Give a Second Chance During National Reentry Week

Each year, more than 600,000 individuals return to society after serving time in federal and state prisons, and another 11.4 million individuals cycle through local jails. Nearly a quarter of Americans has had some sort of encounter with the criminal justice system – mostly for relatively minor, non-violent offenses, and sometimes from decades in the past.

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Career and Financial Advice for April 2016

The Goodwill blog’s career and financial advice posts have all moved to GoodProspects®, but you can still get great advice on your job search, learn about career fields and connect with virtual career mentors. Here are some recent articles published this month—match your skills to your ideal workplace, learn networking strategies for older workers, explore careers in solar installation, and learn details about health care benefits and retirement options.

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My Story: Crystal Jacobs

My name is Crystal Jacobs and I was born deaf. Much of my life and the decisions I’ve made have been regulated by fear. Fear of being different, fear of failure, fear of feeling alone. Most people don’t think the divide between hearing and deaf to be that big of a deal, but it’s something I had a lot of trouble with. I’m not confident in the way I talk or sound, and this caused a lot of issues for me and how I interacted with people who can hear.

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Find Prom Perfection at Goodwill®

Prom season is right around the corner and most of the early birds have probably already gotten their elegant attire worms. For those of us who are always hopelessly last minute or for anyone who has been searching for months to no avail, I have a few ideas to share today that could replace your prom season stress with a spark of excitement. These last months of the school year should be filled with an eager joy or even a sweet nostalgia, so prepare to put your worries behind you and get pumped about a new prom ensemble instead!

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Imagine if Your Donations Filled an Entire Plane

This Friday marks 46 years since the first Earth Day in 1970. You may not know it, but if you have donated to your local Goodwill or shopped at a local Goodwill store or online you have helped make our planet a little cleaner and a little greener. How much greener? In 2010 Goodwill (and you!) helped divert more than 2.4 billion pounds from landfills through donations to, and purchases from, Goodwill.

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The Container Store Leads Retail Market as a Conscious Business

What if everyone associated with a business could thrive? For all of us at The Container Store, it’s not just a question. It’s what we strive to achieve in all that we do for each of our stakeholders – our employees, customers, vendors, the community, our shareholders and the environment. Our company is among a growing number of employers who run their businesses according to the tenets of Conscious Capitalism – a way of thinking about capitalism that better reflects the innate potential of business to make a positive impact on the world.

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Spring at Goodwill® Means Finding a Fresh Start

What’s the most exciting thing about the springtime? For me, it’s how BRIGHT everything becomes. After the time change there are more daylight hours and once the leaves pop, their vibrant greens seem to electrify the air. Today I want to focus on how we can capture that luminous quality that springtime has and use it to enthuse the rest of our lives.

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Goodwill Advocacy Leader Award Winners Announced

Goodwill Industries International (GII) honored five members of Congress and the director of mission strategies for Goodwill Industries of Central and Coastal Virginia (Richmond) with the nonprofit’s annual advocacy awards. The awards, which recognize commitment to advancing Goodwill’s mission of helping people build careers and gain employment, were presented on Tuesday, April 12 during a reception in Washington, DC, as part of Goodwill’s annual advocacy event.

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