More than 1 Million People Benefit from Goodwill Programs
Historic Record Demonstrates Continued Need for Employment Services
May 28, 2008
Rockville, MD – A record 1.1 million people benefited from Goodwill® employment and support programs in 2007, a 19.7 percent increase over the previous year. Through its network of independent agencies in North America, the organization realized an estimated $3.2 (b) billion in revenues, also a record high.
“For the first time in our 100+ years of helping people, we have passed the 1 million mark,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “At Goodwill, we see that in this time of economic uncertainty, people need the job training and other support we offer more than ever.”
Goodwill helps people who are having a hard time finding a job – either because of a disability, poverty, lack of education and work experience or another obstacle –by selling donations of clothing and household items in Goodwill stores and using the revenue to fund job training programs that benefit hundreds of thousands of people each year.
“Our goal is to help people find and keep good jobs, earn a paycheck and support themselves and their families,” Gibbons says. “We aim to help people climb the career ladder so that they can move out of poverty and enjoy the dignity and independence that work brings.”
Goodwill Industries trains people for careers in fields, such as financial services, computer programming and health care. The organization also builds revenues, and creates jobs, by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including janitorial work, packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding.
“Every 53 seconds of every business day last year, Goodwill placed someone in a good job,” Gibbons says. “By donating and shopping Goodwill, you are investing in the economic strength of your community.”
To learn more about Goodwill programs in your community, visit www.goodwill.org or call (800) 664-6577.
For free broadcast-quality video, visit www.thenewsmarket.com/Goodwill.
Phone: (240) 333-5266
Cell: