Goodwill Industries is a charitable organization that provides professional training services to disadvantaged individuals, such as those with disabilities, limited education, and the elderly. It was founded in 1902 and receives funding through donations and sales to its stores. Goodwill also offers contract labor programs and has an online auction site.
Goodwill Industries is a charitable organization based in the United States. Hundreds of community-based Goodwill affiliates around the world provide a variety of services to the organization’s clients, and Goodwill Industries has become internationally respected for its work. Goodwill Industries’ primary focus is on offering professional training services designed to empower clients by giving them a “hand up, not a helping hand”.
This organization was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1902 by the Rev. Edgar J. Helms. Originally, Goodwill collected damaged household goods such as shoes, clothes and furniture, hiring underprivileged people to repair these goods and then either sell them to the public or offer them to the people who had them repaired. Goodwill customers may gain experience selling Goodwill stores or experience with repairs working in Goodwill stores. As the organization grew and expanded, so did its mission statement and career training opportunities.
Goodwill Industries’ customers are generally people who are disadvantaged in some way. People with mental and physical disabilities benefit from training and assistance through Goodwill, as do people who have had limited access to education, people dependent on government assistance, the elderly and the homeless. By training people for work, Goodwill Industries hopes to reduce their reliance on charity, enabling customers to live independent lives.
The organization receives much of its funding through donations and sales to Goodwill stores. These stores continue to offer retail education opportunities to Goodwill customers, along with an assortment of discounted products for shoppers. Goodwill Industries also supplies and collects donations with fleets of trucks emblazoned with the Goodwill logo, and the organization uses the funds it raises to help customers in need of job training, job placement, and other assistance.
In the 1990s, Goodwill Industries also developed a contract labor program, training customers to perform filing, copying, and other routine tasks so that companies with temporary employee shortages could use Goodwill’s customers. These contract and support workers provide necessary assistance to businesses while gaining additional work experience and, in some cases, their work may develop into full-time positions.
Donating to Goodwill Industries is usually very easy in major cities, as collection sites and Goodwill stores are often established at multiple sites. Large donations can be collected in trucks, and people can also choose to donate money to Goodwill. Goodwill stores offer a variety of products at very affordable prices, and the organization also has an online auction site for people who prefer to shop online.
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