For this speech, I want to write about Goodwill Industries International. I have a stronger connection with their store than anything else, but recently I discovered that they do a lot more that sell used clothes.
In 2002, Goodwill started a project created to put millions of people in jobs by 2020. They not only provide for training of the individual for the job, but also they have options for child care services for people who can't work because they have to take care of the kids and have no money for day care. They also work to find careers for people with disabilities. Goodwill provides tutoring services for children who are homeless or disabled. They collect books for these children as well. This gives those chldren better opportunities in their younger years, which may give them the edge they need to find a career in adulthood.
Goodwill is also enviornmentally friendly. By selling used items, they keep them from becoming waste. What can't be made into selling condition is recycled in creative ways. For example, old clothes are cut into cleaning cloths for industrial buyers. I think it's pretty cool to think that that shirt you wore in your 8th grade school photo may be an industrial wipe.
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2 comments:
What a great idea! My sister used to work for Goodwill, and they were a fabulous employer. They helped her set up a savings account and then gave her tips on how to save money. She also was able to receive free work clothes from the store, like tan pants and nice shirts. They were very forgiving, too- my sister was late several times, sometimes more than ten minutes late, and they still assigned her many hours. She ended up leaving her post because it wasn't "cool" to work there, aka no young men worked in the store, but while her employment lasted, Goodwill was wonderful to her.
I did not know this about goodwill until reading your blog. While i have visited the store often (i bought a microwave just this weekend (do not ask why)), i had always assumed they were solely a store. I think its extremely important that they act as community leaders in providing jobs and training to millions of america as you have outlined. I am looking forward to this speech because it seems like you have the beginning to a good argument on how goodwill impacts people locally. What I wonder is if a person donates money to goodwill, does that money go specifically locally or does it go to the general corporation. This would be an important point to discuss (or avoid if it does not favor you) in your speech!
good luck.
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