Community Corner

Goodwill Says Spring Cleaning Helps Community Members Find Jobs

Cleaning out your house, donating to Goodwill helps its programs for the unemployed.

 

The simple act of cleaning out your closets and donating to Goodwill this spring can provide critical career services and programs to help the unemployed in the community to once again earn paychecks.

“We see small signs of hope for the economy such as the dip in the unemployment rate and a rise in holiday retail sales, but for thousands of families, the economic outlook is anything but positive,” said Sam Schmitz, President of Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois.  “People without jobs, especially those who have been unemployed for long periods of time, need the extra attention and support that Goodwill provides.”

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Spring is the perfect time to declutter closets, attics and other storage spaces. Yet, spring cleaning has benefits beyond tidier households. A family’s donation of gently used clothing and household goods can be sold in

The revenues fund Goodwill’s job training programs, and career and community-based services that can lead to jobs and fresh starts for people without jobs. Goodwill provides career services that anyone in the stateline area can use to boost their chances of getting hired, including assistance in writing a résumé and job interview practice.

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“When your spring cleaning ends with a donation to Goodwill, people looking for employment right here in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin will benefit from your generosity,” Schmitz said. “Your donations fund Goodwill’s employment programs that create jobs and strengthen families and the economic health of our community.”

Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides jobs training, and placement services for people with barriers to achieve meaningful employment.  The city of Rockford serves as the headquarters for Goodwill Northern Illinois and is one of 165 Goodwill agencies under the auspices of Goodwill Industries International (GII). GII was recently named by Forbes Magazine as the #2 not-for-profit in the country.  Goodwill Northern Illinois’ territory includes an 18-county area in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with a combined population of over 1.1 million residents.

Goodwill’s retail operations sell donated, gently used products as well as new items such as overstocks and close-outs from some of the best-known stores in the state.

For more information on Goodwill and how your donations can help, call 815-987-6237.


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