Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio will begin celebrating its 90th anniversary Friday with 90 days of social media storytelling that concludes March 29.
“Our mission has always been and remains helping people with barriers to employment find jobs,” said Amy Wachob, the nonprofit's president and chief executive officer. “Ninety years of transforming lives and communities by offering premier workforce development programs to those who need a hand up, is definitely something to celebrate.”
The mission is the goal a Boston Methodist minister and Goodwill founder Rev. Edgar J. Helms set in 1902. A Toledo pastor, the Rev. Charles W. Graham, then continued the mission locally during the Great Depression, she said.
Beginning Friday and through March, the nonprofit will tell its story from its incorporation in 1933 to its present day. Daily postings will be made on its Facebook page @GoodwillNOW, on the website at www.goodwillnwohio.org, and Instagram @GoodwillNOW.
The organization also plans community events throughout 2023, such as a customer appreciation day, workforce-development informational job fairs, client success-story sharing, and team member recognition. No dates have been set yet, Ms. Wachob said.
In 2022, the Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio raised nearly $11 million through its 13 stores and online to support its mission and served over 8,500 people in 13 counties with job readiness and workforce development programs, she said.
Eric Slack, the nonprofit’s mission services director, said that a record 300 people were placed in jobs in 2022, about 50 percent more than in the previous record year of 2021.
“I believe that was due to a combination of factors such as the economy, the retirements in the existing workforce, relationships that we have developed with employers in Northwest Ohio, and increased training opportunities due to collaborations with local corporate and educational partners,” Mr. Slack said.
The nonprofit has about 400 employees and a 14-member board of directors, who are volunteers.
To learn more about Goodwill of Northwest Ohio, go to www.goodwillnwohio.com.
First Published December 29, 2022, 7:58 p.m.
