Moving is always considered one of the most stressful experiences we can have. However, if you are going to be moving soon, I challenge you to think of moving as an opportunity instead-- an opportunity to streamline your life! Packing requires you to physically touch every item you own. As you sort your stuff, you have the opportunity to make a decision about each thing. When else do you get this kind of "day of reckoning" with your stuff? Make it a goal to move into your new place with only the things you use and love and value the most. You will have more storage space available, less stuff to maintain and worry about, and an amazing feeling of freedom!
Category: The Goodwill Blog
Goodwill® Featured in Report Outlining Negative Impact of Funding Cuts
This week, as Congress prepares for another effort to stabilize the nation’s fiscal outlook, a new report illustrates the impact that recent cuts to discretionary programs – including job training programs operated by Goodwill – has negatively affected people. “Faces of Austerity: How Budget Cuts Have Made Us Sicker, Poorer and Less Secure,” was released by NDD United, an alliance of more than 3,200 national, state, and local organizations – including Goodwill Industries International (GII) – working to prevent more harsh cuts to core government functions.
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Build a Stronger Team by Using the Three ‘F’ Words
Mario from Omaha, NE, asks, "I was just made a manager in my department. While I'm happy to get a promotion, one of the people I oversee is notoriously negative and attacks his coworkers for no reason. How do I manage this situation?"
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My Story: Haley Paone
As an adolescent, Haley struggled to progress along her educational path due to her bipolar disorder, but eventually gained her high school diploma and secured a job. Unable to maintain the position, she began working with the Department of Rehabilitation Services, who connected her with Goodwill. There, as part of the "Let's Go to Work!" program, she built her job readiness skills and was eventually hired in a cashier position. "I know without the help and support of my job coach in Goodwill I would have never been able to move into a competitive job," she says.
This Thanksgiving, Create a DIY Gratitude Tree
Of all the Thanksgivings I spent at my late grandmother’s house (18 years worth!), there’s one that really sticks out to me. With fragrant wafts of the feast coming our way from the kitchen, she asked each family member to choose something we were really thankful for and mark it on a "gratitude tree" that she had created on her wall. That was the year I realized that this holiday is about much more than just playing with my cousins, and that I was a very lucky girl.
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Every Dress Has a Story in Local Goodwill®, Girl Scouts Partnership
On October 28, Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids (MI) and Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore launched Every Dress Has a Story!, a fashion-forward dress drive. The two organizations have partnered to collect gently used dresses from the community to assist the Grand Rapids Goodwill in its mission of providing job training and placement services to area residents. While donors can bring a dress to any Grand Rapids area Goodwill store, members of the community can also host donation bins at their places of business or community centers. Bins can be delivered and picked up by the agency’s staff.
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Throw an All-Thrifty Baby Shower
Some college girlfriends called me a few months back and wanted to arrange a baby shower back in my hometown. I was thrilled and excited at a chance to see everyone and show off the bump, but talk of showers always leads to talk of registries. I have to admit-- the thought of registering made me a little bit queasy. Babies need so much stuff-- but does it all really need to be new? So when I flew back to Missouri last weekend, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I have to hand it to my friends and family-- they know me better than I ever imagined. I was treated to a brunch with good friends, family, food, generosity, crafts, love and THRIFTY gifts!
What Legislative Issues Are Important to You in 2014?
Following Election Day, headlines are dominated by outcomes, voter turnout and even thoughts on the next major race. As important as casting your ballot may be, voting is just one of the many ways we can be engaged in the legislative process. Throughout the year, you can meet with your lawmakers, attend hearings, provide testimony
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Scam Alert: Protect Your Finances from IRS Telephone Fraud
Camila from Paterson, NJ, asks, “I’ve always filed my taxes on time and never had any issues. Now I’m receiving phone calls from the IRS saying I owe them money. This doesn’t make sense – how can I check this out?”
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My Story: Nikkinta Murphy
Nikkinta knew she was in for a journey as she left incarceration and started to look for work -- she just wasn't sure where to start. After participating in a Goodwill job readiness program, she obtained a machine operator job and has been steadily working her way up the career ladder since. "You should never judge what you’ve done in the past. The first step is to forgive yourself — because if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will," she says.
In PA, Goodwill Hosts Art Exhibit Featuring Recovering Artists
Paint brushes with paint on themOn October 24, Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (Johnstown, PA) joined forces with the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center to host The Art of Recovery, an art exhibit celebrating the journey to mental health and wellness. More than 80 guests attended the event, including practitioners, family members, participants and community members.
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Congress: Creating More Panic than Orson Welles
Seventy-five years ago this Halloween Orson Welles and CBS Radio created panic in several parts of the US when they aired a nearly uninterrupted national broadcast of the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. Congress, maybe hoping to top that effort, recently spooked the entire country and most of the financial world by shutting down most of the US government and nearly driving the nation into default.
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