San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ partnership with Goodwill Southern California has helped us serve thousands of job seekers at a time when the economy remains uncertain for the most vulnerable in our community. San Manuel’s support started in 2009 at the height of the Great Recession, and has funded services that offer job seekers a second chance – training in a new career, workshops, referrals, transportation assistance, and a good job. By doing so, San Manuel has invested not only in individuals who are now working and able to care for their families with dignity, but more importantly, in the whole community.
This year, we focused San Manuel’s funding of half a million dollars (thank you – wholeheartedly!) to expand services to veterans from Riverside to San Bernardino, including the High Desert. Our Veteran Employment Program came out of this collaboration and in its first year, it has shown promise and success in getting veterans who have been unemployed for extended periods of time back to work. Here is one such veteran whose life has changed thanks to this partnership. It illustrates the impact the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians have made in the lives of vulnerable job seekers in our community.
Marine Corps veteran Augustine Hays went on almost 100 job interviews after graduating college, but because of her lack of work experience, employers wouldn’t give her a chance. Her husband worked overtime at his job while Augustine was unemployed, but they still couldn’t enjoy the simple things, like going to the movies or the zoo with their kids, ages 2 and 4.
2 days after Christmas, the Hays family truck was vandalized right in front of their apartment, and thieves stole their stereo and car seat. The Hays family no longer felt safe at home, so Augustine and her husband decided to deplete their savings and move to a safer neighborhood. With their savings drained, Augustine knew time was running out.
In April of 2016, Augustine was referred to the San Bernardino Goodwill Career Resource Center, where she met Veteran Service Specialist Ruben Cruz. Ruben assisted Augustine with everything from building her resume to obtaining professional work attire and practicing mock interviews. Shortly after entering the Veteran Employment Program, Augustine was hired as a Job Coach at Goodwill. 2 months later, Augustine took a position as a Business Service Representative, helping veterans fight their way out of the same struggle she overcame- right here at Goodwill Southern California. Augustine has truly come full circle.
“Through career training, employment development, and community resources, we create opportunities that empower Veteran’s to enhance their quality of life.”
– Senior Intelligence Analyst, US Army veteran Thomas McDaniel, Veteran Services Navigator
https://audioboom.com/boos/4976565-august-28th-2016-goodwill-and-the-museum-of-social-justice
https://www.dailynews.com/social-affairs/20160811/theres-still-hope-for-books-looking-for-a-good-home-dennis-mccarthy?source=most_viewed
Image courtesy of La Plaza United Methodist Museum of Social Justice.
Goodwill Southern California presents a special Exhibition in honor of our 100 year Anniversary!
Katherine B. Higgins, pictured below, was the first woman to found a Goodwill. In 1916 she started a movement that would spread across Southern California, providing social services, health clinics, and discount stores to fund employment and job training.
On March 9, 1918 the first Goodwill Store, pictured above, opened in one of the portable buildings in the Plaza Community Center on Marchessault St., presently the southern end of Olvera Street. During a time when the city’s facilities were segregated, the water fountain was a symbol of “brotherhood” where anyone of any race could drink freely.
Today, celebrating over 100 Years in Southern California, Goodwill provides many of the same services it did when Higgins began. And, the organization is still guided by the same philosophy as when the national organization was conceived in 1902 by Edgar J. Helms: “Not Charity But A Chance”.
All are invited to visit the self-guided Goodwill exhibit at:
Goodwill Southern California
Community Enrichment Center
3150 N. San Fernando Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065 (Atwater Village)
Hours:
Mon. – Sat., 9am-9pm . Sun., 10am-8pm
Free admission and parking.
Developed in collaboration with the Los Angeles United Methodist Museum of Social Justice.
For more information, please contact Goodwill Marketing & Community Relations at meby@goodwillsocal.org or 323-539-2104.
We look forward to seeing you at the exhibit!
For the past 4 years, Goodwill Southern California has partnered with The Albertsons Companies Foundation, The Vons Foundation and The Pavilions Foundation to bring jobs back to the Inland Empire. In 2016, the foundations invested in Goodwill Southern California’s Veterans Employment Program in the Inland Empire, which provides career services for veterans looking to rejoin the workforce.
Among those veterans was former Marine, David Slaney, who worked as a Warehouse Associate until June 2016 when he lost his job unexpectedly. As a result, his heavy equipment license also expired, preventing him from finding another job in his same field. Broke and living in a studio apartment, David knew he needed help.
While at the Veterans Affairs Office in Riverside, David picked up a flyer for Goodwill’s Veterans Employment Program and decided to enroll. At the recommendation of Veterans Service Specialist Thomas McDaniel, David began a Heavy Equipment Operator course, where he obtained his license to operate three types of equipment, increasing his desirability to employers substantially. After successfully completing the course, David received an OSHA 10 Certification.
Within days of graduating, David landed 5 job interviews and was offered a position at several of the places he interviewed. Ultimately, the job he accepted was offered right here at Goodwill Southern California where David is now employed full-time as a Material Handler! David is so relieved to finally have steady income and a job that will lead to something better in his life.
Thank you to The Albertsons Companies Foundation, The Vons Foundation and The Pavilions Foundation, for giving a gift of not charity, but a chance to veterans in the Inland Empire.
Green is Good
Long before Leo DiCaprio and the Prius. Before we switched from tap water to bottled water to filtered water in a re-usable bottle. Before we switched from paper to plastic to re-usable totes. Way before “green” was the new black, Goodwill was a pioneer of the eco-conscious movement.
Green Since 1916
The average American discards about 68 pounds of used clothing per year, which doesn’t include household items, accessories, furniture, e-waste or shoes that are also tossed into landfills on an annual basis. And clothing materials can take up to 50 years to decompose, while plastics and metals can take hundreds of years. With 15 percent of all garbage being made up of reusable items, it’s important for everyone to take stock before tossing the trash. Goodwill drop-off centers have been pioneers in “reuse, repurpose and recycle” since 1916, and have diverted almost 3 billion pounds of usable goods from landfills.
E-wasteland
Did you know that Goodwill recycles e-waste for free? Many people are not aware of the hazardous chemicals and compounds found in old computers, cell phones or stereo equipment. These toxic substances which include mercury, arsenic and lead, if not properly contained, can seep into the ground or be released into the air or water supply. This poses some potentially serious health threats to the general public. Help keep our planet from turning into an e-wasteland by donating anything with batteries or a plug to a Goodwill donation center.
Keep our Landfills from becoming Landfulls
Reduce your clutter and your carbon footprint by donating unwanted items; reuse and repurpose by shopping Goodwill retail stores for gently used and new household goods and clothing; and recycle e-waste at no charge at your neighborhood Goodwill drop off location near you. Thanks to your generous donations, Goodwill Southern California diverted over 100 million pounds of textiles, paper and electronics from landfills last year alone. That’s about the weight of the statue of liberty, times 200. You may think that no-one wants your old “junk” but the success of our retail stores would prove you wrong. If you’ve ever watched the reality shows “Pawn Stars” or “American Pickers,” you know that one person’s junk is truly another person’s treasure.
And when you become the treasure hunter at a Goodwill location, you’re reducing carbon emissions significantly. The process of producing one new t-shirt involves pesticides to grow the cotton; use of thousands of gallons of gasoline to transport the raw materials to a manufacturing plant; chemicals, dyes and more energy use to create the garment; plastic and cardboard waste in packaging; and more carbon emissions to ship the garment to retailers.
Lowering Your Emissions Advances Our Mission
When you shop at, or donate to, Goodwill, you’re doing a good thing for the planet, but you’re also doing a good thing for people in need. The mission of all Goodwill locations is to transform lives through the power of work. Your donations and purchases help fund a variety of employment programs and services for individuals with disabilities or vocational disadvantages. These programs include training, education, computer skills and job development services that help place people in gainful employment, providing not only a paycheck, but a sense of purpose and dignity.
So whether you’re a Prius-driving, tree-hugging, granola-eater, or a bargain-hunting, vintage-wearing, fashionista (or maybe a little of both, and then some?), we encourage you to do you part this Earth Day and help preserve our planet for the future.
Please Join Us for the Goodwill Southern California 11th Annual Golf Tournament!
Monday, September 19, 2016
Mark Walberg, TV Personality
Master of Ceremonies
All proceeds from the tournament will go directly toward helping veterans through our Veteran Employment Programs which offer assistance to veterans and their families throughout Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Goodwill offers skills assessments, career counseling, employment preparation courses, educational and technical skills classes, work tools, as well as access to a host of other partner services – all aimed at helping our nation’s heroes secure meaningful and sustainable employment.
Click Here for the 2016 Player Packet!
Schedule of Events
9:00 – 10:40 am
Registration
Continental Breakfast
Putting Contest
Driving Range Opens
Redeem Your Gift Card
for Tee-Prize Items
11:00 am
Shotgun Start
Four Person Scramble
Lunch
4:30 pm
Reception & Silent Auction
5:30 pm
Dinner & Live Auction
Presentation of Team
and Contest Winners
For additional information, please contact Camille Guerrero at 323.539.2185 or email cguerrero@goodwillsocal.org. All confirmed players will receive an information packet with tournament details and auction highlights one week prior to the event.
