Goodwill of Central Arizona

August is an exciting time at Goodwill - and we're happy to share some highlights of our summer with you as you send your family "back to school" and start to prepare for the fun events that the fall has to offer. We're proud to show you some of the great programs and community services that your generous donations help fund. In our retail stores and community programs, Goodwill staff throughout Arizona are working hard every day to ensure that we live up to our motto, "a hand up - not a hand out". Thank you for your support!

Now entering its fifth year, the Evening of Goodwill is dedicated to honoring individuals and organizations supportive of and benefiting from Goodwill of Central Arizona’s mission to create hope, jobs and futures for individuals with barriers to employment.

You’ll be welcomed to our annual fundraising gala with the classic rock and jazz tunes of Corporate Affair, featuring world famous trumpeter Jesse McGuire. After mingling with other guests and enjoying some friendly competition for various silent auction items, including vacation packages with airfare to New York, Washington DC, Florida, and Las Vegas, we’ll escort you to dinner. After an inspiring introduction to our honorees, we’ll encourage you to top off the evening with a visit to the dance floor with Corporate Affair.

Proceeds from the fifth annual Evening of Goodwill will enhance the Goodwill of Central Arizona Postsecondary Scholarship Endowment fund that was established in 2004 by Goodwill’s Board of Directors and Ruth & Hartley Barker. This fund will make it possible for Goodwill’s youth and adult workforce development or e-cademie Charter High School participants to gain additional training in their quest for economic independence.

Table Sponsorships start at $2,000; Individual seats are $200 each and a Couple is $375.

Goodwill, as lead agency for the Maricopa Youth Alliance, was awarded $990,505 in federal funds from the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The funding was part of $15 million awarded to 15 projects throughout the U.S.

The Responsible Reintegration of Youthful Offender grant funds will address the specific workforce challenges of youth offenders and will utilize strategies that prepare them for new and increasing job opportunities in high-growth/high-demand and economically vital industries and sectors of the American economy. Projects funded under this competition will be consistent with the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative.

The project will provide occupational training, on-the-job training, apprenticeship opportunities, internships, and other work-based learning to help former offenders gain the skills they need to find work in careers including health care, hospitality and leisure, retail and automotive industries. There will be 200 youth offenders in Maricopa County served by this project.

Goodwill of Central Arizona with its’ partners, Arizona Call-a-Teen Youth Resources (ACYR), Friendly House, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, and the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department formed the Maricopa Youth Alliance and will use the grant funding to provide these services in Maricopa County. These agencies as core partners will further collaborate with businesses, the community colleges, and the public workforce system.

The grand opening of the newest Mesa Goodwill store at Dobson and Guadalupe Roads opened the eyes of Gilbert Community Activist Carol Tracey and shed the misperception of what Goodwill is all about.

In an Arizona Republic article titled “Goodwill’s opening grand indeed” published on July 14, 2005, Ms. Tracey writes “I hope this article will end the misperception and misunderstanding about Goodwill. I know it did for me.” She Continues with “The store was aesthetically pleasing. It was bright, clean, new floors, music, raffles for free big-ticket items, coffee and lounge area, and so much more.” Read the article in its entirety by clicking here.

On May 27, 2005, Goodwill’s e-cademie High School held its first annual commencement exercises at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Phoenix.

e-cademie High School opened its doors in November 2004 and has since enrolled 120 students. Serving students grades 9-12, e-cademie offers all classes required to receive a high school diploma. Instruction is balanced with teacher led and computer curriculum. School hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. providing an alternative to traditional school hours for students seeking a flexible schedule. e-cademie is located in Phoenix at the Goodwill main campus.

Born in Sinaloa, Mexico and being one of nine children, one could understand where Claudia acquired her innate skill of making sure everyone around her is laughing and getting along well.

Being a diligent and intelligent student, Claudia has excelled in many subjects including algebra, and has consistently produced neat and organized work. She is an outstanding student who has worked hard at everything she tries to do and has a very bright future ahead of her.

“Dedicated” and “focused” are two words that can be used to describe Joana. She comes from a large family of one brother and six sisters and is a glowing example of what can be done if you put your mind to it.

e-cademie has been fortunate to have Joana as one of its first students. She helped pave the way for others by working on some of the most difficult and challenging classes of a new learning curriculum. Her efforts gave the teachers a better understanding of how the curriculum works, enabling them to implement it more effectively for other students.

Joana has a positive future ahead of her and will soon be continuing her education at Bryman School for Dental Assistants.

Being a single mother, working, and going to a public school became very difficult for Kendra. With encouragement from her brother, a great role model in her life, Kendra decided to do all that she could to return to high school to obtain her diploma.

Kendra has been a role model to her fellow students at e-cademie. She is a well-mannered, warm and friendly person who is a hard worker and always puts forth her best effort – overcoming any obstacles.

Kendra now plans to attend college to become a certified nursing assistant and her long-term goal is to become a registered nurse. With her accomplishments both as a student and as a mother - Kendra has everything it takes to be a success in life!

Amber moved to Phoenix from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and found out about e-cademie through her father, a Goodwill employee. After learning more about e-cademie’s unique approach to education, she decided to enroll in August of last year.

After a year of hard work at e-cademie, focusing primarily on English classes, Amber is excited to receive her high school diploma. Upon graduation, she plans to attend a Community College where she will focus her studies on either the pharmaceutical industry or on becoming a veterinary technician.

Amber has worked very hard this year and we are honored to have her in our first graduating class.

Enroll Today! Classes start August 22, 2005 with open enrollment throughout the school year!

Learn more about Goodwill’s e-cademie High School! Attend our Open House on Thursday August 18, 2005 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Goodwill’s Workforce Development Division celebrated the Grand Opening of its newest Career Center located at Guadalupe and Rural Roads in Tempe on June 24th. Employers including Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen, MDS Pharma Services, and Anderson Security were on site for a mini job fair to recruit and fill their open positions. Visitors were given the opportunity to enter to win a new DVD player for stopping in and seeing the free services that a Career Center provides to the community.

Goodwill’s Career Centers are equipped with computers, printers, Internet access, telephones, and fax machines to provide services such as computer and internet access, job postings, labor market information, community resources, education & training information, and access to “Emplorium” – Goodwill’s own database of employers and jobs. Full-time staff is available at each Career Center to provide assistance throughout the job search process.

In the month of June our Career Centers in Maricopa County had approximately 1500 visits by over 230 job seekers.

For the location of a Goodwill Career Center nearest you, call 602.416.6140

Goodwill’s Summer Youth Work Experience Program (SYWEP) is winding down after its fourth summer of increasing work readiness skills and employability of youth, ages 14-18, in the community. Program staff placed 185 eligible youth in jobs with Goodwill retail locations, Maricopa Medical Center, St. Mary’s Food Bank, and other various Valley employers.

Before starting their summer jobs, each youth attended work readiness training to better prepare them for their new adventure in the world of work. “This was my first experience and a very good opportunity for me to learn about how companies

work and what kind of experience it takes to get a job in a company… I’m definitely staying in school!” said one participant.

For the majority of youth, this was their first job and it allowed them the opportunity to experience the challenges and responsibilities of a job in a real work environment.

What are the youth’s plans for their hard earned income? New clothes and IPods were the overwhelming response.

Congratulations to program staff and participants for another successful SYWEP summer!

Eighteen youth, ages 16-18, were selected, on the basis of their entrepreneurial interests, to participate in the City of Phoenix Summer Youth Work Experience Program and then given an added bonus of attending college classes through Gateway Community College. Classes included Workplace Readiness, Introduction to Business and overviews of economics, marketing, management, and finance.

For the five week duration of the program, participants spent four of their morning hours studying the small business courses and then worked at a jobsite during the afternoon, receiving on the job training.

On August 2, 2005 at Goodwill’s main campus location, a ceremony was held to celebrate the success of the program and each participant received a certificate of completion. Business plans that students created as part of their studies were also presented and put on display for guests to view.

Among special guests, Vice Mayor Michael Johnson, was in attendance and commended the youth for a job well done, stating that he had once gone through a similar program in his youth and encouraged the students to accept this experience as a great accomplishment.

Goodwill’s Rehabilitation Services was recently highlighted in a four-part article series in the Yuma Sun Newspaper. The article titled “Yuma agency helps disabled workers” features Henry, a Department of Economic Security Vocational Rehabilitation program participant, who was dependent on his father until his death. The story follows Henry through his rehabilitation experience in Goodwill’s work-adjustment program and eventual employment by Goodwill’s Yuma retail location. Henry is quoted as saying “I like working here, everyone is very nice, and this way I can work and make some money.” Read this article by clicking here.

Estee, a high school drop-out, came to Goodwill in January 2005 after she and her mother discovered that Goodwill offers Youth Services to the community.

Estee has a long-term goal of becoming a Pharmaceutical Technician. She had taken the first steps to changing her future by beginning to study for the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) exam, but she needed additional assistance and guidance.

After meeting with a program case manager and reviewing the options that Goodwill could offer her, it was determined that the Goodwill YouthBridges program was a perfect fit for Estee’s needs and goals. The YouthBridges program links together the best of youth programs to provide opportunities to participants as they pursue a GED, high school diploma, advanced training, and/or employment.

After six months of studying, Estee obtained her GED in June 2005. She had also been hired by Goodwill’s Commercial Services as a cashier in the Goodwill Café. Goodwill is now assisting Estee in determining the most appropriate college and pharmaceutical technician program, and will assist Estee in obtaining financial aid and applying for scholarships.

We congratulate Estee on her recent accomplishments and commend her for her hard work and determination to achieve the goals she has set for herself!

Congress and President Bush recently approved an award – a folded and framed American flag - to recognize Reserve soldiers for their service in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

On Saturday July 9, 2005 in a ceremony at Arizona State University East, Goodwill Summer Youth Program Case Manager Shannon Calderon was one of 161 soldiers, from four Army Reserve units from the Valley, that were the first in the state to receive the new Warrior Citizen Award.

Shannon returned from her second tour of duty in April and says life is finally returning to normal. She is working and back in school for her third attempt at completing a college course that has been interupted twice by calls to duty.

“I’m a stronger person now, I’ve learned there’s really nothing I can’t do because I’ve been in that situation”, said Shannon.

Congratulations and Thank You to Shannon and all others who protect and serve our country!