OVERVIEW

Network of 184 independent, community-based organizations in the U.S., Canada, and 14 other countries.

Provides job training and employment services, job placement opportunities and post-employment support.

Strengthens communities and families by training people to become independent, tax-paying members of society.

2007 HIGHLIGHTS

1.1 million people benefited from Goodwill career services.

140,056 people placed in competitive jobs – that’s every 53 seconds of every business day.

$3.2 billion total revenue.

84 percent of revenues funded employment programs and support services.

2,200+ retail stores and an online auction site, www.shopgoodwill.com.

65 million donors.

Katrina Evacuee Transforms Trauma into Service

Goodwill Industries International Names Denice Cooper 2008 Volunteer of the Year

June 30, 2008

Rockville, MD – After a perilous escape from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, Denice Cooper relocated to Nacogdoches, TX, where she dedicated herself to helping her fellow evacuees as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer. She decided to continue her AmeriCorps service by volunteering at Goodwill Industries® of Central East Texas (Lufkin), where she spent more than 900 hours in 2007 mentoring children with mental and emotional disabilities. Cooper is being honored as the 2008 Goodwill Industries International^® Volunteer of the Year.

Today, Cooper provides both individual and group mentoring as well as structured activities for children served by Goodwill®. She also mentors adults with disabilities who are entering the workforce and need ongoing support.

“Denice was selected to mentor our workforce clients because of her compassion and her inspiring example of how to transform hardship into success,” says Nancy Bledsoe, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central East Texas. “She has turned the trauma of her Katrina experience into personal motivation and speaks of her journey as a gift.”

Cooper, now 62, also initiated a “Getting Fit for Life” walking group that she facilitates weekly, sometimes bringing in speakers who present during the walk.

“Volunteers are the hidden gems within Goodwill Industries, as evidenced by Denice’s enormous contributions to the Lufkin Goodwill and her community,” says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “She leads and teaches by example, transforming the lives of so many in the process.”

The Volunteer of the Year Award is given in recognition of an outstanding volunteer who works in support of a member Goodwill organization. The program also is designed to focus attention on the expanding role of the volunteer in Goodwill Industries and the organization's commitment to serving people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.

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Lauren Lawson
Manager, Media Relations (Media Calls Only)
Phone: (240) 333-5266
Cell:	(240) 388-8309

Charlene Sarmiento
Specialist, Media Relations (Media Calls Only)
Phone: (240) 333-5590
Cell:	(240) 620-7703