Give Thanks This Holiday Season with Help from Goodwill®

Lorie Marrero,CPO®, creator of the Clutter Diet® and spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International shares why activating gratitude should be at the heart of your holiday celebrations and how Goodwill's Donate Movement can help you give back to people in need this season.

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NC Goodwill® Helps Military Families Build Support Systems

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont launched Operation Independence in November 2010 with a generous grant from the Microsoft Corporation. The grant enabled the agency to develop a state-of-the-art computer lab and hire two full-time specialists — a vocational evaluator at the Goodwill’s facilities and a counselor at Central Piedmont Community College.

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Texas Goodwill® Expands Veteran Services to Accommodate Needs

Houston Goodwill® launched its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program six years ago, and quickly learned that groups of veterans had different needs. The agency now serves females who are homeless, individuals who have recently left the military and those who have been incarcerated.

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Community Partners Collaborate to Secure Success for Veterans

The Atlanta Goodwill® relies on its community partners to fully meet the needs of veterans. While Goodwill’s expertise is employment services, other local organizations, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, provide health care, housing assistance and more. Each week, the Goodwill hosts a roundtable, during which veterans can learn about available services.

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Goodwill®, Policymakers Make Veterans Employment a Priority

On November 16, 2011, Goodwill will release its new white paper "From Deployment to Employment: Goodwill’s Call to Action on Supporting Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families" at a briefing on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, as Veterans Day approaches, policymakers have been unveiling proposals that aim to support veterans who are struggling to find civilian jobs.

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Job Resources to Help Military Families Succeed

Lisa from Ft. Knox, KY, asks "My spouse is in the military. We move around every one to three years, and it is tough getting a job, much less advancing my career. What resources are available to help me?”

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Goodwill® Goes Green for Affordable Housing in Charlotte

In what is believed to be the first such project of its kind in the country, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Habitat Charlotte and Lowe’s Companies, Inc., are collaborating to transform a vacant home in Charlotte's Villa Heights community into a model of energy efficiency.

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My Story: Jerry Jackson

Jerry is a Vietnam with more than 20 years of service in the Marine Corps and Army National Guard. After retiring from service in 1995, he was unable to find work due to physical ailments. The VA suggested he find a training program to get back into a routine, which led him to Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA. There, staff helped create a customized curriculum for Jerry that taught him how to use a computer, the Internet and a digital camera. He now uses these skills in his everyday life and is thankful for the training he received.

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Stand with Goodwill® in Supporting Funding for Job Training Programs

Action is needed to prevent Congress from drastically cutting funding for job training programs that support Goodwill’s efforts to help people with employment challenges in your community to find jobs and advance in careers. Send a letter to your members of Congress and ask them to support the Senate version of the FY 2012 spending bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

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Goodwill® to Help People with Disabilities in South Korea Go to Work

Goodwill Industries International is partnering with the Together Foundation to expand the Goodwill Industries® mission and social enterprise model in South Korea, establishing a social welfare model that creates jobs and support for people with disabilities. The plan includes opening up 100 stores, serving 3,000 people with disabilities and creating 1,000 jobs for people with disadvantages over the next five years, specifically within the network of Goodwill affiliates in the cities of Busan, Seoul and Suwon.

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My Story: Jackie Weimer

After ending her 30-year career in the loss prevention industry due to health issues, Jackie decided to focus her attention on working on her ranch and training racehorses. However, because of her physical limitations, she was having a hard time staying active and independent. Goodwill Industries of Denver's AgrAbility Program helped connect her with the equipment she needed to perform all of the tasks on the farm, including a utility task vehicle and a manure vac, and keep her farm running.

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