By: Brayden Gable

Just in the last year, Goodwill has employed 25,000 in just Northwest NC. “There are about 25-30 job openings per location that gets open. Goodwill provides training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages who are looking for work, but find it quite difficult. Their vision is to change lives and communities through the power of work. They take donations from the people and re-sell them at easily affordable prices for those who may be financially struggling. They also fund programs that help thousands of people each year find jobs and reach financial stability.

Goodwill was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1902. The organization was founded by Reverend Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator who passed away in 1942. Edgar started the business by collecting used household goods and clothing in rich areas of the city, then training and hiring those who were poor to repair the used goods and sell them. Edgar said the reason he named the store Goodwill is because “Goodwill shows the value of a firm in terms of reputation. If a company has a brand that has a certain reputation and status in the market, this can be measured to have a lesser or greater value. This value is called goodwill.” The store was made to give people with financial disadvantages a chance to get paid while helping others. 

Goodwill helps people gain independence and hope through job training and employment, housing support, and financial stability services. Since 2008, Goodwill has served more than 60,000 people locally, which is outstanding for the world. Goodwill, whether placed into community-based employment or corporate payrolls, many people contributed to their community as productive, tax-paying citizens. Their store locations turn people’s donations into good jobs, good homes and good neighborhoods making it great for the community. Goodwill is also very healthy for the environment. When a person shops at Goodwill, they’re helping to divert millions of pounds of usable items from landfills. An anonymous employee at Goodwill  from Cinncinatigoodwill.org claims “Instead of becoming unnecessary waste, donated clothing and household goods are sold in Goodwill stores, where they can be reused and repurposed over and over again.” Goodwill is a huge opening for people who are looking for second opportunities. Micheal Blanton was a man who was just out of prison who couldn’t find a job due to nobody wanting to hire him. Micheal was sleeping in the back of an old school bus when he enrolled into Goodwill. He worked starting as a determined employee of the Goodwill Reintegration Program (GRIP) to 14 months later being a store manager and being named Goodwill Achiever of the Year. Micheal said “Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, thank you for taking a chance on someone with a less than stellar past and giving him a bright future.” Goodwill gives unspeakable opportunities to those at a low point in life no matter they’re past. 

The views on Goodwill from the people are very positive. It is a great place for the people of the world to get second chances, funding programs that help those in need, and even helping keep a healthy environment. It’s hard to see a negative aspect of Goodwill when all the purpose of the organization is to provide positive impacts on the world. There is a whole section on the Goodwill website called “My Story” showing the stories of the people impacted by Goodwill’s good doings. The only negative aspect is sometimes people that get a second chance from doing something wrong are brought in by Goodwill, sometimes they still haven’t changed their ways and can cause a sense of unsafe setting in the workplace. But, Goodwill does a great job of putting their employees through fitting tests to keep this from happening. Overall, Goodwill is seen as a very positive place through most of the world’s view. 

The best way to help relating towards Goodwill is simply donating your unused things to the store and also shopping at the store itself, so you would not only be helping those in need be able to purchase something at an affordable price, but also helping the organization grow and fund other programs to help the less fortunate. All in all, Goodwill is an outstanding organization helping those with disadvantages in life get a second chance and to fund those in need all while keeping a clean environment.