GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF AKRON, OHIO, INC.
570 E. Waterloo Road • Akron, OH 44319 • www.goodwillakron.org
Phone: (330) 724-6995 • (800) 989-8428 • Fax: (330) 786-2504
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Brenda Baum, Communications Manager
Office Direct: (330) 786-2519
Mobile: (330) 801-1848
bbaum@goodwillakron.org
OVER 9,000 JOB SEEKERS ASSISTED BY GOODWILL INDUSTRIES IN 2012
AGENCY TO FORMALLY PRESENT MISSION NUMBERS AT MARCH 28 ANNUAL MEETING
AKRON, Ohio—February 20, 2013— Looking for work and facing adversity are difficult obstacles, and valuable resources like those provided through Goodwill Industries, serving Summit, Portage, Medina, Ashland, and Richland Counties, helped to give 9,152 individuals a hand-up this past year. With the mission of helping individuals prepare for, find, and retain employment, the nonprofit agency provided a variety of services to individuals looking for a new or better job, or the opportunity to advance toward gainful employment.
“We take pride in our commitment to help individuals prepare for, find and retain employment,” said Nan McClenaghan, Goodwill’s CEO and president. “We continually look for ways to increase and improve the services Goodwill offers.
Most known for assisting individuals that have disabilities and operating a well-established donation and resale operation, Goodwill is so much more. The agency has been in the business of meeting the needs of job seekers and extending those services to the entire population for over 85 years.
Although not everyone who receives services from Goodwill is seeking immediate job placement assistance, the agency boasts an eight year placement rate of 80% or better. Also, its 82% retention rate for 2012 means that most of the 328 individuals Goodwill placed into jobs in 2012 were still on the job after 90 days, and it is probable that their employment will continue. Goodwill’s impact on the local economy as the value of the first year’s wages of individuals placed was over $9 million – dollars that purchased food and services, and paid taxes in local communities. Beginning in 2006, Goodwill began more formally measuring its satisfaction level of participants receiving services, and in each of the last six years, it has achieved at least 92% participant satisfaction.
It is also important to note that Goodwill’s business lines, which include its Contract Services and Retail Operations, are the perfect training ground for many of the participants receiving services. More than 349 program participants worked within these business operations for a total of 132,153 hours gaining valuable skills, and more importantly, an enhanced feeling of confidence and self-worth to help them become more successful in relation to their employment goals.
Annual Meeting Details
Goodwill will formally present its service numbers with the release of its 2012 Annual Report at the agency’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 28, 2013, at The Tangier, 532 W. Market Street, Akron. Hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and networking at 5:00 pm. Program begins at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $25 each ($5 donative value). Contact Beverly Sherrard at 330-724-6995, ext. 229 or bsherrard@goodwillakron.org for tickets or more information. RSVPs are requested by March 18.
A “Celebration of Champions” will be the focal point of the evening. The agency will honor successful program participants and recognize businesses across its service territory that have partnered with Goodwill to provide skills training opportunities, hired Goodwill graduates or used the agency’s services to help recruit qualified applicants
Event Chair Mary Beth Kluge stated, “I look forward to sharing with the community the accomplishments of Goodwill during its 85th year, including special recognition of the participants it served.”
Goodwill Industries of Akron is a not-for-profit corporation that helps individuals prepare for, find and retain employment. Operating in the five-county region of Summit, Portage, Medina, Ashland and Richland, the Akron-based agency was established in 1927. It is a private, independent organization, operating as an affiliate member of Goodwill Industries International, and a United Way agency in Summit and Medina Counties. Goodwill helps to directly strengthen the region’s workforce through its employment programs and indirectly through the net proceeds from its retail outlets and contract services division. For more information about GIA, visit www.goodwillakron.org or call 800-989-8428. ###