“We are honored to be recognized as non-profit of the year,” said Fred Shelfer, CEO of Goodwill Industries – Big Bend. “At Goodwill, our mission is to turn donations into jobs for those who struggle to find a place in the workforce and homes for people with disabilities.  We thank every member of the community who donates and shops with Goodwill.  You help us achieve this critical mission.”

Goodwill Industries was founded in 1902 and Goodwill Industries – Big Bend has been operating in Tallahassee since 1965. It began with a small single location and three employees.  Today Goodwill Industries –Big Bend has over 700 employees and multiple locations throughout the Big Bend including 7 Career Training Centers and 11 apartment complexes.  Goodwill provides job training, education, employment and housing for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment using the income generated from their local stores.

Revenue from the retail stores is returned to the community through Goodwill services like job training and housing.

Goodwill Industries – Big Bend, Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to provide job training, education and employment to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, helping them reach their fullest potential in supporting themselves and their families. Goodwill also provides barrier-free apartment complexes in which people with disabilities can live independently. Founded in Boston in 1902, Goodwill Industries first put people to work by hiring them to repair and sell donated goods. Today, Goodwill trains people for careers in fields such as financial services, computer programming, manufacturing and emerging industries, including technology and health care.

“I am very grateful for the generosity of our community,” said Brooke Lochore, Vice President of Public Relations. “It’s great to see how we can pull together to support Goodwill so Goodwill can provide the tools to help put people to work.”

Culpepper Construction, Sunshine Savings Bank, Tallahassee Land Management, and Clear Channel Communications were the Business Sponsors, Brown and Brown Insurance was the lunch sponsor, and Advanced Business System was the beverage sponsor.  Thank you to all the teams that played.   The 1^st place gross winner was the Cook Brothers team with Jimmy Hughes, Finley Cook, Chip Campbell, and Grady Campbell. The 1^st place net winner was Advanced Business Systems with Scott Tharpe, Jason Jones, Clay Cantley, and Fred Cantley.

Goodwill Industries- Big Bend, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity with a mission to provide job training, education and employment to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, helping them to reach their fullest potential in supporting themselves and their families. Goodwill also provides barrier-free apartment complexes in which people with disabilities can live independently. For more information about Goodwill visit www.goodwillbigbend.com  or contact Brooke Lochore at 850-694-0943 or blochore@goodwillbigbend.com.

“April 22 is Earth Day, and it provides the perfect opportunity for individuals to commit to one new green practice that can make a difference. Small acts add up to big change when you harness the power of millions who care about our planet,” said Brooke Lochore, VP of Public Relations.

Through the sale of donations, Goodwill diverts billions of pounds of usable goods from landfills annually. Revenues from the sale of these goods at Goodwill stores fund programs that put people to work, including people with disabilities, those who lack education or job experience, and others facing challenges to finding employment. And, like donors, shoppers play a key role in the process. When people find bargains in their local Goodwill stores, they not only save money, but they also extend the lifespan of items that would otherwise be discarded.

To show individuals how their donations make a difference, Goodwill developed the patent-pending Donation Impact Calculator at http://donate.goodwill.org. The calculator translates the value of donations into job training programs, employment placement services and other vital programs that benefit local communities. For example, the donation of one working computer translates into 5.8 hours of a job search class. In 2011, more than 100,000 people saw the impact their donations made through 288,000 calculations on the site.

“For more than a century, Goodwill has linked protecting the environment to helping people earn paychecks, support their families and strengthen their communities,” said Lochore. “Each individual shopper and donor is an important partner in what we do.”

The first Hospitality class finished in March and two participants have already obtained jobs in the hospitality industry. Of the four participants who completed the course, three qualified for the Certificate of Achievement and customized job referrals with one-on-one assistance finding employment. Goodwill’s Springfield Career Training Center Lab Manager, Sheila Harmon, is working actively to help the third successful participant obtain a job.

“We are very excited to be bringing this specialized training to the community,” said Harmon. “The success of our first program participants is outstanding and we look forward to helping more people find jobs and gain valuable skills in the growing hospitality industry.”

The Hospitality program is a 100-hour instructor-led course which includes training materials developed by Goodwill and the American Hotel Lodging Education Institute.  The curriculum includes: text, demonstrations, lecture, presentations, guest speakers, class activities, and research. The class is treated as a mock worksite and students are assessed accordingly by their instructor.  The class includes in-depth coverage of topics that include: excellence in customer service, exceptional telephone skills, salesmanship, rooms division and duties, reservationist and duties, front desk representative duties, PBX Operator duties, and more. When available, the training will include onsite visits to local hotels and restaurants. Upon completion of the training and follow-up activities, both participants and employers may also qualify for certification from the American Hotel and Lodging Education Institute.

The next Hospitality Training class begins on Monday, April 30^th at 9:00AM. The classes run four weeks, Monday-Thursday, 9:00AM- 3:00PM. Mandatory orientation will be held at the Goodwill Springfield Career Training Center located at 3207 E. 4th Street, Springfield, FL 32401 on Wednesday, April 25 from 1:00PM-3:00PM. Seating is limited.  Please call Sheila Harmon at 850-522-3900, ext. 211, to attend orientation and enroll in the class.

Goodwill Industries- Big Bend, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity with a mission to provide job training, education and employment to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, helping them to reach their fullest potential in supporting themselves and their families. Goodwill also provides barrier-free apartment complexes in which people with disabilities can live independently. For more information contact Brooke Lochore at 850-694-0943 or blochore@goodwillbigbend.com.

The CTC is located next door to the new retail store in the same shopping plaza. The CTC provides a variety of services to individuals in need of employment assistance.

The store will be open 7 days a week from 9 am – 7 pm and Sunday 11 am – 5 pm. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the sales from the donations received will further Goodwill’s Mission Services.

We Believe In the Power of Work

Your sponsorship will help Goodwill Industries- Big Bend, Inc. to provide job training, education and employment to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, helping them to reach their fullest potential in supporting themselves and their families. Goodwill also provides barrier-free apartment complexes in which people with disabilities can live independently and operates the Dick Howser Center for Childhood Services which provides quality child care and on site therapy for children with disabilities.

LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION

Corporate Sponsor
There are multiple opportunities. Please contact Brooke Lochore at 850-694-0943.

Business Sponsor $2,500

• Team of four
• Signage on course
• Banner with logo at event

Team Sponsor $650

• Team of four

Hole Sponsor $300

• One player
• Hole sign naming sponsor

Individual golfer $200

• One player

Mulligan $10 each

• Maximum of 3 per golfer

Games within games $20

Friends of Goodwill- I am unable to attend but with to donate to Goodwill

Please make checks payable to Goodwill.
Mail to: Goodwill
Attn: Brooke Lochore
300 Mabry St.
Tallahassee, FL 32304

Click for full tournament details

“School social workers have come to rely on this resource as the most convenient and immediate way to provide clothing assistance to families in need,” said Mara Shows, Leon County Schools Social Worker. “We [Leon County Schools] truly appreciate this special partnership with Goodwill and their generosity on behalf of our students!”

The partnership between Leon County Schools and Goodwill began in 2006 after several years of numerous individual schools contacting Goodwill asking for assistance to provide clothing, shoes and other items for students at their schools. It became apparent that this was a district wide need so Goodwill and Leon County Schools created a win, win partnership.

“The clothing vouchers give these students the dignity to shop for themselves for what they need and like versus having clothes given to them,” said Shows.

Over the course of the next four weeks, every Leon County School student will be given a Goodwill bag to fill up with donations and bring it back to their school.   The donation pick-ups will be each Friday starting January 20^th and run through February 10^th.  The theme of this year’s donation drive is, “You can make a difference.”

“One goal of this donation drive is for the students to learn they can make a difference by the power of donating,” said Brooke Lochore, Vice President of Public Relations- Goodwill Industries- Big Bend, Inc. “Every student, from a kindergartener to a senior in high school, has something they no longer can wear, use or want.  By donating to Goodwill the students are not only helping others in their community they are making a difference to our environment.”

To find out how your donations impact our community visit www.donate.goodwill.org. To learn more about local Goodwill services visit www.goodwillbigbend.com.

The bookstore has over 30,000 categorized and alphabetized books

On December 30th Goodwill Industries – Big Bend, Inc opened a  new Donation Center and Bookstore at 3111 Mahan Drive in Tallahassee in Lafayette Place where Blockbuster used to be. Half of the unit will be used to accept donations and the other half will be a bookstore. Goodwill opened this donation center and bookstore with the hopes that it will provide the residents of Tallahassee another convenient way to make a difference in the community and the environment. The bookstore will have over 30,000 categorized and alphabetized books. Along with CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes, stationary, jewelry, home accessories and more.

“By donating to Goodwill you not only keep items out of the landfill, you are creating jobs,” said Brooke Lochore, VP of Public Relations Goodwill Industries- Big Bend, Inc.

The donation center will be open 7 days a week from 8 am – 6 pm.  The bookstore will be open Monday- Saturday 10am-7pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm.  The sales from the donations received will further Goodwill’s Mission Services.

Read more about the bookstore at http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011112300328

“The Dell Reconnect program aligns Goodwill and Dell’s environmental sustainability efforts and translates into jobs and training opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages,” said Brooke Lochore, VP of Public Relations Goodwill Industries- Big Bend, Inc.  “Any revenues from the program enable us to enhance and expand our overall services to the community and create new work opportunities.”

The Dell Reconnect program contributed to [Dell] recycling more than 150 million pounds of end-of-life equipment in its 2011 fiscal year.  Since 2004, Dell Reconnect has recycled more than 230 million pounds of end-of-life computer equipment helping Dell toward its global goal of recycling 1 billion pounds of computer equipment by 2014.

“Our goal is to deliver the highest quality and most energy-efficient products with the least impact on the environment,” said Beth Johnson, Dell Reconnect Program Manager.   “This addition to Dell’s stake-back programs extends our industry leadership in ensuring that end-of-life computer equipment stays out of landfills.”

For a complete list of participating Goodwill locations and to learn more about Dell Reconnect visit www.dellreonnect.com