CHAMBER CHAT

by Duffy Armstrong

We hear this every time we visit with donors, shoppers, our program participants or friends... "I Never Knew that about Goodwill!"

The most surprising thing they learn is that all of those donated clothes, shoes, house wares, furniture, cars, etc. are sold in our nonprofit retail stores to support a very important service - free job training, career services and veterans' services for anyone who has a barrier to employment. 

Our Goodwill is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, but Goodwill and its goal, providing people who want to work with the opportunity to do so, are more than 100 years old.  Each of our 260 plus employees works hard to produce the revenue that allows us to offer free training to those who want to learn new skills and become economically self-sufficient.  We offer forklift training to OSHA standards. We also offer computer courses, job readiness training and life skills in Peoria and in Galesburg at our Learning Center.  You'll soon hear more about our new e-Learning program (but you can call us today to see if you qualify for free classes).

This year we opened a new facility in East Peoria to accommodate our growth.  The Goodwill Logistics Center on Carver Lane is the hub for the re-distribution of 7.7 million pounds of donations.  With just two trucks (and yes, we need more)  we serve the needs of 9 retail stores:  two are in Peoria and the others are in East Peoria, Pekin, Washington, Canton, Galesburg, Kewanee and Peru.  Our trucks also pick up donations from our three donation centers in Peoria, Chillicothe and Morton.  Fresh inventory is displayed daily in all locations to meet the needs of our shoppers - who, by the way, are from all walks of life and are key to our ability to help others.

Also located at our new facility in East Peoria are the new Reconnect computer recycling program and our e-commerce operations.    Reconnect is a national partnership with Dell that allows us to accept at no charge any type of computer and related equipment (printers, monitors, fax machines and more) at any of our locations.  Dell's highly regarded recycling program assures donors that the items will be recycled and handled in full compliance with federal standards.    Goodwill's e-commerce includes its 24/7 auction site www.shopgoodwill.com, as well as its growing online book sales.

What doesn't sell at Goodwill is recycled or properly disposed of.  Three million pounds of materials are kept out of our landfills every year through our efforts to be environmentally responsible.  Clothing and other textiles, shoes, metals and even the cardboard that your donations come in are either salvaged or recycled with all revenues supporting our mission.

In addition to our job training and 'green' operations, another major part of our mission is to serve veterans, particularly those who have been homeless.  In addition to our General Wayne A. Downing Home for Veterans, Goodwill recently received a $200,000 grant from the Department of Labor for its Homeless Veterans' Re-entry Program.  If you know of a homeless veteran who might benefit from this program, contact our Veterans' Services Coordinator at 309-369-8878.

Goodwill is here to improve the economic self-sufficiency of individuals and families, and thus the communities in which they live, through the dignity and power of work.  Donate, shop, work or learn with us.  We have good people doing good work.  That's Goodwill.