®
COVER: Connecting the Community to Jobs INSIDE: SUMMER 2017
Our Awesome Volunteers A Sea of Savings
L E T T E R
President and CEO Deborah Passerini
P R E S I D E N T
Steve Jobs once said that “great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.” More than ever, as we move into a new fiscal year, it is through teamwork that Goodwill-Suncoast assists people in the communities we serve.
Board Chair Heather Ceresoli
President and CEO Emeritus R. Lee Waits
T H E
The Power of More Than One
®
Members of the Board Lee Bell Steve Bivens Heather Ceresoli Robert D. Dobkowski Tom Falone IV Mark E. Gauthier Martin W. Gladysz Marie Hebbler Andrea D. Kiehl Louise R. Lopez John Maceovsky Dominic Macrone Christina Miller Melissa Mora, Esq. Carole F. Philipson Mark D. Pichowski Scott Rutz Bob Wabbersen Sandra Young
F R O M
At our Job Connection Center, a team of employment specialists help people find jobs or advance their careers. In addition to assisting individuals who come to the Center at our St. Petersburg store, Job Connection Center staff present workshops at the St. Pete Public Library and offer employment assistance at centers serving people who are homeless. Our partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay has resulted in a mobile market that takes nutritious food to food insecure populations while providing training opportunities for Goodwill clients. In a collaborative effort with the Junior Achievement Financial Center opening in Tampa next spring, Goodwill will help thousands of middle school students learn how to make their dollars go further. By teaming up with Head Start programs in eight counties and through the support of individuals and organizations, our BookWorks program will put books into the hands of 25,000 children from low-income families this year. And we will work with the school systems in multiple counties to provide retail work experience for exceptional students ready to begin the transition from school to work. Our goal is to serve more than 55,000 people locally and place 3,200 people into employment during this year. And it would not be possible without community partners and people like you. It starts with the power of more than one. Together, we can do great things. Sincerely,
Our Mission: To help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. GoodWorld News is a quarterly publication for friends and employees of Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc. Jennifer Fleming, Editor 727-523-1512, ext. 1015 jennifer.fleming@goodwill-suncoast.com Visit our website at goodwill-suncoast.org Call toll-free: 888-279-1988 TTY: 727-579-1068 Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that provides services without regard to race, spiritual beliefs, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, socioeconomic status or disability. If you need accommodation or assistance in accessing any area of employment or program services, please let us know.
Deborah A. Passerini President and Chief Executive Officer
What an IMPACT! Thank you to 55 employees from Deloitte who volunteered their time at Goodwill for their company’s IMPACT Day, a celebration of Deloitte’s commitment to local communities. The volunteers fanned out to many Goodwill programs. They learned the ins and outs of Goodwill’s daily operations while lending a hand in our BookWorks childhood literacy program, our Life Skills program for men and women with disabilities, and our retail and outlet operations.
55 Deloitte employees chose Goodwill for their IMPACT Day of volunteering
In Memoriam
Jayne Webber, housing manager at Goodwill’s Freedom Village I apartments since 2003, passed away on June 8. Jayne had a quick wit and a heart of gold. Her number-one concern was the well-being of all the tenants at the Pinellas Park apartment community. This pivotal member of the housing management team will be greatly missed.
2,635 People Served! Early last year we opened our innovative Job Connection Center (JCC) inside our St. Petersburg retail store on Central Ave. The goal: to bring the Goodwill mission – connecting people with jobs – to more people. We knew it would be successful, but we didn’t know just how much! Since opening, the Center has served 2,635 job seekers. Some come to the Center itself, others are reached via regular, off-site workshops at places such as Pinellas Hope, a homeless center, and at St. Petersburg’s main library. The Center’s staff (pictured on cover) also held income tax preparation services this year that saved participants nearly $15,000 in taxes and $10,327 in tax preparation fees. “The amount of people we’re serving is more than we expected,” says Donna McGrath, Job Connection Center manager. “And we’ve been able to identify gaps in services and connect people to the help they need.”
Uladia Taylor helped Joe Anderson get several job offers.
By the Numbers (Jan. 2016 to present)
Number of people served
Resumes developed at JCC
2,635 288 The Dream Team The Job Connection Center is managed by Donna McGrath, (center) whose focus is building relationships in the community to provide employability and job placement services. She was previously a program manager of Goodwill’s Community Employment Services, where she helped find meaningful employment for people with disabilities. “I’ve seen first-hand how employment can change a life,” Donna says. She and her two employees built the Center to where it is now. Her first hire, employment specialist Lori Garcia, (right) has a background in human services and higher education. She’s currently finishing up a Master of Science in Information which compliments her
Resumes developed at partner sites
Recruitment events
Job fair participants
Tax prep service participants
190 33 233 49
degrees and experience in Special Education. Her love of working with people and developing systems has been central to the Center’s success. “We have to be able to get our hands on information and be resourceful,” she says. Uladia Taylor, (left) a Job Connection employment specialist, has a background in adult education and a passion for statistics and demographics. She incorporates all those skills to help others. “I love when I see people who feel so discouraged overcome barriers and move forward,” she says. What the three “dream team” members have in common is compassion, says Donna. “We see folks come in here in crisis, desperate, about to be homeless. You can’t make what happens in here happen without compassion.”
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GoodLilly’s
Tea Time
Donated item $4.98 Oldsmar Superstore
Teal Heels Donated item $12.96 Trinity Superstore
Can you hear it whistling? This adorable tea kettle is a great bargain!
Need to dress up that perfect summer sundress? Here’s one solution!
Beach Time
Dog Days
New item $3.99 Most Goodwill Superstores
New item $1.49 Most Goodwill Superstores
What’s summer without a trip to the beach? This will point you in the right direction.
Let your pooch enjoy the dog days of summer with this fishbone chew toy.
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A collection of brand new and donated items found at Goodwill-Suncoast stores
Get Nauti
Donated item $4.98 Lakeland Superstore Accent your nautical décor with affordable additions from Goodwill.
Go Fish
Donated item $1.98 Spring Hill Superstore It’s a fish…it’s a bank… it’s a fish bank! And for less than $2 it’s super summery cute!
How Much?
Donated items Play our monthly Guess the Price game for a chance to win a $10 Goodwill gift card! Just visit our website and guess how much an outfit like this one - costs at Goodwill.
Send us your Goodwill finds!
If we feature them here or on our Upcycle page we’ll send you a $20 gift certificate to any Goodwill-Suncoast store. Post your photos on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/goodwillsuncoast)or e-mail them to gw.marketing@goodwill-suncoast.com. For Goodwill store locations, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.
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GoodStuff
Come Aboard the Ship of Ghouls Save the date! Our Ghoulwill Bash Halloween-themed fundraiser will set sail Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. on the Yacht StarShip in Tampa. The dinner cruise will feature a costume contest and a shipload of surprises! All proceeds benefit Goodwill’s programs for people with barriers to employment.
Goodwill Ranks #1 I Sea Savings! Each person who drops off clothing or household items at any Goodwill Industries-Suncoast store or attended donation site during September will receive a coupon good for $10 off up to four general admission tickets to The Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Goodwill shoppers who round up their purchases to the nearest dollar will also get a coupon. The coupons are redeemable at The Florida Aquarium until Nov. 30, 2017. For each redeemed ticket The Florida Aquarium will donate $1 to support Goodwill’s employment services for people with disabilities or other disadvantages. Dive in!
A Drive for Literacy The community donated 34,429 books to our BookWorks childhood literacy program during the annual book drive Feb. 1 through March 15. Thanks to all who contributed for their generosity! Every donation helps us present books to local children from low-income families. We couldn’t do it without the community support and fantastic volunteers (see back page)!
Congrats, Grads Earlier this year 30 Goodwill employees celebrated completion of our CORE Management Training Program, and were treated to pomp, circumstance and a luncheon ceremony! The CORE program is made up of 45 hours of classes unique to GoodwillSuncoast as an investment in the professional growth and development of future or current managers of Goodwill. Hats off to everyone!
Goodwill was ranked #1 in the 2017 World Value Index report: How People Perceive Brands’ Purpose. The report was commissioned by enso, a creative agency that builds mission-driven brands and shared mission initiatives. This is the second year that Goodwill ranked #1, outranking several well-known nonprofit and for-profit brands, including: Girl Scouts of America, Amazon, Save the Children, Google, World Wildlife Fund and YMCA.
Leave a Legacy Many people think of charitable giving as a one-sided or oneway gift. You give a donation to a charitable organization to be used for its programs and expect nothing more than a “thank you letter.” However, a charitable gift annuity is a simple way to make a substantial donation to Goodwill-Suncoast while you continue to receive a secure and steady income. A charitable gift annuity is an agreement between you and Goodwill-Suncoast. In exchange for your irrevocable gift of at least $10,000 in cash or public stock, Goodwill will pay you a guaranteed amount for life (including your spouse). Charitable gift annuities are easy to set up and the donors receive an immediate tax deduction for the gift portion of the annuity. A portion of the annuity payments is also tax deductible. One of the chief benefits is that you will play a significant role in helping Goodwill-Suncoast to continue to be able to help thousands of people access job training and find employment so that they can become self-confident, productive citizens. To learn more, please contact us toll free at 888-279-1988 or email jim.williams@goodwill-suncoast.com.
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up• cy•cle rded objects or 1. reuse (disca create a product material) to ality or value of a higher qu al. than the origin
in CASE
you need upcycle ideas... these D. I. Y. suitcase projects are
PACKED with ingenuity!
Begin with a suitcase from Goodwill – I found this one in our Outlet store for $1.50, and then took to the internet for some upcycle ideas. Here’s what I found:
Add liquor…whether on a stand or a shelf, this will up your mixology game!
Add a pet bed, and a pet, and your cat will purr with gratitude!
Add legs…for an instant, and interesting, coffee table!
Add jewelry…and old doorknobs, glassware and bowls from Goodwill and just like that you have a unique jewelry box!
Do you have a project using Goodwill finds you’d like to share? Email Jennifer.Fleming@Goodwill-Suncoast.com for a chance to be featured here and win a $20 Goodwill gift card!
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10596 Gandy Blvd. St. Petersburg, FL 33702 ®
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GoodWorld News • Summer 2017
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Permit #5008 St. Petersburg, FL
GoodWorks Thank You Volunteers! Brotherly Love Earlier this year we recognized the special people who do more for Goodwill, selflessly and frequently.
People like Laura Gage, who moved to the Tampa Bay area two and half years ago from Chicago. After moving, she jumped right in to volunteering – not only for our BookWorks childhood literacy program but also for her church, other areas of Goodwill, and with the Hillsborough Education Foundation. As a BookWorks reader, Laura traveled to west Tampa to spend 122 hours reading to 456 children and distributing 2,773 books in 2016. She is very passionate about early literacy and a fantastic ambassador for the BookWorks program. We are proud to name Laura our Goodwill-Suncoast Volunteer of the Year! Goodwill-Suncoast Volunteer Group of the Year is the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon. For more than a decade, the Volunteer of the Year - Laura Gage Club has devoted itself to volunteering for BookWorks. There are nine dedicated readers: Gena Schaffer, Janet Daigle, Janelle Hill, Eddie Jenkins, Lynn Langowski, Fran Palek, Curtis Rogers, Nicholas Schar and Dipa Shah. In 2016 they spent 231 hours reading to 878 children and distributing 3,625 books at 14 different locations. The group has made it one of their missions to serve kids who are in the greatest need of support – more than half of the children they serve have special needs. They also volunteer to drop off books donated to elementary schools through the BookWorks program.
Every week day you can find Kerry Mauk in Goodwill’s Life Skills Development program for adults with disabilities. He doesn’t say much, but he has a warm, tentative smile and a clear willingness to be helpful. Kerry, 50, has been in our St. Petersburg program for an astonishing 25 years. Over that time he has gained independence from the paycheck he earns processing goods for our Outlet store. Plus he receives priceless socialization and interaction outside of the group home he shares with three others. "Goodwill gives my brother purpose through his job. I can't tell you how much that means to him," says Shane Mauk, Kerry’s younger brother. After seeing how Goodwill helps his big brother live and work with a developmental disability, Shane decided to get involved and help where he could. His business is recycling and refurbishing Brothers Shane and Kerry Mauk large appliances, and for ten years he has chosen to extend that service to Goodwill donors. He offers free appliance pick-up services to Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco residents. Shane recycles the appliances that can’t be adequately repaired, saving them from ending up in landfills. Those that are in good working order he resells and gives a portion of the sale to Goodwill. The funds go to support programs like the one Kerry has been in for 25 years, and that makes Shane happy to contribute. “Goodwill has helped our family and I like to help Goodwill create jobs and make life better for others like my brother,” he says. For information on donating an appliance call Shane at 727-439-1905 and mention Goodwill.
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