OUTLOOK
The Official Newsletter for Supporters of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries
Fall 2015
Your Gift To Goodwill — It Changes Lives! You Open Doors to Opportunity Each Time You Give Through your support, Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries is able to help thousands of people each year – more than 8,000 last year alone. You will never get to know every person whose life is better today because you give to Goodwill, but you can get to know Shadair. Below is a special transcript. It’s a speech Shadair prepared with help from his Goodwill job specialist. On the evening of June 11, 2015, Shadair stood before over 250 guests, including Goodwill’s Board of Directors, supporters and local dignitaries. He was the featured speaker at Goodwill’s annual signature event: The Good Party. He shared his personal story and he discussed his participation in a program called Project SEARCH, which is being run through Goodwill, at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Goodwill is helping students like Shadair prepare for work… and for life.
The Good Party–June 11, 2015 Remarks by Shadair Kemp. Good evening. My name is Shadair and I am very happy to share my story with you. I Yesterday, I graduated from high school. On Monday, lding will be graduating from Project SEARCH at Spau Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown. the I am very happy to be at Goodwill and to be part of first Project SEARCH program in Boston. I have been s in the program with six of my high school classmate the had since September. In Project SEARCH, I have y opportunity to do two internships and to learn man new job skills.
In my first internship, I worked in the Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Department. I was responsible for ing. passing out activity schedules to patients every morn the When passing out these schedules, I had to knock on it say door, say “good morning”, wait for the patients to nts’ was OK to enter, and then I would go into the patie ld rooms and give them the activity schedule so they wou g doin good y know their activities for the day. I felt reall ld this job because I got to interact with people. I wou say I’m really good at talking to people. nts I also assembled patient strength books that all patie to had I receive when entering the hospital. In this job, continued on page 2 Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries
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OUTLOOK
Fall 2015
Helping Young People with Disabilities Transition to Work Goodwill Launches Boston’s First Project SEARCH Program For youth with developmental disabilities, the challenge of going to work is especially complex. Goodwill is a place they can turn for help, and a new pilot program called the Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is one reason why. Last year the program offered eight Charlestown High School students with developmental disabilities a chance to explore careers through hands-on internships at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. A job site specialist from Goodwill worked directly with the students in conjunction with a special education teacher from Charlestown High School. Together, they were able to help students meet their individual goals and get real world experience working in the healthcare industry. You make it possible for Goodwill to build partnerships within the community — partnerships that transform the lives of people who face barriers to employment — each time you send a generous contribution. Please visit www.goodwillmass.org today to learn more about how Goodwill helps young people with developmental disabilities through Project SEARCH and other programming.
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You Open Doors from page 1
work with one of my fellow classmates. I had to put the dividers in each binder, and then I had to file the papers in orde r for the nurses. I cleaned the physical therapy gyms and I had to organize the weight carts. In my second internship, I work in the Materials Man agement Department. I sterilize medical equipment, stock med ical materials in the stock room, assemble wheelchairs, and deliver materials to the patients. I pick up all the dirty equi pment from all the floors and I put the IV machines and the feedi ng machines on the poles for the patients to use. I have also learn ed all about precautions in the hospital because you don’t want to get other people sick. When a patient is discharged from the hospital, I then have to get the air mattress from the patient’s room and clean it so it is ready for the next patient. As part of the program, I worked with my Goodwill job coach, and learned how to travel to the hospital from my house in Roxbury. Now I use the T to get back and forth to the program. Also, after the program, I pick up my sister from school every day of the week to help out my mom. I don’t let my crutches hold me back from doing anything that I want to do. I am currently applying for Materials Management jobs in different hospitals where I can continue to learn, earn my own money, buy stuff I need, and help my mom take care of my sister. I want to say a special thank you to all of the people who have helped me get real work experience so I can get a real job out in the real world. Thank you for taking the time to learn my story. Enjoy your evening.
Fall 2015
You Give to Goodwill Each Year… Important Programs Continue to Grow A Special Reunion for Program Participants You Have Helped
OUTLOOK
Upcoming Events at Goodwill Goodwill’s annual holiday events are an important tradition that you make possible through your support. Each year, hundreds of Goodwill program participants celebrate their success by bringing their families to our Headquarters and Job Training Center in Roxbury. For each one of them, it’s a chance to enjoy the holidays and look ahead to the future. • November 24 Thanksgiving-in-a-Basket
Your support of Goodwill makes a difference — year after year. That’s especially true when you consider Goodwill’s Human Services Employment Ladder Program (HELP). More than 400 individuals have participated in this important Goodwill job training program since it began in 2004, and a new group of jobseekers is working through the program even as you read this newsletter.
• November 25 Thanks-for-Giving Dinner • December 12 Youth Holiday Party
Recently, graduates from the last five years of HELP classes were invited back to Goodwill for a reunion. On June 17, 2015, they gathered together at Goodwill’s Headquarters and Job Training Center in Roxbury to share where their lives have taken them since they finished HELP and continued on to hold jobs in the human services field. An intensive, eight-week training program, HELP is specially designed to prepare people who face barriers to employment for entry-level human service positions. By working with Goodwill staff, students learn the essentials of working in this challenging field, and they gain significant experience interacting with populations served by human service providers. More than 30 HELP graduates returned to Goodwill in June. In order to receive an invitation, they had to have held their jobs for a period of six months or more. Together, they enjoyed a dinner and the chance to network. Above all, they shared stories of pride in how much they were able to achieve.
Goodwill is proud to hold its annual holiday events, with help from you as well as volunteers such as Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots.
When you send your gift to Goodwill, you make programs such as HELP possible — and you transform the lives of so many people. Please take a moment today to visit www.goodwillmass.org. Learn more about Goodwill’s job training and support programs. Then, make your next gift to help more people reach independence and dignity through work. Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries
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OUTLOOK
Fall 2015
Goodwill Named Disability Nonprofit Brand of the Year in 2015
How You Make a Difference by Giving Young People Turn to Goodwill Each Day of the Year Liliana just began her freshman year at Boston’s Fenway High School.
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a landmark law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. During this important anniversary, Goodwill is proud to have been selected the Disability Nonprofit Brand of the Year in the 2015 Harris Poll. The Harris Poll Equitrend Study that ranked Goodwill surveyed more than 38,000 Americans who assessed brands across 148 categories and named Goodwill as the charity that ranked at the top of the list of Disability Nonprofit Brands.
20 Years of Service The summer of 2015 marked a very special anniversary, as Joanne K. Hilferty celebrated her 20th Year as President and CEO of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries.
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Goodwill’s Youth Initiative offers support and encouragement to youngsters from underserved communities.
For young people like Liliana, who come from underserved communities, having a place to go after school is tremendously important. Goodwill’s comprehensive afterschool program, part of the Youth Initiative, is just such a place. Here, students find support, encouragement and help with their schoolwork.
“Everyone at Goodwill is very welcoming,” says Liliana. “They make me feel at home. I like that I can get my homework done while I’m at Goodwill, then still have time to study when I get home later in the day.” Liliana lives in Dorchester with her parents, and both of them work at jobs that prevent them from getting home at the same time as their daughter. It’s a situation that many families face. Gifts from friends like you make Goodwill’s Youth Initiative possible. That really makes a difference for youngsters like Liliana. She knows that she needs to work hard if she is going to fulfill her goal of one day becoming a nurse practitioner. As this school year begins, please continue your support of Goodwill. Young people who are 12-18 years of age are eligible to take part in Goodwill’s Youth Initiative. You’re invited to read more about the afterschool program, the summer experience, and how your continued support gives youth such as Liliana a chance to thrive. Just visit Goodwill online Goodwill Industries at www.goodwillmass.org Morgan Memorial 1010 Harrison Avenue to read more. Boston, MA 02119 Tel: 617-445-1010 www.goodwillmass.org/outlook Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Your gift to support Goodwill is fully tax deductible to the extent provided by law.