs.

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WinningthroughWorkFor more than 100 years, Goodwill® has

assisted people who have a hard time

finding jobs due to disabilities, poverty, or

lack of education and work experience. On

these pages, you’ll meet the 2012 nominees

and winners of the Goodwill Industries

International Graduate and Achiever of

the Year Awards. These individuals have

learned the difference a good job can make

in their lives, the lives of their family

members and the community at large.

They are just a few of the more than four

million people who looked to Goodwill

Industries® for career services and related

support in 2011.

Winning through Work4

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Graduate of the Year Nominees

Gradlin DavenportShreveport, LA

Azziale Arnold Columbus, OH

Dustin BrosharEugene, OR

Kristy BallewMacon, GA

Nyghee PollardAtlanta, GA

Valencia DixonTyler, TX

Michael ElseyDes Moines, IA

Calvin OkesonFredericksburg, VA

Joette EstepHuntington, WV

Achiever of the Year Nominees

Tyrone ColemanPhoenix, AZ

Gabi ArgottiPittsburgh, PA

Sarah CarterEugene, OR

Roger BrooksDayton, OH

Vic Lamont KingIndianapolis, IN

Francis EdwardsShreveport, LA

Eureeka JacksonMacon, GA

Robert GrauDes Moines, IA

Amber ThompsonFredericksburg, VA

Patrick LeasureFrederick, MD

Rafael MunozLorain, OH

Richard LeCountSouth Bend, IN

Daniel WatsonAtlanta, GA

Gloria Ann WigginsSavannah, GA

Winner 2012 Achiever of the Year: Jim Barnette Jim Barnette, age 49, is legally blind and has mild quadriplegia as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage in infancy. He describes himself the way those around him depict him: happy and successful.

Barnette first came to Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (Portland, OR) when he was 40. He originally worked in the production and contracts department, but after spending some time on the floor of a retail store, he was hooked and asked for a transfer.

“I had to try out for two weeks to see if I could handle it. They always let me try new jobs. They didn’t tell me ‘no’ just because I’d never done it before,” Barnette says. “And I was earning enough money to go shopping for albums. That’s my life — music.”

Today, Barnette has a number of duties, from sorting donations and staffing dressing rooms to stocking shelves and displaying merchandise.

“He was determined to become a fully integrated employee,” says Director of Vocational Services Cheri Folk. “And, with the support of Goodwill staff, he’s definitely achieved that objective.”

Today, Barnette requires very little supervision, and his confi-dence has soared. “Things are really good for me,” he says. “I have a girlfriend who is perfect for me, I have a job, and I earn money. I wish I would have found Goodwill sooner.'

Winning through Work

Winner 2012 Kenneth Shaw Graduate of the Year: Joanna McVickerVisitors to Maryland’s Frederick Visitor Center may catch sight of a young woman cheerfully restocking brochures or answering tourists’ questions. They’d never guess that Joanna McVicker, age 23, sustained a brain injury as a child that affects her cognitive functioning to this day.

McVicker has lived with her disability since age 4 when she was kicked in the head by a horse, and she wasn’t always aware of the resulting cognitive delays that caused difficulties in school and later in the workplace. She only knew she had trouble holding jobs and obtaining promotions.

Only when she was referred to the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) program at Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley (Frederick, MD) did she learn strategies to be more effective in her work and personal lives. During the eight-week program, she learned how to organize her thoughts and work assignments, how to manage stress on the job, and how to communicate with co-workers, among other life skills.

When a job became available at the tourism office, a Goodwill job developer knew McVicker would be a perfect fit. After a tour and interview, she landed a job that complements her skills. “For the first time, I feel empowered in my life,” she says.

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Goodwill for FamiliesGoodwill for Families

Centers of Excellence Recognized for Putting Family FirstBY MANDY MIKULENCAK

Over the last decade, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has funded a number of programs to increase the capacity of Goodwill Industries® to take a holistic, family-centric approach to service delivery. In 2011, Goodwill Industries International

launched a new award — the Family Strengthening Center of Excellence Award — to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its partnership with the Casey Foundation.

The awards showcase Goodwill® agencies that integrate family strengthening strategies throughout their organizations and in programs for both their employees and program participants. The 2011 recipients are Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties (Eugene, OR); Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina (Greenville); Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (North Fort Myers); Goodwill Industries of San Antonio (TX); and Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina (Winston-Salem).

These agencies demonstrate that there are innumerable ways to become a family strengthening organization. Each Goodwill drew inspiration from different sources and tailored services to the communities and people they serve, but there were common threads that contributed to their successes.

Targeted PartnershipsBy working with strong partners that complement Goodwill’s core competencies of job placement and employment services, agencies build capacity and provide holistic services through resource sharing. One example comes from San Antonio, TX. Through a partnership with Alamo Community Colleges, Good Careers Academy offers a tuition-based educational program where students earn certifications in eight fields. Currently, the following certifications are offered: nursing assistant, pharmacy technician, medical front office, medical coding, medical assistant, computer support specialist (A+ and Network+) and accounting payroll clerk.

Sue Howell studies for her certified nursing assistant exam through the Good Careers Academy.

In San Antonio, TX, Good Careers Academy offers a tuition-based educational program where students earn certifications in eight fields.

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The Goodwill in Winston-Salem, NC, provides employees with assistance that widens the safety net when staff members face financial or personal challenges.

Goodwill for Families

Building on Current SuccessesThe Goodwill Centers of Excellence are adept at evaluating what works and doesn’t work within their organizations, and then visioning next steps, including how to fund family strength-ening activities. The Eugene, OR, Goodwill built on the success of its Job Connections program by introducing the concept of a Prosperity Center. The agency secured a two-year grant of $150,000 to fund a program where individuals could maximize their employment potential and develop assets to feel more financially secure. Two dedicated Prosperity Planners work one-on-one with members of the center to develop goals and long-term plans to meet them.

The Eugene, OR, Goodwill built on the success of its Job Connections program by introducing the concept of a Prosperity Center.

A Focus on Human Resources Goodwill agencies reported that they provide employees with benefits to improve their professional and personal well-being and widen the safety net when staff members face financial or personal challenges. For example, the Goodwill in Winston-Salem, NC, beefed up its benefits to include a new Employee Emergency Assistance Fund that provides up to $1,000 to staff members experiencing catastrophic events; a scholarship fund providing $1,000 awards each year to the dependents of employees; and expansion of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance services so that more staff can have their taxes prepared for free. The Goodwill’s board of directors also recently quadrupled tuition reimbursement from $500 to $2,000 a year and authorized an increase in pension contribution from 8 percent to 10 percent of salary each year.

Tanika Hawkins, at right, Career Connections manager at the Goodwill in Winston-Salem, NC, counsels Lonnie Nesmith, on how to better manage his finances.

Cindy Saboe, at right, is getting a handle on her debt with help from Mark Brauer, Prosperity Planner with the Eugene, OR, Goodwill.

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Goodwill for FamiliesGoodwill for Families

Joyce Rivera, a branch manager at Sun Trust Bank, leads a financial literacy course for North Fort Myers Goodwill employees Mary Lavelle and Charrisa Comerota.

Ongoing Communication with EmployeesWhile the Goodwill in North Fort Myers, FL, previously offered a number of benefits that fall under the family strengthening umbrella, its leaders felt they could do more. The “How’s Life Committee” — comprising staff members from each depart-ment — uses surveys and focus groups to engage employees and identify pressing needs, such as financial planning and child care. Based on the feedback received, the Goodwill made changes. For example, the agency has committed $50,000 to a child care fund in 2012, which the State of Florida will match. So far, up to 20 staff members have expressed interest.

Promoting from Within Goodwill has long valued employees as one of its greatest resources and sees value in developing talent in-house. The Greenville, SC, Goodwill established a framework for its employees who demonstrate leadership skills to be better positioned for supervisory or management roles. The Junior Leaders Academy trains employees in leadership success, conflict management, team building across departments, business ethics and time management. As job opportunities become available, Goodwill leaders may encourage graduates of the academy to apply. The Goodwill aims to fill 50 to 70 percent of its vacancies internally.

Tina Pressley, a corporate trainer, leads a Junior Leaders Acad-emy workshop with Greenville Goodwill staff members (from left) Sue Borho, Kendra Saxon and Eu-nice Plummer.

The Junior Leaders Academy in Greenville, SC, is a resource to develop in-house talent.

The Goodwill in North Fort Meyers, FL, formed the How’s Life Committee and is responding to employee suggestions, including establishing a child care fund.

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America’s HeroesGoodwill for America’s Heroes

Returning Heroes Overcome Job ObstaclesBY LAUREN LAWSON

Nearly one in three Americans who served their country in distant lands cannot find jobs here at

home. The staggering unemployment rate among veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — currently at 29 percent — is just one of the reasons Goodwill Industries® ramped up its efforts to help returning military service members and their families.

At least 1 million men and women are scheduled to leave military service in the next five years and join the more than 22 million veterans who live in the United States today. While not every veteran faces obstacles to rejoining the workforce, a substantial number return with physical dis-abilities such as traumatic brain injury, and psychological disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder, while others face substance abuse and homelessness. Veterans also endure long waits for benefits and other supports, which can keep them from building successful non-military careers and supporting their families.

Last year, through an initiative called Goodwill for America’s Heroes and Their Families, Goodwill® provided employment placement services and other community-based programs to more than 44,000 veterans, military spouses and their families, hiring more than 1,000 of these individuals into Goodwill employment.

Now, two other initiatives — Operation: GoodJobs and Got Your 6 — will build on those successes at a time when the need for a continuum of coordinated, integrated services is at an all-time high.

Operation: GoodJobsAdministered by Goodwill and funded by a $1 million grant from the Walmart Foundation, Operation: GoodJobs empowers military veterans with the tools they need to find employment, advance in their careers and ensure long-term financial stability for their families.

The program targets three key markets through 2013: Austin and Houston, TX, and Tacoma, WA. Together, Goodwill and the Walmart Foundation will collaborate with a broad array

The unemployment rate among veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is a staggering 29 percent.

of community partners, including business, government and faith-based organizations, to assist veterans and their families with job training and placement. Goodwill will also plan for each participant’s continued success by designing individual-ized plans that support the needs of his or her entire family.

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America’s HeroesGoodwill for America’s Heroes

Participants in Operation: GoodJobs receive complete career assessments as well as development plans that address a range of family needs, from basic needs like nutrition, shelter and child care, to specific job training identified in the assessment process. Often, prior military service can count as training or work experience toward future employment.

“By convening, collaborating with and leveraging strategic partners in the community, Operation: GoodJobs provides the necessary career counseling, résumé help and skills training that veterans need,” says Wendi Copeland, vice president of mission advancement for Goodwill Industries International. “More importantly, employers can realize veterans’ skills and talents and match those skills with available jobs.”

At least 1 million men and women are scheduled to leave military service in the next five years and join the more than 22 million verterans who live in the U.S. today.

An activation partner — a nonprofit organization that is a subject matter expert in its field — leads each pillar. Activation partners establish a set of goals that can be identified, measured and reported. The goals will be made public and provide the campaign with specific, substantial benchmarks. Goodwill will work in tandem with partners from all six pillars. The collective goal of these partners is to prepare and place 500,000 veterans in sustainable employment over the course of the campaign, which ends in 2014.

Nearly every major Hollywood entertainment studio, broadcast and cable network, talent agency, and guild are involved with nearly two dozen top-tier national nonprofit and government organizations. Public service announcements feature popular actors like Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bradley Cooper and Matt Damon, among others.

“We all owe a debt of service to our military veterans and their families,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Veterans still have a lot to give us. They have crucial leadership skills and other assets that will help them succeed in civilian life and contribute to their communities at home.”

View the PSA by scanning this

code with your smart phone

or visiting www.gotyour6.org.In combat, Got Your 6 means, “I’ve got your back; I’m covering you.”

Got Your 6 Launched in May, Got Your 6 is a campaign led by the enter-tainment industry and national nonprofits designed to spark a new conversation in America: one in which veterans and military families are perceived as both leaders and civic assets.

Got Your 6 seeks to connect Americans with veterans and military families to build relationships that will aid transition, foster leadership and reinvigorate communities. The campaign focuses on the six pillars of reintegration: jobs, education, health, housing, family and leadership.

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In the NewsIn the News

In the News

Goodwill Expands Capacity to Benefit Persons with Disabilities in Brazil

Goodwill Joins Summer Jobs+ Initiative

Goodwill Industries International is committed to expand job opportunities for youth as a nonprofit partner of the White House Summer Jobs+ initiative. The White House launched the initiative to provide pathways to employment for youth who are from low-income families or who face disadvantages to finding employment and related opportunities.

Goodwill Industries International has announced it will partner with AVAPE, a workforce development leader in Brazil that provides services to people with disabilities and others with chal-lenges finding employment. The capacity-building project, known as Goodwill Brasil, will be supported with funding from the Caterpillar Foundation over the next three years in the amount of $500,000.

Nearly one-third of Brazil’s population currently lives in poverty, and serious environmental challenges are mounting. To help address these challenges, Goodwill will equip AVAPE with the tools and systems needed to operate a sustainable donated goods retail enter-prise. The money that AVAPE earns through these operations will allow the organization to increase its capacity to provide job training, employment and additional support services to people with disabilities, youth at risk for delinquency, and others in Brazil who are having difficulties gaining employment.

Despite the Brazilian government’s attempt to mandate that businesses hire persons with disabilities, the latest government study reports that the disability hiring quota law is less than 24 percent fulfilled. Goodwill Brasil will help adequately train this population on a large enough scale to meet the growing need.

“As a proven, environmentally sound social services model that conserves national resources while providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages, Goodwill is providing AVAPE leaders with the tools to launch, sustain and grow sites that will serve vulnerable populations in Sao Paulo, Brazil,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “The aim is to continue to expand these services to other cities over the next few years.”

For more information, visit global.goodwill.org

“The youth of today are not just the leaders of the future; they also have the potential to be the leaders of the now,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Goodwill’s pledge to Summer Jobs+ reflects our demonstration to youth to utilize their untapped skills and leadership, and complete their educations, attain jobs and transition into productive careers.”

This year, Goodwill® is expanding services for youth at the beginning of their careers. Goodwill is committed to hiring 1,200 youth ages 16-24, providing more than 3,200 young people with life skills services and more than 2,300 with work skills. Almost 2,000 youth will be engaged in learn-and-earn services. Thousands more will receive virtual career mentoring and exploration services.

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* Enter to win at Facebook.com/GoodwillIntl; subject to official rules. No purchase necessary to enter or win. “Donate, Play & Win” sweepstakes begins August 1, 2012, and ends September 4, 2012. Sweepstakes entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (eastern), on September 4. Open to legal residents of the United States and Canada. One entry per Facebook account. Void where prohibited. Sponsored by Goodwill Industries International. Prizes awarded by Meredith Corporation.

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Start off the new school year helping others in need. Join Family Circle in supporting the Donate Movement, powered by Goodwill®. Your donations to Family Circle and Goodwill’s Back-to-School Clothing Drive provide

job training, youth support services and more for people in your community. The Donate Movement challenges all of us to donate responsibly.