GOODWILL
WORKS
GOODWILL OF THE OLYMPICS & RAINIER REGION
A COMMUNITY REPORT | SUMMER 2019
GOODWILL OPENS NEW HIGH-TECH TRAINING CENTER In June, Goodwill opened the doors to a new free education and job training facility in Yakima. A state-of-the-art distance learning classroom within the Union Gap Goodwill store features live interactive instruction between Yakima, Tacoma, and Longview Work Opportunity Centers enabling courses to be taught simultaneously at all three sites.
WAREHOUSE CAREER PROGRAM NOW INCLUDES INTRODUCTION TO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
“Thanks to the revenue from our stores in Yakima, Selah, and Union Gap, we're able to offer this new education center to provide free education, life skills, and job placement services to help people land jobs and pursue careers,” said Lori Forte Harnick, President and CEO of Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region.
Goodwill has upgraded its warehouse career path program to become more valuable to a wider range of employers and job seekers. The new 12-week Advanced Manufacturing & Warehouse Program features modern warehouse training and an introduction to the principles of advanced manufacturing. The next program begins on September 20th and includes a “career potential” orientation workshop developed by Goodwill’s program partner, the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC). The workshop helps job-seekers navigate the various career pathways into a number of manufacturing industries. In addition to warehouse operations, graduates can now pursue employment and potential careers in a range of companies, such as RTC Aerospace, General Plastics, Cadence Aerospace, and BPI Medical.
The new Goodwill Work Opportunity Center in Yakima offers students free job training and career readiness classes.
Initial programs offered are education for the modern warehouse and manufacturing industries (the Advanced Manufacturing & Warehouse Program), a paid job training or retraining program for seniors (Senior Community Services Employment Program or SCSEP), and a course preparing people with career readiness skills (the Goodwill Career Readiness Education and Development program). “I enrolled in the program because I have an interest in machine work,” said student Kristina Gjersing. “I didn’t think I would enjoy a class taught across three locations, but the instructors read over things out loud and the technology allows the entire class to work together. I didn’t expect this, but I have come to love learning in this environment,” said Gjersing.
Kristina Gjersing
TOP MENTORING SERVICE FOR VETERANS JOINS GOODWILL
Boots to Shoes (BTS), a unique civilian-to-military mentoring service that is unmatched in the government or private sector, is now a part of Goodwill’s Military and Veteran Services Program. With BTS President/Co-founder Tricia Stromberg and longtime Executive Director Patricia Conover retiring, Boots to Shoes wanted to transition current operations and services to another high quality organization. “We feel that placing our program within Goodwill will offer the best services to the 2,500 service members transitioning to civilian life in this region each year,” said BTS Program Director Heather Wise. Boots to Shoes (BTS), Helping 21st Century Veterans Capture 21st Century Jobs, engages and trains volunteers from the business community to be mentors for transitioning veterans. BTS civilian mentors are trained to provide coaching for resumes, job search plans, interview skills, and support to the bottom line: appreciation for the veteran’s service to country.
Helping military transition from boots to shoes are mentors (l to r) Michael McGuire, Steve Peterson, Mason Blacher, Michael Farnum, Steve Bloomquist and Mike Martinez.
Goodwill’s Veterans Services (Military to Civilian) Program helps transitioning servicemen, veterans, and their family members with civilian job training and placement services.
EMPLOYMENT READINESS AND ADVANCEMENT SKILLS ADDED TO GOODWILL'S JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS
A special program to help the unemployed increase their incomes, improve their credit, be more competitive in their job search and careers, and raise their standard of living has been incorporated into all of Goodwill’s career education and training.
Google volunteer Caroline Danzi advises hopeful job seekers.
"GOOGLERS" GIVE BACK TO TACOMA JOB SEEKERS THROUGH GOODWILL
In late June, more than 30 job seekers in Tacoma tapped the expertise of Google employees volunteering their time to help others get jobs in the technology field. Eight volunteers from “GoogleServe” spent the day providing individual and group feedback on competitive resume building and succeeding in technology interviews. Across the U.S., more than 300 “Googlers” volunteered this summer with local Goodwills and the 4-H youth development organization. The GoogleServe program, in its 11th year, has helped millions of Americans expand their digital skills and access career opportunities.
Thanks to a $190,000 grant over two years from the Citi Foundation, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and United Way of Pierce County, the Bridges to Career Opportunity Initiative is funding skills training and career development. Personal finance coaching, continuing education courses to strengthen math and reading skills, and resources to help job seekers secure transportation, child care, and housing arrangements are also included. “Our vocational training programs are more valuable to both employers and job candidates when they include additional support services focused on individual well-being and career progression,” said Jayme Kaniss, PhD, Dean of Vocational School Programs for Goodwill. As of July, more than 100 people are benefitting from these services featured in Goodwill’s new Career Readiness Education & Development (CRED) program. Financial Education Manager Norman Brickhouse provides personal finance coaching to Stanley Nesby.
Pierce County partner organizations sponsor resume building, mock-interviews, and other activities prior to the HIRE 253 Job Fair – a primary reason for 32% of attendees receiving job offers.
APRIL HIRING EVENT LARGEST YET
More than 200 job seekers secured employment in April and May thanks to the latest Goodwill-hosted HIRE 253 Job Fair, a quarterly event sponsored by Pierce County coalition to end homelessness, including Catholic Community Services, Tacoma Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Career Path Services, Sound Outreach, the DSHS Employment Pipeline, Valeo Vocation, and WorkSource Pierce. At the April fair, eighty-one employers in multiple career fields conducted more than 650 job interviews. The 653 attendees also accessed housing, education, training, food, clothing, and healthcare assistance while at the hiring event. The event launched careers for 32% of attendees and continued to support the rest with follow-up services. The HIRE 253 Job Fair places a priority on youth or adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability, with about 21% of attendees experiencing this barrier. The next HIRE 253 Job Fair will take place September 24th at Goodwill’s Milgard Work Opportunity Center in Tacoma.
EU-WANDA EAGANS TO LEAD GOODWILL'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Eu-wanda Eagans has joined Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region as Senior Vice President of Workforce Development. She assumes responsibility for the mission services of Goodwill – providing free job training and placement services in a variety of career fields to approximately 7,000 individuals this year. Eagans comes to Goodwill with more than 20 years of experience in workforce development, private sector business, and nonprofit leadership, serving most recently as the Chief Operating Officer for Northwest Harvest in Seattle. Previously, she served as the Assistant Commissioner of the Employment and Career Development Division at the Washington State Employment Security Department, overseeing the state’s partnership with WorkSource. Eagans began her career in private sector business with management level positions at the General Motors Corporation in Detroit and the Energizer Battery Company in North Carolina.
GOODWILL JOINS 13 PARTNERS IN EFFORT TO REDUCE POVERTY IN EAST TACOMA
Goodwill and thirteen partners within the Tacoma-Pierce County Employment & Training Consortium have been awarded more than $1.7 million in state funding to help move families and children in East Tacoma (Salishan) out of poverty. Goodwill’s role in the consortium effort will be to deliver job readiness education, such as math tutoring, digital literacy, and skills for effective workplace communications. Funding was provided through an Economic Security for All (EcSA) grant from Washington State’s Employment Security Department.
Approximately 700-800 teachers from South King County to Vancouver take advantage of Goodwill's program each year.
4TH ANNUAL TEACHER BOOK GIVEAWAY: 50,000 BOOKS FOR OUR STUDENTS
Goodwill will host its fourth annual Teacher Book Giveaway this year as we continue to address the needs of our youngest learners in the community. The event will take place August 24th from 9am – 2pm at four locations: 38th St. store in Tacoma, Olympia Outlet store, Kent Outlet store, and the Goodwill store in Selah. Teachers will be able to take up to 50 books each to stock their classrooms for the coming year. They will also be given a coupon to shop at Goodwill for any last minute classroom needs, and free book coupons to give to each of their students – extending the reach of our community event. To date, Goodwill has provided more than 100,000 books for teachers in the South Puget Sound and Central Washington community.
HIGH SCHOOL TO HEALTHCARE CAREERS PILOT PROGRAM A FIRST YEAR SUCCESS
Sixty freshmen have completed their initial year in the new Healthcare Careers Academy (HCA) at Stadium High School in Tacoma. The four-year pilot program engages students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in healthcare. Goodwill, with Chase Foundation support, provides a student coordinator onsite at Stadium High School to organize activities, such as field trips and job shadows for students to gain experience with associated medical and technical college partners. “One of the greatest things is the growth of the students. Many have found their stride in leadership roles and have found their purpose not only in high school but in their future careers,” said Aja Cheslik, Goodwill’s Healthcare Careers Academy Coordinator located at Stadium High School.
Students learn about Biotech careers visiting the RAIN Incubator lab in Tacoma.
The Healthcare Careers Academy (HCA) is a partnership between Tacoma Public Schools, MultiCare Health System, CHI Franciscan, University of Washington Tacoma, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, Bates Technical College, the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and Goodwill.
SAFEWAY AND ALBERTSONS CUSTOMERS RAISE FUNDS FOR GOODWILL PROGRAMS ACROSS WASHINGTON STATE
In April, Safeway and Albertsons partnered with Goodwill for a statewide round-up fundraising campaign at their checkout stands. In Goodwill’s Olympic and Rainier Region, 65 Safeway and Albertsons raised nearly $48,000 during the nine-day campaign, which will help provide the area’s unemployed free access to educational services and job training programs in a variety of career fields.
Goodwill Disability Services Job Developer Sandra Puehl and 38th Street Safeway Store Director Brian Nagy congratulate Adam Pulk on his new Safeway job. Adam accessed Goodwill’s HIRE 253 and Sandra’s coaching to land his latest career move.
MAKING SURE GOODWILL DONATIONS ARE HELPING
"Job training is so important to our communities. Despite record low unemployment rates, there are still too many who face barriers to entry in the job market,” said Sara Osborne, Director of Public Affairs for Safeway and Albertsons. “Our support of Goodwill is natural because we have been hiring their graduates for decades with great success.”
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Dear friends, This season’s newsletter showcases the launch of several new initiatives and the strengthening of several ongoing partnerships and programs – all made possible by your generous support of our Goodwill and the people we serve.
A broken doll, an old shower head, a worn couch, and floppy disks. These are examples of what some people donate to thrift stores. The problem? The items can’t be resold and add to the organization’s trash pile. Goodwill depends on donations and thrift store sales to provide $9 million worth of free services for the unemployed, such as career training in a variety of fields, life skills education, and job placement and assistance. But when people drop off things that can’t be sold, it creates a sizable expense that reduces Goodwill’s public services. During the peak summer season for donations, the cost to Goodwill to store, transport, and dispose of unsalable items can reach upwards of $320,000. Donation centers accept gently used clothing, household goods, toys, and sporting goods, along with home decor. But there are some things these donation centers do not take. These can include treadmills, heavy entertainment centers, computer printers, food, and car seats. For more information visit https://www.goodwillwa.org/donate/ store-guidelines/
We launched a new initiative in the area of fundraising. This year, we were honored to be selected by Safeway/Albertson’s as the featured nonprofit for “round-up” at their cash registers during the week leading up to Easter and Passover. As a result, hundreds of Safeway/ Albertson’s customers raised thousands of dollars for our Goodwill and we could not be more grateful for their generosity. In addition, we were delighted to return to Yakima with a new offering of education and job training services delivered through a Work Opportunity Center in our Union Gap store. This is a first for us! Housing a work opportunity center within a store helps us serve the Eastern Washington community in a seamless and cost-effective way by increasing awareness of our workforce development services among our shoppers and donors and by leveraging our state-ofthe-art distance learning theater in Tacoma. And, we’ve added a new element to one of our signature programs: military and veterans services. Our Goodwill is now the proud provider of Boots-to-Shoes, an innovative mentoring program for members of the military seeking to transition to a civilian career. Boots-to-Shoes is a grassroots, home-grown effort that has been very successful since its early launch. We are so pleased to carry its tradition and impact forward as we integrate it into our portfolio of military and veterans workforce development services. These are just a few of the new developments you’ll read about it in this newsletter issue and the common thread throughout all is partnering for impact. Wherever possible, we are eager to partner with others to serve our community together, bringing out the best in each other to deliver maximum impact for people with the greatest need. If you have an idea for a partnership that will strengthen our community services, we’d love to hear it! Thank you!
Lori Forte Harnick President & CEO
GOODWILL LAUNCHES CAREER CATALYST CIRCLES TO ALIGN JOB TRAINING WITH EMPLOYER TALENT NEEDS Goodwill is launching a new initiative – Career Catalyst Circles – to give employers a forum to provide input into Goodwill’s job training programs so they match their hiring needs and requirements.
For more information about joining a Goodwill Career Catalyst Circle, please contact Mike Shields, Director of Corporate Partnerships, at 253.573.6650 (mikes@goodwillwa.org)
The initiative is starting with two founding members, each aligned with a signature Goodwill training program. Milgard Windows and Doors is the founding member of the Manufacturing & Warehousing Career Catalyst Circle and Safeway/Albertson’s is the founding member of the Culinary & Barista Career Catalyst Circle. The objective is to have 10 members of each Career Catalyst Circle who will create a circle of input and influence to help Goodwill evolve its workforce development programs in sync with the evolving needs of the regional business community.
V IS I ON
M I SS I O N
Our vision is that every person has the
Our mission is to help people reach their fullest potential through education, job
opportunity to learn, work, and thrive
placement, and career pathway services made possible by community donations,
in all aspects of life.
purchases, and partnerships.
NEW BOARD OFFICERS & MEMBERS In January, Goodwill welcomed six new board members: Greg Biersack, CEO & Founder of Reach Service LLC; Susan Brinkman, CTFA, SVP, Trust Market Manager at Columbia Trust Company; Jason Hall, SVP & Wealth Advisor at Key Private Bank; Bev Losey, CLU, SVP, Employee Benefits
DONATE
GET
INVOLVED
Donate gently used clothing and household items goodwillwa.com/donate
Practice Leader at Brown & Brown of Washington, Inc.; Barbara Mitchell Briner, Executive Director, Client Advisor at J.P. Morgan Private Bank; Andy Stolz, VP, Wealth Planner at Stolz & Associates, P.S.
GOODWILL BOARD
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
DIRECTORS
Greg Biersack CHAIR MISSION SERVICES CHAIR Susan Brinkman, CTFA Christopher Algeo Bill Dickens Anthony Chen, M.D. CHAIR ELECT Rory Connally FUNDRAISING CHAIR Colette Taylor Suzy Esposito Andy Stolz Demetrius Forte TREASURER Josh Garcia Dr. Shahrokh Saudagaran BOARD DEVELOPMENT Daniel Glover SECRETARY & GOVERNANCE CHAIR Jason Hall Charelle Foege Carlyn Roy Terry Jones Jacqueline Justice MEMBER-AT-LARGE Karen Koch Shannon Govia Bev Losey, CLU Barbara Mitchell Briner WORK OPPORTUNITY CENTERS: 714 S 27th St • Tacoma, WA 98409 • 253.573.6500
GIVE Give a financial contribution to sustain our impactful community programs goodwillwa.org/give
VOLUNTEER Volunteer your time at Goodwill to help others goodwillwa.org/ about/volunteer
SHOP Shop at one of our retail stores goodwillwa.org/shop or shop online shopgoodwill.com/goodwillwa
REFER Refer someone to a Goodwill job training program goodwillwa.org/training
HIRE Hire a Goodwill program graduate to access great talent, eager to work goodwillwa.org/businesses/ hire-our-grads
PARTNER Become a Goodwill Corporate Alliance Partner goodwillwa.org/ businesses/corporate-alliance
1030 15th Ave • Longview, WA 98362 • 360.501.8340 1907 S First St • Yakima, WA 98903 • 253.260.0303 goodwillwa
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