Brian Edwards hadn’t worked in fourteen months. His unemployment was making him miserable when the Disabilities Board of Charleston, South Carolina recommended Goodwill®. Edwards dressed professionally and after three interviews with Goodwill® was thrilled to find out he got the job. But it wasn’t until he had been working with them for sometime that he realized that Goodwill’s® mission is helping people with disabilities find work and succeed in life. For Edwards, his experience with Goodwill® included attending Goodwill’s® Retail University and later transferring to Goodwill’s® PC Recycling Center. Without Goodwill®, Edwards would not have found his dream job. Without car donation, Goodwill&$174; would not be able to continue helping the disabled and disadvantaged find work that challenges and fulfills them. Vehicle donation has become a valuable source of funding for the training, employment and multitude of career services that Goodwill® provides. When you donate a car to Goodwill®, your car donation puts people to work and back on track in life.

Since its founding in 1902, Goodwill’s® mission has been to find work for the disabled and disadvantaged. Edgar J. Helms salvaged discarded household items from the wealthy with the purpose of giving the poor the opportunity to work, repairing them for resale. It was the start of what is now the Goodwill® Stores, and today they still provide employment for thousands of people. Though they still actively seek clothing and household items donated by the public, Goodwill® also works with vehicle donation to fund their life changing programs. Goodwill® programs are continually funded by people who are able to donate a car to charity. When you donate a used car to Goodwill®, the car that no longer served a purpose for you takes on great meaning as a car donation. Your vehicle donation provides funding for a number of Goodwill’s® services such as occupational skills training, career placement and specialized skills such as handling finances and day care. Auto donation enables Goodwill® to help people beyond finding a job so that they can learn to juggle their employment and life obligations. When you donate a car that can be used, your car donation may be used for their Wheels to Work program, a program that helps people find affordable transportation. Your auto donation means the difference between someone struggling to get to work or being independent of public transportation.

http://www.goodwill.org/my-story/brian-edwards/

Goodwill® has been breaking barriers and finding work for the disabled and disadvantaged community for more than a century. Their training, employment and career services have placed thousands of people in jobs that have enabled them to reach their potential and become self sufficient. Goodwill® also helps people who have been incarcerated get a second chance when they re-enter public life. Donations of clothing and household items are vital to providing opportunity through the Goodwill® stores, but vehicle donation has become another vital resource to Goodwill®. Goodwill® depends on people who can donate a car to charity to help them continue providing their life changing services. When you donate a car to Goodwill® your vehicle donation helps people who are looking for a second chance after serving time in prison.

Goodwill® understands that for people who have been incarcerated it will be even harder to find a job and re-enter public life. The incarcerated who have been released often face barriers such as illness, debt and limited work options because they have a criminal background. Goodwill® finds that second chance for these people and when you donate a car to Goodwill your car donation is that second chance. Your auto donation helps men, women and young people who have served their time get their life back on track. Vehicle donation helps Goodwill® provide specific services that people who have been incarcerated need to break those barriers to find work and begin a new life. Your donated auto funds a pre-release service that helps Goodwill® help people while they are still incarcerated so that they can get a head start before they are released. Auto donation also provides GED and ESL classes so that Goodwill® can help those who missed out on getting their diploma and those who face a language barrier. Your car donation not only provides occupational skill training, but life skills such as parenting, relationship and communication skills helping them make their re-entry into public life a success. If you were ever given a second chance and would like to do the same for someone else, donate a car to Goodwill® and help someone with a past get a chance to build a future.

The recent job fair at Goodwill’s® Job Connection at the Simpsonville Goodwill® store brought out more than twenty thousand job seekers. This year job seekers were hoping to be hired as machine operators through a company called Core Staff Services. The fair also showcased the 2500 square feet of new space at Job Connection that houses training rooms, interview rooms and a conference room. In addition to more space to accommodate more job seekers, there are computers to aid in job searches and faxes and printer to assist with resumes. Job Connection is dedicated to matching job seekers with potential employers with the services Goodwill® provides such as job preparation classes, resume help and lists of openings. Just as Goodwill® stores depend on donations of clothing and household items, their career centers and job connection job fairs depend on car donation to continue to help the disabled and disadvantaged reach their job potential. Vehicle donation helps them continue to meet the increase in demand they have seen since the economic downturn. Many people who can’t donate cash know they can donate used clothing to help Goodwill® and now they can donate a car to charity as well. Your car donation to Goodwill® helps a charity whose main focus is getting people back to work.

When Goodwill® founder Edgar J. Helms began his mission, he simply wanted to find a means of providing work for the poor. He began his mission simply collecting discarded household items from the trash of the wealthy and hiring the poor to repair the items. The items were resold in what are now known as the Goodwill® stores. Today Goodwill® remains true to Helms’ mission in providing training employment and career services to the disabled and disadvantaged, and car donation plays a role in funding these services. When you donate a car to Goodwill®, your vehicle donation helps Goodwill® meet the diverse needs of the people who come through their doors. Despite the economic downturn, Goodwill’s® training programs and their ability to find out where opportunity lies has helped many people find and keep jobs. With so many people coming to Goodwill® to get back to work, they are in need of people who can donate a car. Your auto donation will help Goodwill® continue to provide their training and careers services so that they can continue to help more people get back to work and on the road to financial independence.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20091230/TRIBUNETIMES/912300307/1071/YOURUPSTATE02/Goodwill-helps-residents-with-jobs

There’s no such thing as too old today. Growing older is a natural part of life and for seniors who want to keep learning, Goodwill’s® Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) can help. The program offers seniors assistance in finding work and developing their skills and talents that lead to financial security. With economic security seniors can afford to live on their own and manage their health care needs. Seniors who take part in this Goodwill® program receive paid training that offers them experience and builds confidence. They are able to train in locations within their own communities. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Labor. Just as they offer training, employment and career services to seniors, Goodwill® brings those same services to the disabled and disadvantaged communities. To fund these life changing services Goodwill® depends on people who can donate a car to charity. Vehicle donation has become a viable source of funding of the many programs that Goodwill® offers disabled and disadvantaged people. When you donate a car to Goodwill® your car donation will help someone find work and build a better life.

When someone comes through the doors of Goodwill® they are usually in need of training so they can find a job. Goodwill® began its mission more than a century ago when its founder, Edgar J. Helms, began collecting discarded household items from the trash of wealthy people. He then hired the poor to repair the items to be sold in what are now known as the Goodwill® stores. Goodwill® stores still depend on the donations people bring to them to stock their stores that provide employment for the people they train. But the people who come to Goodwill® in need of training and a job don’t all get placed in retail positions at Goodwill®. Goodwill® also works with auto donation to fund their mission. Vehicle donation helps fund training programs in an array of fields such as banking, IT and healthcare. Besides the initial training and securing of a job, Goodwill® continues to work closely with the people they place by providing assistance in managing finances, child care and more. When you donate a car to Goodwill® your vehicle donation may provide funds to keep training programs accessible or even provide transportation to someone who would otherwise be unable to get to work. Goodwill® also operates the Wheels to Work program, a program that needs people who can donate a car to charity. Your donated auto may provide affordable transportation to someone who would not be able to afford a car otherwise. Vehicle donation helps the people who Goodwill® place in jobs maintain their job with a steady source of transportation.

What began as a way for Edgar J. Helms to give the poor an opportunity to work back in 1902, today continues on as the foundation of Goodwill’s® mission. Goodwill® believes that every person should have the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. Goodwill® provides training, employment and career services that helps people break whatever barriers are keeping them from working to better their lives and the lives of their families. Goodwill® is a non-profit organization that continues to depend on clothing and household item donations to stock the stores that provide training and jobs for many people who come through their doors. Car donation has become another viable means of meeting the diverse needs of the people that Goodwill® works with. When you donate a car to Goodwill® your car donation will go directly toward funding one of the one hundred eighty-three community based Goodwill® centers. Goodwill® also has a global presence and your vehicle donation enables Goodwill® to travel the world, spreading their vision and building international Goodwill®-affiliated agencies.

Connecting across the globe isn’t new to Goodwill®. Many of the agencies that were first formed in the seventies across the world are still operating today. Though their oldest international member, Instituto de Buena Voluntad, was founded in 1925, well before vehicle donation became an instrumental part of fundraising for Goodwill®, car donation is relied on today to help Goodwill® continue their mission both here and abroad. Today there are thirteen organizations around the world that proudly call themselves Goodwill® and auto donation will help Goodwill® continue to bring their mission to other international organizations. These international organizations are working hard to follow Goodwill’s® founding mission of creating opportunities for people with disabilities. For every person who can donate a car to charity such as Goodwill®, their car donation helps build stronger, independent people. Goodwill’s® vehicle donation program makes it easy for anyone to support a worthy cause and extend a helping hand to people across the globe. Your car donation today will help Goodwill’s® mission travel further across the globe tomorrow.