Category: The Goodwill Blog

A few winters ago, I learned how to knit. I went through a phase where my knitting needles were like my 11th and 12th fingers, but after that season, my enthusiasm mostly died out. I was stuck with a drawer full of thrifted yarn and no inclination to knit. As time passes, though, I have found myself reaching in that drawer with some pretty projects in mind. There’s a lot that can be done with this versatile material, even if you don’t knit. Here are some ideas.

READ MORE from Four Craft Projects You Can Make from Thrifted Yarn

As the nation slowly recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression and unemployment remains high, job training programs face a dual threat this year. Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents that job training is important to our economic recovery. At a time when unemployment remains high, these resources are an important part of the nation’s economic recovery and job creation effort.

READ MORE from Act Now to Protect Job Training Programs from Budget Cuts

Rebecca from Henderson, NV, asks, “I dig the company I work for, but my team not so much. A position recently became available in a different department – I have the skills and want to apply. How do I navigate this without upsetting my boss or risking my current job if it doesn’t work out?”

READ MORE from Five Tips to Consider When Applying for a Job Within the Same Company

Goodwill Industries of Central Texas (Austin) is on the road to opening a charter school aimed at helping people over age 25 earn high school degrees. If the Texas State Board of Education accepts the application, the Excel Center will open its doors in August 2014 at the Goodwill Community Center in Austin.

READ MORE from Austin Goodwill Seeks to Open Charter School to Help Adults Earn High School Diplomas

After a divorce, Angel - a former stay-at-home mom - needed to find a job to support her son with autism. She applied for TANF and was connected with Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast, which connected her with employment following a job training program. When that employer cut her hours after six years, she returned to Goodwill for help. She now works as a hospital receptionist and tells others, "Never give up, because anything is possible."

READ MORE from My Story: Angel Howell

Some of us showed our love this week with chocolates, some with mushy cards and fancy dinners. But ever since I started dating my husband--who so rarely shops for himself-- I’ve shown him love all year long by turning him into my personal Ken doll. That’s right. I lovingly forced my thrifting ways upon him by providing him a with an awesomely fashionable twice-loved wardrobe.

READ MORE from Thrift Is in the Air

As the president lays out the priorities for the administration during his second-term and a new Congress reconvenes with its own agenda, now is the time to let your voice be heard and to speak up for those groups who were not referenced. Sign up for Goodwill’s Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress. Share the alerts and updates with your own networks, and educate other stakeholders about how the acts of Congress will affect Goodwill. Let’s make sure the important groups overlooked in the State of the Union are not forgotten as Congress considers these cuts.

READ MORE from Stand Up for People, Priorities Overlooked in the State of the Union Address

Craig from Akron, OH, asks, “My heart’s conflicted. I love my job and see real potential here. But I’ve also recently developed feelings for one of my coworkers – which I know are reciprocated. Office relationships are frowned upon here. What should I do?”

READ MORE from Office Romances: Worth the Risk?

The Prosperity Center at Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties (Eugene, OR) opened in 2010 thanks to a community impact grant from United Way of Lane County. Since then, the center has helped 227 people improve their financial and employment situations through a unique one-on-one mentorship model made possible by local partnerships. The center’s participants are “members” not “recipients,” helped by five “prosperity planners,” not “case managers”—deliberate language that helps transition mindsets from reliance on social services to financial self-sufficiency.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Prosperity Center and Community Partnerships Empower Financial Self-Sufficiency

Maurice thought his life was over after a shooting incident in a store left him totally blind. After connecting with Goodwill, he gained the confidence and skills he needed to re-enter the workforce and has now been working at a job he loves for nearly eight years.

READ MORE from My Story – Maurice Williams

Here are two really great gifts you can make from Goodwill® finds. The candy dish is a sweet and easy project that can be assembled in a few minutes. The book gift is a little more involved, but is a nice, romantic surprise for a special sweetheart. Either way, that special someone will love these thoughtful Valentine's presents, and your purchases will help Goodwill create jobs for people in your local community -- a doubly sweet deal!

READ MORE from Two Valentine’s Day Gifts to Make from Goodwill® Finds

Here are two really great gifts you can make from Goodwill® finds. The candy dish is a sweet and easy project that can be assembled in a few minutes. The book gift is a little more involved, but is a nice, romantic surprise for a special sweetheart. Either way, that special someone will love these thoughtful Valentine's presents, and your purchases will help Goodwill create jobs for people in your local community -- a doubly sweet deal!

READ MORE from Two Valentine's Day Gifts to Make from Goodwill® Finds