Serving Central and Western Virginia
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Serving Central and Western Virginia
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About Goodwill Industries of the Valleys Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, serving 31 counties and 15 cities in Central and Southwest Virginia, is one of 171 Goodwill member organizations in the United States and Canada.
We provide employment and training services for
people with disabilities or disadvantages while producing and supplying
quality products and services to valued customers. Our programs and services build confidence, foster independence, and instill a sense of community pride. Our employees are motivated, dedicated, and skilled people and are ready to work for you. Our industrial operations division, some of which are ISO Certified, is the best kept secret of Goodwill. We produce a variety of products and provide valuable services for many top companies in our region. Goodwill's largest constituency includes people with vocational disadvantages such as welfare dependency, illiteracy, homelessness, and language barriers. People with developmental disabilities, such as Down's syndrome, make up the second largest group. We also serve people with physical and emotional disabilities, or behavioral disorders. Many of our clients have multiple disabilities.
People are referred to Goodwill by a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor and federal/state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Others are referred privately by friends and relatives, insurance companies, fellow nonprofit organizations, or mental health offices. How We Operate Donors play a pivotal role in our ability to fulfill our mission. Goodwill collects donated clothing and household goods, then sells these items in 20 retail stores. Our retail stores provide jobs for Goodwill workers, plus they give others with little or no work experience an opportunity to adjust to the demands of the workplace. Goodwill also generates revenue by helping community-based businesses to fill gaps caused by labor shortages, time constraints, and limited equipment or space. We train and employ industrial and service contract workers to fill outsourced needs for packaging, assembly, mailing, custodial work, grounds-keeping, and more. When a donation is made to Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, 88% of that gift will go directly to program services and business operations. About Goodwill Industries International Goodwill Industries is all about people working. It is North America's largest nonprofit provider of employment and training services for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. It employs more people with disabilities than any other private-sector business in the world. Goodwill's North American members and international associate members operate under the umbrella of a common mission. However, each Goodwill functions as an independent organization with its own programs, services, and locally-elected board of directors. Goodwill Industries International (GII) links these members together to ensure quality standards, shared leadership, and a fluid exchange of ideas throughout the Goodwill movement. 100 Years of Community Service Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar Helms, a Methodist minister. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired poor people and immigrants to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out" was born. During the decades that followed, Helms' vision spread as Goodwill organizations sprung up throughout North America. The Depression era brought an increased focus on people with disabilities. In later years, people with economic and social barriers to employment began to benefit from Goodwill's outreach. Today, Goodwill is international in scope and the populations we serve are more diverse than ever. Yet our ultimate goal remains unchanged: to place individuals in productive and competitive employment.
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Send mail to ksandridge@goodwillvalleys.com
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Goodwill Industries International
Inc.