GW
A Report to the Community
OODWILL ORKS
Summer 2015 Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region
Goodwill President and CEO Terry Hayes unveiled a new, relevant job training partnership with the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Industry to provide veterans a living wage career in a growing field. Also revealed was a new corrections pilot with federal and state government that is helping offenders with reentry into our Keynote Speaker, communities. Apolo Ohno Design of the “Goodwill Store of the Future,” which will be unveiled at 38th Street this summer and program improvements to make donating more convenient were also discussed.
New programs and “Store of the Future” revealed at Ready to Work Luncheon
The event also honored three graduates of Goodwill job training programs who overcame adversity and Graduate Chernenko Wheatley now have gainful employment and the nearly 1,300 corporate partners who both hire graduates and provide resources to critical programs.
Reinvention of job training to stay relevant in the changing business world, new initiatives in retail, and inspiration from Olympic Medalist Apolo Ohno were headliners at Goodwill’s May 5th Ready to Work Luncheon Tacoma fundraiser. The event, attended by 600 community leaders and business professionals raised over $200,000 for regional job training.
Year-end college donation campaign targets 55,000 pounds Goodwill’s Spring 2015 student dorm room donation campaign at four colleges is targeting strong returns to end the school year. This year Pacific Lutheran University leads the campaign with an expected 20-25,000 pounds of furniture and dorm décor. Students from the University of Puget Sound – a 20 year participant – finished with 13,801 pounds over eight days in May. Green River Community College and the Evergreen State College in Olympia are also expected to participate in student donation drives in June. Student donations fund job training for people with barriers to employment and divert material from our landfills. 1
Coffee sales at Starbucks fuel free Goodwill Veteran Transition Services In February, Starbucks and Goodwill celebrated the first anniversary of the JBLM Military Community Store, which plays a key role in the success of our Veteran Services Operation: GoodJobs program. Thanks to a share of the first year’s coffee purchases at the store, Goodwill has been able to provide training, counseling and resources for 1,252 veterans and family members in Tacoma. Coffee sales also helped place 220 into jobs with companies like Brown & Haley, Boeing, Fred Meyer, Wells Fargo, and of course Starbucks. Our free Veteran’s program helps service members and their families with civilian/federal resume development, mock interviewing, networking and important “extras” such as interview attire. We also help with earning certifications and credentials in areas ranging from medical and nursing to cloud computing.
Isaac Burke, Starbucks JBLM Community Store: “Goodwill’s Operation: GoodJobs helps to lay out the path and says here is how you can translate your skills and succeed from where you are now.”
Director plans new reach for REACH Center Nicholas Bayard joined the REACH Center as Director in March, bringing government and nonprofit leadership experience in building and maintaining partnerships, overseeing programs, and mentoring staff. The REACH Center is a partnership of over 30 community agencies and schools providing a one-stop approach to career, education and personal and professional development for youth ages 16 to 24. Under Bayard, the coming months will see REACH partner with the City and Tacoma Public Schools (Summer Jobs 253) to move 150 youth into paid summer employment and mentoring. Also their case management and housing partnership is helping 35 distressed youth attain stable lives and self-sufficiency. And soon a new, interactive website and initiatives into social media will reach out to pockets of unserved youth. For the longer-term, Bayard will drive a strategic five-year vision to develop the premier youth services center in the Pacific Northwest.
YouthBuild graduating class logs 4,100 hours of construction training The program provides a General Education Development (GED) diploma, career planning, hands-on construction/carpentry skills, and community development work that leads to employment and retention for local 16–24 year old at-risk youth.
YouthBuild’s first graduating class of 2015 walked off the stage in April with 4,100 hours of construction training and volunteer service under their belts. Even before 16 tassels were turned, five students were already employed and five more were enrolling in local colleges.
The next YouthBuild class is already starting on two homes for low income Tacoma residents, thanks to partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and the Homeownership Center of Tacoma.
A U.S. Dept. of Labor grant funds 80% of the program through June 2016, helping 73 at-risk youth with trade and life skills necessary for economic self-sufficiency. 2
Olympia Outlet Grand Opening
SUCCESS STORY: Sandra Collins On February 19, Sandra Collins became the first manager of the new Olympia Outlet Store and Recycle Center. Cutting the ribbon that day, this new homeowner and mother of two was a world away from her life just eight years ago.
Goodwill’s newest retail addition, a 29,000 square foot Outlet Store and Recycling Center located in Olympia, features clothes for under a dollar and generates revenue to fund job training in numerous career fields. With this facility, Thurston County receives 35 more jobs and $350,000 in annual purchasing power for the economy, while a backend recycling center keeps unsold donations out of area landfills. And each employee taken off unemployment saves businesses and taxpayers about $13,000 a year. These regional benefits are eclipsed however, by the incredible “near suicide to success” story of the Outlet Center’s first manager – Sandra Collins (see SUCCESS STORY).
“I had burned all my relationships,” said Sandra. I faced isolation after escaping nine years of domestic violence, and lived in my car with two teenage children living elsewhere. Being only three months clean and sober, my self-worth and confidence were nonexistent. I knew there had to be another way out of the mess I was in.” The way out for Sandra was through retail and life skills training from Goodwill and participation in the WorkFirst Community Jobs program, funded by the federal government and administered by the Department of Commerce. As Sandra took the reins at the Outlet Store she received a Congressional Commendation from Rep. Dave Reichert, who asked her to testify before the Ways and Means Committee last summer about the WorkFirst program. “I could not be more proud of Sandra and what she has achieved,” said Rep. Reichert. I congratulate her on her success and her hard work.”
Olympia facility = improved recycling • Goodwill distributes donations across a variety of retail venues – online bidding for high end items, boutiques for top name brands and home décor, and main retail for department store clothes, furnishings, electronics and décor. • What doesn’t sell at these venues eventually ends up at our Outlet Stores, such as the new Olympia site. Coupled
with a backend recycling facility, these stores offer shoppers bargain pricing prior to sorting for sale as raw material on the international salvage market. • Using this tiered retail and recycling process, Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region converts about 85% of donations into revenue for job training at our four Work Opportunity Centers, additional satellite offices and retail training sites.
Earn-While-You-Learn training for Veterans Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning trainees agree to a one to two year commitment with an HVAC business in exchange for lab and field training and employment.
Goodwill’s Veteran Services is partnering with the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Business & Technical Institute and more than 40 HVAC businesses in Puget Sound to offer transitioning service members, veterans and family members paid training and employment. The first class will begin in July.
As contributors to Goodwill’s Veteran Services, Bank of America, Boeing, Starbucks, Wells Fargo and Walmart (founding supporter of Operation: GoodJobs) are supporting this program.
Trainees are paid between $12-$14 per hour for initial training, and as skills and certifications are added wages increase. Within a year, program participants can earn $18-$20 per hour, and by the third year Journeyman make $22-$25 hourly.
Corporate Office
714 S 27th St • Tacoma, WA 98409 253.573.6500 • goodwillwa.org
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Having a BIG Garage sale? Call us and we’ll pick up what doesn’t sell!*
blue
A Goodwill Boutique
Call
253-573-6710
Designer Apparel • Shoes & Accessories • Home Décor 3 uniquely stocked locations: Tacoma, 2520 N Proctor St Sumner, 926 Main St • Olympia, 534 Capitol Way S goodwillwa.org/shop/blue • bluegoodwill
or email donate2us@goodwillwa.org
*Must be furniture and/or large donations of 10+ bags or boxes.
Another example of training to meet future employer needs is our partnership with the heating and air conditioning industry. Transitioning service members from JBLM who enter our Veteran Services program can elect to receive free paid education and job placement in a high paying industry needing a younger workforce. One final example is our custodial training program, where our instructors are meeting with medical industry professionals to update our curriculum in hospital cleaning.
A Message from the CEO It is so important to recognize our 1,300 business partners who play a critical role in our mission to provide modern and relevant job training. In addition to hiring our graduates, a variety of industries partner with us to ensure our training meets the needs of the future.
With the innovation and strength of our partners, we expect to serve 9,600 people this year, placing 2,800 in high demand industries.
One example is the expansion this year of our culinary program to offer students varied business models for training. Students will now start in our main Bistro diner at Milgard Work Opportunity Center, then phase into gaining experience in both our new catering business kitchen and an offsite Neighborhood Café and Deli, located at the News Tribune building. The different venues expose our students to management and culinary skills in a variety of business settings, raising their value in the industry after graduation.
Because partnerships, relevant training – and jobs – change lives! Terry Hayes
President & CEO
Goodwill Board Executive Commitee
Secretary C.W. Herchold
Chair Don Johnson
At Large Pamela Transue, PhD Skip Haynes
Chair Elect Frank Scoggins Treasurer Scott Waner
Directors Donna Albers Chris Algeo
Goodwill Heritage Foundation Board Jane Taylor Jamey Balousek John Tuohy Robert Bruback Anthony Chen, MD Chad Wright Cheryl Cuthbertson Bill Dickens Buzz Folsom Shahrokh Saudagaran Judy Swain
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Officers Chair Jim Loomis Vice Chair Greg Biersack Treasurer Barbara Mitchell Briner
Secretary Dennis Fulton
Directors Steve Barger Bill Dickens Buzz Folsom Chuck Hellar
Bev Losey Eileen Sullivan Timothy Truebenbach Jim Walton