02 May Mission Possible: Goodwill Industries Week

Courtesy of Goodwill Industries International

When Rev. Dr. Edgar J. Helms founded Goodwill Industries® in 1902, he couldn’t have envisioned our reliance on social media, nor the role it would play in educating the public about our mission. Yet, web sites, blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other new media have helped Goodwill® take its social entrepreneurship role to new heights.

Technology — once thought of as cold and impersonal — can actually make Goodwill’s mission more tangible and meaningful to you: our shoppers and donors, business and government partners.

The most dramatic example to date is the launch of the Donate Movement, around which people united for a common cause — protecting the environment through socially conscious donations. Goodwill’s groundbreaking Donation Impact Calculator  demonstrates the value of donations to the planet and to the people Goodwill serves through critical job training and career services.

So while the Donation Impact Calculator can show you how much job training your old sweater or bicycle can fund or how many pounds of usable goods are diverted from landfills, our Success Stories lets you see someone who has earned a job or overcome an obstacle that kept him or her from succeeding in the workplace.

During the first week of May, which marks the 60th Anniversary of Goodwill Industries Week, we want to thank you again for the part you play in our history and in our future. Your continued support keeps alive a century-old vision that we all have a role to play in protecting the planet and transforming lives through the power of work.