Goodwill® Celebrates Our Heroes Year-Round By Connecting Veterans And Their Families With Employment And Job Training Opportunities

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Veterans Day, our nation's heroes are recognized and celebrated by individuals, groups and organizations across the country. At Goodwill, we show veterans our appreciation year-round by offering services that can improve quality of life, such as employment placement, job training, and financial wellness opportunities. This is vital in the veteran community as 370,000 our nation's heroes remain unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Last year, local Goodwill organizations around the country served more than 55,126 veterans and active duty military members through the programs and initiatives they provide to their communities. Examples include:

• Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (Portland, OR) supports veterans and their families through various events and initiatives such as its Job Connection program. In 2017, Job Connection provided more than 5,500 veterans and their families with employment and job training opportunities. The Goodwill also supported veterans in one of the largest community-driven events in the region, The Tillamook Veterans Stand Down, which provides veterans with access to employment and vocational information, legal and medical services, and more.
• Goodwill Industries of Houston (TX) has been providing employment and job training services to local veterans and their families since 2006 through its programs including Veterans' Employment and Training Services (VETS), the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), VETS Galveston, and Operation: GoodJobs. In that time, the local Goodwill has served more than 24,000 veterans and their families.
• Goodwill Manasota (Bradenton, FL) created a veterans program whose mission is to provide services to veterans and their families through community-supported solutions that support employment and the transition back into civilian life. The program is made up of several services including the Veterans and their Families Program; the Special Emergency Resources for Veterans (SERV) Fund; and Benefits, Resources and Veterans Education (BRAVE). Since the program's inception in 2013, the Goodwill has served more than 1,000 veterans and reintegrated them back into the civilian workforce.

Recently, community-based Goodwill organizations have customized employment and training opportunities for women veterans, a rapidly expanding subset of the veteran population through initiatives such as Operation: GoodJobs. Initially and primarily funded by the Walmart Foundation with recent support from USAA^®, the grant initiative supports 10 community-based Goodwill organizations with funds to provide tools and resources that equip veterans and military families with advanced labor market information; access to employment, training, credentials and career advancement opportunities; financial wellness resources; and more. These resources enable veterans and their families to gain financial stability and transition successfully back into civilian life. This initiative also amplifies services customized for women veterans with a goal of connecting them with jobs paying at least $15 per hour.

"Goodwill is proud to provide opportunities for people who may experience challenges to finding employment, including veterans with disabilities like myself," said Pamela Johnson, veterans and military families' services program manager at Goodwill Industries International. "Grant initiatives such as Operation: GoodJobs have provided employment and job training opportunities to more than 7,800 veterans and military family members. We are grateful for the Walmart Foundation's financial and sector-strengthening support."

On behalf of everyone at Goodwill, we thank every veteran for their service to our country. Join us this Veteran's Day in supporting veterans by supporting your local Goodwill store, which uses the revenue to provide veterans with the opportunities and services they need to advance their careers and care for their families.

If you know a veteran who would benefit from these services or would like additional information about the Operation: GoodJobs initiative, please call 800-GOODWILL or email [email protected].

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International (GII) is a network of 161 community-based, autonomous organizations in the United States and Canada with a presence in 13 other countries. GII is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is recognized by GuideStar with its Platinum Seal of Approval, the organization's highest rating for charities. For the past three years, Goodwill was ranked in the top five brands that inspired consumers the most with its mission in the World Value Index, commissioned by the creative agency, enso. Goodwill has been on Forbes' list of top 20 most inspiring companies for three consecutive years, the only nonprofit featured on that list.

Local Goodwill organizations are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that offer job placement and training services, and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,300 stores collectively and online at shopgoodwill.com®.

Goodwill helps people facing challenges to finding employment including people with disabilities; veterans and military families; youth and young adults; older workers; people reintegrating into society; and others working to advance their careers. Local Goodwill organizations build revenues and expand employment opportunities by contracting with commercial, state, government and non-government organizations to provide a wide range of business services, including janitorial and grounds maintenance, flexible staffing, food service, manufacturing and contracts packaging, reverse logistics, document imaging and shredding, and laundry services.

Last year, local Goodwill organizations collectively placed more than 288,000 people in employment in the United States and Canada. In addition, more than 38 million people used computers and mobile devices to access Goodwill education, training, mentoring and online learning services to strengthen their skills, and more than two million people received in-person services.

For more information or to find a Goodwill location near you, visit goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook and Instagram: GoodwillIntl.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International