Are you suffering from election fatigue? I’m a total policy wonk but living in a swing state with a heated Senate race means even I’m afraid to answer my phone, turn on the radio and television, or open my mailbox. We’re still four weeks out from Election Day and believe it or not, legislators can still get things done during the lame duck session, which is why it’s important that Goodwill® advocates remain engaged.
READ MORE from Lame Duck Session Critical for Job Training, Education Programs
With Election Day only weeks away and having just passed a temporary spending measure that averted a government shutdown from occurring at the end of this week, most members of Congress are on the campaign trail convincing voters like you to give them their vote. Goodwill faces more immediate questions about whether policymakers will come together to avoid deep automatic spending cuts scheduled for early January and how vital domestic services and programs will be impacted.
READ MORE from While Election Looms, Bipartisan Efforts Still Needed to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff
Stephanie separated from her husband and had a hard time making ends meet and supporting her daughters. Goodwill's Beyond Jobs program for single mothers helped connect her to training and employment opportunities, and taught her how to budget. She now has a full-time job and a house for her two girls. She says, "It feels good to know all my hard work has paid off."
Even with support from agencies like Goodwill®, pathways out of poverty for the unemployed aren’t always clear. A new partnership between Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan’s Heartland (Battle Creek) and key community organizations is helping individuals living at 200 percent below the poverty level connect with education, work experience and certification in order to gain guaranteed employment.
READ MORE from Central Michigan Pilot Program Gives Job Seekers an EDGE in Sector Employment
Tabitha had split up with her husband and was living in a homeless shelter when she first heard about Goodwill. Staff helped her sharpen her job search and interview skills, and connected her with a position at a local hospital. Since getting hired, she has reunited with her husband and says her family is doing great.
At the Republican and Democratic conventions, we’ve heard a lot of promises about jobs — how many jobs each candidate will create, how jobs many they’ve created in the past, and how many jobs they have saved. So, is it--as one 1960s musical quipped--all just “promises, promises?”
READ MORE from Jobs Talk at the Conventions: Is It All Just “Promises, Promises”?
As Hurricane Isaac plows into the Gulf Coast, the Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida, has been underway, with the economy and jobs among the list of issues being addressed. The following is excerpted from the GOP platform and mirrors almost exactly the ideas by some Senate GOP members and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Campaign season is fully underway as both major political parties prepare for their respective conventions. Living in a swing state means I’m exposed to even more commercials, radio ads and newspaper editorials than those lucky enough to be able to avoid seeing such negativity -- and I’m a policy wonk who usually loves this stuff, especially when the issues are being debated. There is certainly no lack of issues critical for nonprofits and supporters like you that can be discussed.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Asks: What's Important to You This Election Season?
Campaign season is fully underway as both major political parties prepare for their respective conventions. Living in a swing state means I’m exposed to even more commercials, radio ads and newspaper editorials than those lucky enough to be able to avoid seeing such negativity -- and I’m a policy wonk who usually loves this stuff, especially when the issues are being debated. There is certainly no lack of issues critical for nonprofits and supporters like you that can be discussed.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Asks: What’s Important to You This Election Season?
Earlier this week, NPR highlighted the struggles of low-income people in Reading, PA, and the nonprofit agencies that serve them. The day after the report was released, I visited Reading while visiting Goodwill Keystone Area to tour its new facility and meet people that Goodwill® who are overcoming their employment challenges with support from Goodwill.
READ MORE from Despite Hard Times, Goodwill® Works to Provide Opportunities
