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Goodwill Week 2023: May 7th - 13th

by Carolann Verrioli

 

Every year during the first full week of May, local Goodwill® organizations across the U.S. and Canada celebrate Goodwill Week to shine a light on the Goodwill mission. Here at Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, our mission is: elevating people, community, and planet for a good today and better tomorrow.

While the U.S. economy is steadily improving and the national unemployment rate continues to decline, many individuals continue to struggle with poverty, homelessness, and lack of access to the resources they need to find and sustain good-paying jobs. That’s where Goodwill comes in. For more than 120 years, Goodwill organizations across North America have helped people find jobs, support their families, and feel the satisfaction that comes from working.

We currently have over 10 million job openings in the U.S.—but only 5.7 million unemployed workers. With more jobs available, we have an opportunity to provide job training and placement to those individuals in need of work. Goodwill of the Finger Lakes employs over 700 individuals locally, and we are always hiring throughout the year - from sewing, manufacturing, and retail to administration. Visit our Careers page to learn more about job opportunities at Goodwill.

When you support your local Goodwill, you are not only helping people earn jobs and advance their careers, but you are also supporting local programs and services. 90 cents of every dollar you spend at a Goodwill store goes towards 211/LIFE LINE, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Goodwill Vision Services, and Good Neighbor.

Advocates play an extremely important role in our work as well. We need your voice to help educate lawmakers about the issues of concern to Goodwill and the communities which we serve. Visit our Legislative Action Center to learn about our policy issues and connect with your lawmakers. At the local level in Rochester, we need the community's support to open the first Goodwill Excel Center in New York State. Learn about what you can do to help with this important project at excelcenterny.org

Your support helps us achieve our mission, not just during Goodwill Week – but every day of every week.