Goodwill took root in 1902 when a minister in Boston recognized a need and helped people in his community find meaningful work opportunities. His goodwill efforts became a movement that would eventually grow internationally.
Edgar J. Helms worked as a missionary in the slums of Boston. People, many of them recent immigrants to the U.S., often came to his church looking for help. Rev. Helms did not shy away. He would gather burlap sacks and visit the wealthier residents in his community asking for items they no longer needed or wanted.
After collecting the donations, Rev. Helms took the items to his church where people repaired what was broken and then sold the used goods. He didn't believe in charity. The reverend gave people a chance. The people he worked with found success through their own efforts and with work they gained the dignity that comes with earning a paycheck.
The Goodwill movement swept the country and in 1957 Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc. was formed. For more than 50 years we have dedicated ourselves to helping people in the middle and west Tennessee communities we serve find work.
When our organization opened we worked primarily with people who had disabilities by providing job training and other services. In 1994 it became apparent that a growing number of people without disabilities would also benefit from our services. Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc. then expanded its mission to include clients with challenges ranging from a lapse in their work history, no work history, lack of an education, those with a criminal record, former drug users and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs.
Today our career counselors help a variety of people who come to Goodwill looking for an opportunity to work and to improve their lives.
2009
- 11,237 clients were served by Career Solutions, a 12 percent increase from 2008.
- 2,465 people were placed in jobs through Career SOlutions, an eight percent decrease from the previous year due to the difficult economic climate.
- A Call Center training program was started. Five employees were hired. It is the first of three new programs developed in 2009 to begin.
- Ground was broken for the new Career Solutions Building, with completion expected in late Spring, 2010. The new building will allow the company to expand service offerings and programs.
- Four new donation sites opened, providing 10 new jobs.
- 1,185,217 donors gave their gently-used items to Goodwill, a five percent increase over the previous year.
- Those donors provided 34,750,562 pounds of textiles, including clothing and linens.
- Sales in Goodwill's 32 retail stores topped $41 million, a 10 percent increase over 2008.
- Two new stores opened - a new Outlet store, relocated from Ninth and Herman Streets to Berry Road, and the East Nashville store.
- The e-Commerce team grew to include 33 employees.
- www.onlinegoodwill.com was created, providing shoppers direct access to the thousands of items listed for sale by our Goodwill.
- A new billboard campaign to introduce www.onlinegoodwill.com was introduced, encouraging shoppers to, "Browse, Bid and Buy."
- For the first time in its five-year history, e-Commerce topped $1 million in paid sales.
- The most expensive item sold online was the early 20th century watercolor, "The Felluca Capri, by Ellsworth Woodward, which was bought by the Newcomb Art Gallery at Tulane University for $7,500.
- Three new commercials were added to the "What You Give Me" campaign, focusing on donations and featuring our Goodwill's employees.
2008
- Career Solutions served 10,015 clients, the first time the agency topped 10,000 clients in a one-year period.
- TRAC I served 173 teens in the Summer Program and 47 were hired through transitional services.
- Two stores, Cookeville and Rivergate, each topped $2 million in sales for the first time in the company's history.
- The Shelbyville store relocated to a larger location in the Big Springs Shopping Center, along with its Donation Express Center and Career Solutions team. Seven new employees were added.
- 1,130,431 donors gave Goodwill 33,144,236 pounds of textiles.
- The Hard Goods operation moved to a larger facility, which allowed the team to more than double textile production capabilities.
- In keeping with our efforts to reduce the waste stream, more than 21.4 million pounds of material goods were diverted from landfills thanks to our Salvage and Recycling team.
- Our e-Commerce team doubled in size, ending the year with 19 employees.
- E-Commerce accounted for $70,000 per month in revenue.
- SignSolutions moved to a larger location and hired its first employee, a former client who came to Goodwill through our Career Solutions group.
- SignSolutions launched its Web site, www.goodwillsignsolutions.com and served more than 30 new clients in the community.
- Goodwill Cares was launched to assist our friends and neighbors who experience hardship due to natural disasters, fire, domestic violence or unemployment. Goodwill Cares issues gift certificates for use in our stores to those who qualify.
2007
2006
2005
2000-2004
1994-1999
1974-1994
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