Goodwill Outlook - Spring 2015

OUTLOOK

The Official Newsletter for Supporters of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries

Spring 2015

Your Gift to Goodwill Makes a Difference for Young People Goodwill’s Youth Initiative...After School and All Year Long When you are 15 years old, doing your homework isn’t always your favorite after-school activity. Maybe that’s why Jayden wasn’t excited to find out that his father had signed him up for a special program at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries: The Youth Initiative.

“My dad saw a flyer for the Youth Initiative at Goodwill,” says Jayden. “He said he signed me up because he wanted me to get help with my homework.”

Goodwill’s Youth Initiative is a program made possible through generous support from donors like you. For Jayden, and for so many other young people in Boston’s under-served communities, the Youth Initiative has proven itself essential — and is much more than an after-school study hall.

After School Jayden attends Tech Boston Academy in Dorchester. He takes public transit to Goodwill’s headquarters in Roxbury immediately after school ends each day. He’s done that for two years. It is his daily routine.

“Even on days when we get out of school early, I go home first,” says Jayden. “But then I always go to Goodwill.”

After-school programming is just one component of the Youth Initiative, which is a Goodwill program that provides young people like Jayden with a year-round, positive atmosphere — an escape to a supportive environment. He does his homework and he socializes with other youth who rely on Goodwill. Together, they take part in activities focused on leadership development, college planning, financial literacy and recreation. That’s true during the school year and during the summer months.

Your support of Goodwill helps young people like Jayden, pictured here with his parents and his Goodwill mentor, Luis Castillo.

“The Youth Initiative is a comprehensive effort,” says Joanne Hilferty, Goodwill’s President and CEO. “Through the Youth Initiative, we’re trying to meet the needs of as many young people as possible so that they have a chance to succeed.”

As one of more than 120 young people who participate in the Youth Initiative, Jayden gets guidance and encouragement — key ingredients to transitioning to adulthood and into the world of college and work. For so many youth from disadvantaged communities, Goodwill is the only place to turn for a structured environment outside of school hours. It has certainly made a meaningful difference for Jayden. continued on page 2 Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries

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OUTLOOK

Spring 2015

BNY Mellon and the 31 Nights of Light Prudential Center Lighting

On December 29, 2014, Jayden and other young people from Goodwill’s Youth Initiative were on hand for a special “flip the switch” ceremony at Boston’s famed Prudential Center Tower. For one evening during the holiday season, the Prudential Center lights turned blue in honor of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries and its impact within the community because of donors like you.

Goodwill was pleased to be joined by a representative from BNY Mellon — a generous corporate supporter of the Youth Initiative — at the Prudential Center’s 31 Nights of Light event. The evening helped raise awareness for Goodwill’s mission and offered a wonderful chance to recognize just how much continued support matters for important Goodwill programs such as the Youth Initiative.

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Youth Initiative from page 1

Mentoring A major part of the Youth Initiative is the mentoring program. Last year, 100% of the young people participating in the Youth Initiative at Goodwill who expressed a desire to have an adult mentor were paired with one. That includes Jayden.

“I like working with my mentor,” says Jayden. “Mr. Castillo gives me good advice.”

You’ve probably never stopped to consider just how important a mentor is to a young person like Jayden, but it’s a crucial aspect of the program Goodwill offers youth. Exposure to adults who are caring and committed — invested in the growth of teens from underserved communities — often has a positive, life-long impact.

Goodwill’s mentoring program is made possible, in part, through the continuing support of generous donors like you. Each time you give to Goodwill, you enhance the opportunities that are extended to Jayden and other young people.

A Bright Future Ahead Jayden is one of many teenagers at Goodwill who choose to pursue summer job opportunities each year in order to gain valuable work experience. Last summer, he worked at one of Goodwill’s retail locations.

“During the summer, I worked at the main Goodwill store,” says Jayden. “I hung up clothes and I made sure things were neat and organized for customers all the time.”

Jayden’s dream is to one day become a music teacher so that he can share his love of music with children. And so far, his work experience is serving him well. Through the encouragement he has received at Goodwill, he is becoming increasingly driven and determined. He gets good grades in Physics and Algebra — his two favorite high school classes — so it's no wonder he enjoys most the various college tour trips run by Goodwill.

You open the door to opportunity for young people like Jayden each time you give to Goodwill — and that is true no matter how much you contribute. Please visit www.goodwillmass.org to make your next gift to Goodwill online today!

Spring 2015

Danielle is a Military Veteran Raising Children on Her Own Your Continued Support of Goodwill Helped Her Land a Job Danielle came to Goodwill in August 2013. She wanted assistance finding a job after being unemployed for almost two years.

She received the help she needed at Goodwill’s Boston Career Link.

OUTLOOK

Upcoming Events at Goodwill You give individuals a chance to achieve independence and dignity through work each time you give to Goodwill. The events listed below will benefit Goodwill program participants and their families in the months ahead.

• May 20 Put Your Clothes to Work Reception • June 11 The Good Party

Goodwill’s one-stop career center, Boston Career Link, serves thousands of people each year. It is a resource for unemployed and underemployed individuals alike.

“I had to find a job,” says Danielle. “I wanted to work in the medical field.” Danielle is raising her two young children on her own. She’s also a veteran of the U.S. Army.

To meet increased demands for job support services from returning veterans, Goodwill has enhanced its Boston Career Link efforts.

Recently, a representative who specializes in the career needs of veterans was added — a representative who worked personally with Danielle.

Today, Danielle is back to work at a job she really enjoys. She wasn’t able to find a role in the medical field as she originally planned, and Goodwill’s staff helped her realize that she needed to expand her search and consider alternatives. As a result, she applied for and landed a job working as a support specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. She credits much of her success to Goodwill and the help she received.

Janet Wu of WHDH-TV 7 News in Boston speaks at Goodwill’s annual Put Your Clothes to Work Reception.

“Things really worked out,” she says. “This job pays better than what I would have found in the medical field. I was going nowhere until I came to the career center.”

Visit www.goodwillmass.org today. Learn more about the programs available to people like Danielle and make your next life-changing gift to Goodwill.

By supporting Goodwill generously year after year, you give individuals who face barriers to employment a chance to reach self-sufficiency.

Guests enjoy Goodwill’s signature annual event, The Good Party.

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Spring 2015

Your Gifts at Work You know that your support of Goodwill has a life-changing impact for individuals seeking to reach self-sufficiency. There are several events held each year for Goodwill program participants — events made possible through your generosity. Here is what we have done this past year with your help:

One Last Gift to Goodwill A Long-Time Donor Made a Remarkable Decision You are a valued Goodwill donor. As such, you demonstrate that you care about people each time you make a gift. At Goodwill, your philanthropy is important because of the difference it makes.

Alice Dedeyan knew how much giving to Goodwill matters.

When she was a young girl, Goodwill helped her and her family. She understood first-hand the life-changing power of each gift she sent.

Last November, Goodwill provided approximately 1,200 Thanksgiving dinners through its annual Thanks-for-Giving Dinner and Thanksgiving-in-a-Basket event — the latter of which featured Julian Edelman, who is pictured above with Goodwill President and CEO Joanne K. Hilferty, and other members of the New England Patriots.

Ms. Dedeyan worked in the Admissions Office of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some years, she gave $50 to Goodwill. Other times, she sent $500 or more. She knew that no matter how much she gave, she was helping other families achieve self-sufficiency.

Goodwill was saddened to learn that Ms. Dedeyan died in February 2013, just after she turned 96 years old. She was as kind as she was generous.

Her generosity recently continued.

During her life, Ms. Dedeyan made the incredible decision to include Goodwill in her estate plans. Specifically, she decided to donate the value of her home. For Goodwill, that meant a gift that arrived last fall — a gift of more than $300,000.

Today, Ms. Dedeyan’s remarkable, planned gift is benefiting the many individuals who come to Goodwill seeking the opportunity to gain independence and dignity through work.

And you can follow the amazing example she has set.

Nearly 250 children whose families have turned to Goodwill for help, including the girl and boy pictured here, were able to celebrate and receive a gift at Goodwill’s annual Youth Holiday Party last December.

Please visit www.goodwillmass.org today to learn more about how your continued support will help people achieve self-sufficiency through work.

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Please be as generous as you can in your support of Goodwill this year. If the opportunity to include Goodwill in your own estate plans arises in the future, we hope you will consider us and the life-changing impact you would have for the families we help year after year.

Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries 1010 Harrison Avenue 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.