CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OFGOODWILLINCOLORADO AND THE WOMAN WHO STARTED IT ALL Jessica Hudgins Smith PR& Digital Media Manager Goodwill Industries of Denver Goodwilldenver.org
More than a century ago, it would have been a common sight to see a woman riding around on her bicycle near the corner of 31st and Lawrence Streets in what is now the Curtis Park neighborhood of Denver. That woman was prominent Methodist Deaconess Melissa Briggs. She was often seen riding her bike to collect donations of clothing and household items to bring back to the Epworth Institutional Church, which she founded in 1890. At the time, the notoriously rough area was often called ?Hog Ranch?for its abundance of saloons, crime and houses of ill repute. None of that slowed down Briggs, though, as she traveled by foot or bicycle past the saloon customers to collect donations for her congregation. The deaconess repaired and refinished the discarded clothing she collected and gave it away to the poor. In the earliest
days of the Epworth Church, Briggs offered sewing and cooking classes, hosted religious services, and fed hungry children of the neighborhood. Determined to make a difference in the lives of those in need, Briggs?dedication to giving back evolved into what would become Goodwill as we know it today. On April 4, 1918 the Epworth Institutional Church started a program employing wounded veterans and called it Goodwill Industries of Denver. Afew years later, the first Goodwill store in Colorado opened in the back of the Epworth building. Fast forward to 2018 and Goodwill Industries of Denver now operates 30 retail stores, one DĂŠjĂ Blue Boutique, three Outlet Worlds, three Career Connection Centers and several Donation Centers across the Denver metro area and northern Colorado.
