and other community organi- zations, the Marine Corps veteran landed a permanent state employment position with the Employment Devel- opment Department. Now she assists other clients and veterans to obtain training and employment. Griffith says, "I'm very grate- ful for Goodwill Industries and all the help of my com- munity during a transitional time in my life. I was fearful of falling through the cracks of social service agencies and the challenges of the economy. It is hard out there, but with determination and a great team of support, you can succeed and get your life back on track." Griffith is now employed at the Santa Barbara EDD Workforce Services office having completed her first phase of training in Fresno, California, and enjoying helping others become gain- fully employed. Antoinette Griffith, a De- sert Shield, Desert Storm veteran, had been laid off from her job with the City of Los Angeles due to a medical injury about two years ago. This was one of many challenges that affected her over the last two years, resulting in a referral to Goodwill from the Department of Reha- bilitation for work training. She had some job obsta- cles that she needed to overcome. She lost her home, recovered from her medical situation, and did not have her own transportation, which limited her area to search for work. Goodwill case managers, job develop- ers, instructors, and staff worked diligently with Antoinette to help her succeed. Griffith updated her skills in the Office Specialist Pro- gram and continued job searching with her job developers. As a result of such a concentrated effort of support, assistance, and resources from the Department of Rehabili- tation, Goodwill Indus- tries, The Rain Project, Antoinette Griffith, a recent graduate of Goodwill’s Computer Office Specialist Program INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A Message from the Chairman of the Board 2 E-waste Recycling 3 Needle in a Haystack 3 Partnership with Cal Lutheran 4 Donate for Free! 4 First Bookstore Opens 5 Visit from Supervisor John Zaragoza 5 Stores & Donation Sites 7 A Perfect Match 6 Goodwill & Family Circle 6 National Partnership with Jo-Ann Fabric 2 A community newsletter from Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Inc. Summer 2009 Issue 2 If You Can't Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em! Griffith working on the Office Specialist Program Good Matters Goodwill Industries International has expanded its outreach in Latin America and the Caribbean. The newest affiliates to the international organization include Goodwill Industries of the West Indies (Port of Spain, Trinidad), the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities (San Fernando, Trinidad) and the Asociación Civil Buena Voluntad (Goodwill Venezuela) located in Caracas, Venezuela. Three New International Affiliates of Goodwill
Transcript
and other community organi-zations, the Marine Corps veteran landed a permanent state employment position with the Employment Devel-opment Department. Now she assists other clients and veterans to obtain training and employment. Griffith says, "I'm very grate-ful for Goodwill Industries and all the help of my com-munity during a transitional time in my life. I was fearful of falling through the cracks of social service agencies and the challenges of the economy. It is hard out there, but with determination and a great team of support, you can succeed and get your life back on track." Griffith is now employed at the Santa Barbara EDD Workforce Services office having completed her first phase of training in Fresno, California, and enjoying helping others become gain-fully employed.
Antoinette Griffith, a De-sert Shield, Desert Storm veteran, had been laid off from her job with the City of Los Angeles due to a medical injury about two years ago. This was one of many challenges that affected her over the last two years, resulting in a referral to Goodwill from the Department of Reha-bilitation for work training. She had some job obsta-cles that she needed to overcome. She lost her home, recovered from her medical situation, and did not have her own transportation, which limited her area to search
for work. Goodwill case managers, job develop-ers, instructors, and staff worked diligently with Antoinette to help her succeed. Griffith updated her skills in the Office Specialist Pro-gram and continued job searching with her job developers. As a result of such a concentrated effort of support, assistance, and resources from the Department of Rehabili-tation, Goodwill Indus-tries, The Rain Project,
Antoinette Griffith, a recent
graduate of Goodwill’s
Computer Office Specialist
Program
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
A Message from the
Chairman of the Board 2
E-waste Recycling 3
Needle in a Haystack 3
Partnership with Cal Lutheran
4
Donate for Free! 4
First Bookstore Opens 5
Visit from Supervisor John Zaragoza
5
Stores & Donation Sites 7
A Perfect Match 6
Goodwill & Family Circle 6
National Partnership
with Jo-Ann Fabric 2
A community newsletter from Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Inc.
Summer 2009 I s s u e 2
If You Can't Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em!
Griffith working on the
Office Specialist Program
Good Matters
Goodwill Industries International has expanded its outreach in Latin America and the Caribbean. The newest affiliates to the international organization include Goodwill Industries of the West Indies (Port of Spain, Trinidad), the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities (San Fernando, Trinidad) and the Asociación Civil Buena Voluntad (Goodwill Venezuela) located in Caracas, Venezuela.
Three New International Affiliates of Goodwill
It’s easy to forget the past. Revenues are up, sales are the best they have ever been, and we’re growing! We just opened a new location in Moorpark, and one in Fillmore is next. Look at us today, and you would never guess that just a few years ago, things were not so bright. Just getting by month to month was a challenge. We remem-ber when $250 in the bank was a huge surplus. Times have changed. Fast forward to the pre-sent: we have a new administration building, highest store sales ever, and a warehouse burst-
ing at the seams with donations. Things are looking brilliant. But let us not forget why we are here. Goodwill started out with one goal in mind, to remove barri-ers to employment for people who want to im-prove their work skills and gain financial inde-pendence. Last year alone, we served 628 cli-ents, compared to 439 in 2007, representing a 43% increase. Because of our commitment to the community, our clients receive the skills needed to get a job. The true measure of Goodwill’s success isn’t the number of stores, or the amount of revenue, but the hope we provide to the people we serve.
A Message from the Chairman of the Board
and the President/CEO by Steven Loeffler, Chairman of the Board, and Katherine Leahy, President/CEO
I s s u e 2
Board of Directors
Steven Loeffler
Rabobank, N.A.
Tom Waddell
State Farm
Rhoda Meyer
Pacific Earth Resources,
Ltd.
Sharon Iler Roberts
Soares, Sandall, Bernacchi
& Petrovich
Paul Farry
CB Richard Ellis
Tom Gaughan
Coastal Occupational
Medical Group
Amy L. Fonzo
United Way of Ventura
County
Kevin Kildee
Bob Kildee Clothing
Virginia Espinoza
Rabobank, N.A.
David L. Cunningham
Nordman, Cormany, Hair
and Compton
Susan L. McCarthy
Arnold, Bleuel, LaRochelle,
Mathews & Zirbel
Selwyn Miller
Miller Financial Planning
David E. Mead
Theodora Oringher Miller &
Richman, PC
Tom Romero
FTI Services
Carol Mitchell
Ventura County Office of
Education
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
--Helen Keller
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National Partnership with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft On August 11, Goodwill announced a new national partnership with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores — a leading national specialty retailer of crafting, decorating, and sewing products with around 800 stores nationwide.
Jo-Ann’s has committed to donating all aftermarket merchandise to local Goodwills. There is no direct cost to Goodwills to obtain the merchandise; however, agencies
are responsible for all pick-up and delivery costs associated with securing the merchandise.
"At a time when many Goodwills are looking for ways to bolster donations, this partnership offers a regular supply," said Goodwill Industries International Director of Marketing and Cause Partner-ships Ryan Kuhn. And, beyond this specific donation program, Goodwill plans to explore how we can further work with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft on mission fulfillment initiatives.
authorized collector of e-waste. Electronic waste (e-waste) generally refers to ob-solete, broken or irreparable electronic equipment such as televisions, computers and computer monitors, laptops, printers, cell phones, VCRs, DVD players, and fax ma-chines. Spurred by the pro-duction of cheaper electron-ics, rapidly advancing tech-nology and the emergence of popular electronic gadgets, the consumption of electron-ics is dramatically increasing, while the lifespan of electron-ics is relatively short. Electrical items that are do-nated to Goodwill are tested, and if they work, are sold in one of our nine retail loca-tions. If they do not work, or do not sell, they are sold to an authorized recycler. Some of the items such as televisions and computer monitors are covered by SB20/50. This piece of legislation allows re-tailers to charge a fee on new products to pay for recycling
the product when it has reached end of life. The fee is sent to the state, which pays recyclers of the product, who, in turn, pay collectors of the product, like Goodwill. It is much like the CRV fee that is paid on bottles. Approxi-mately 8% of the weight of a cathode ray tube (CRT) found in TV’s and computer moni-tors is lead. That is why it is so important that everyone dispose of these products properly, so that lead does not end up in the landfill. In 2008, this Goodwill collected over 700,000 pounds of e-waste material for recycling.
E-waste Recycling at Goodwill by Bryan Haneiwich, Director of Operations
Needle in a Haystack...Found
P a g e 3 I s s u e 2
The public donates more than 23 million pounds of electron-ics to Goodwill each year. Re-cent studies show certain ma-terials used in electronics pose hazards to human health and the environment. Cathode ray tubes - the glass picture tubes found in TVs and computer monitors -- contain five to eight pounds of lead. Computers also contain
heavy metals, such as lead, chromium, nickel and zinc. Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Inc. is authorized by the State of California Integrated Waste Management Board as an
In April, the typical time for spring cleaning, we received a frantic telephone call from a man who acci-dentally donated a bag containing hand made Halloween costumes. He had donated the items at the donation site in Thousand Oaks. He wanted to know if he could come to the warehouse and “search” for the missing items. We explained to him that, unfortunately, that would be an impossible task, given the mass quantity of product. However, we did explain to him that donations from the Thousand Oaks site are often shipped to Santa Maria, and that we would alert the staff there to search for the items. A few days later, the costumes were found. We called the donor and told him that we would have the items shipped back on the next truck. He was so anxious to retrieve the items that he jumped in his car, and arrived in Santa Maria three hours later, with a box of candy for the crew to show his gratitude. We will never know why the two home made costumes were so important to the donor and his wife, but it was gratifying to be able to help those who so generously support us.
Customer service makes a difference.
Goodwill’s Partnership with Cal Lutheran by Bryan Haneiwich, Director of Operations
I s s u e 2
For the last two years, Goodwill Industries has part-nered with California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks to receive recyclable items and donations. This spring, there were two drop off sites on campus during the last week of school. As students moved out of the dormitories, they donated unwanted furniture and cloth-ing. The event netted 5,000 pounds of material that was diverted from county landfills. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Cal Lutheran. In May, we participated in a city-wide cleanup and recy-cling event in Thousand Oaks. We partnered with the
City, the landfill operators, and two recyclers. During the six-hour event, over 1,500 cars came through to drop off items for proper disposal, including trash, recyclable items and donations. Goodwill received approximately 12,000 pounds of donations during the event. We want to thank the City of Thousand Oaks for its support, and the local residents for their generosity.
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GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50% of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It is a simple and compelling concept. You use Good-Search exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it is powered by Ya-hoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime! In 2007, GoodSearch was expanded to include GoodShop, an online shopping mall of world-class merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall results in a donation to the user's desig-nated charity or school – averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more. How It Works:
• On the GoodSearch homepage, choose from thousands of organizations or add your favorite cause to the list.
• Search the Internet just like you normally would — the site is powered by Yahoo!, so you'll get high-quality search results.
• Fifty percent of the revenue generated from advertisers is shared with the charity, school or nonprofit organization of your choosing. So remember, next time you use the Internet to find something, just visit http://www.goodsearch.com or http://www.goodshop.com, and you will be donating for free!
Donate for Free! GoodSearch and GoodShop by Bruce Wilroy, Vice President of Workforce Services
On June 10th, 2009 Goodwill was pleased to welcome Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza, who came to visit Goodwill with his Chief of Staff Stan Hakes. Since the Su-pervisor was instrumental in estab-lishing the Del Norte Recycling and Transfer Station, he was particularly interested in Goodwill’s recycling efforts. Supervisor Zaragoza and Stan Hakes were also given informa-tion about our vocational services programs and our retail operations. During a “behind the scenes” tour of our facility at 130 Lombard Street in Oxnard, Supervisor Zaragoza was surprised to see how organized our warehouse is.
Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties serves the community by helping people with bar-riers to employment achieve economic independence through training, edu-cation, and employment. Goodwill wants to thank Supervisor John Zaragoza for his clear interest shown in Goodwill and its mission.
Goodwill Welcomes County Supervisor John Zaragoza
Goodwill Industries Opens First Bookstore/Donation Center
I s s u e 2 P a g e 5
Ventura County Supervisor
John Zaragoza
On May 7, 2009, Goodwill Industries opened a Book Store/Donation site in the city of Moorpark. Some of the most popular items at Goodwill Retail Stores are books. By opening a book-store, Goodwill is providing a service to its book customers who will now have a store dedicated to their shopping needs and will no longer have to bounce from store to store looking for inexpen-sive hard to find books. While this concept has been used at other Goodwills in California, this was our first endeavor with a much smaller location with donation collection as the primary focus.
The goal is to sell enough books, media, and electronics to cover the cost of rent, utilities, employee wages, and other payroll related expenses, while collecting approximately
30,000 pounds of donated materials per month. The site employs three full time workers and is open seven days a week.
Sometimes, people seem to find a job that was made for them. We had been working with Thomas for over a year. He was re-ferred to us by the Depart-ment of Rehabilitation. He had several barriers to em-ployment including limited finger dexterity. Thomas had held few jobs and had many gaps in his work his-tory. After working with Thomas for months, helping him hone his interviewing skills and identifying jobs suitable for him, Goodwill employed Thomas to
work on an in-house assembly project, where he did a great job. Thomas’s Employment Specialist and Case Manager helped him apply for various positions at local companies. He applied for a job as a Courtesy Clerk at a local Vons. Thomas was con-tacted for an interview. Goodwill staff advocated for him and his Employment Specialist was present for the interview. Soon af-terwards, Thomas was offered the job, and he accepted. The
Department of Rehabili-tation approved job coaching hours to en-sure that he is trained for work related duties. He has excellent customer service skills and ap-pears to be a great fit at Vons as a Courtesy Clerk.
A Perfect Match by Bruce Wilroy, Vice President of Workforce Services
I s s u e 2
Goodwill & Family Circle: Five Million Pounds of Clothing
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To ensure that every child goes back to school in style this year, Goodwill Industries International® and Family Circle have teamed up to launch a five million pound back-to-school clothing drive which will run from Saturday, August 1, through Wednesday, September 30. A full- page advertisement on the partnership appears in the September issue of Family Circle, the first-ever issue completely dedicated to back-to-school topics. The clothing drive encourages families to donate unwanted adult and kids’ clothes to their local Goodwill® donation centers. The donated items will be sold in Goodwill retail stores, making affordable, contemporary clothing available to families on budgets, while generating revenue that funds Goodwill’s job training programs and career services to help families achieve economic success.
