Goodwill Chicago - Goodwill Great Lakes

Navy/Goodwill

Feeding the Navy: No Small Task for Goodwill Great Lakes

In February 1998, Goodwill Great Lakes was awarded the largest food service project under the JWOD Program. This project takes place at the Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois, and includes food service, record-keeping, cleaning, and warehouse positions. Four Employment Support Specialists coach, train, and counsel program participants to help prepare them for competitive employment. They explain policies and procedures and encourage participants to develop work skills.

Quality Assurance Trainers provide technical training for all Goodwill Great Lakes food service workers. A Workforce Development Trainer facilitates workshops that develop personal and work skills that lead to career development activities and eventual employment in an unsupported, competitive work environment.

Goodwill Great Lakes Provides Administrative Support at the Naval Station

Goodwill Great Lakes initiated its contract for Administrative Services at the Naval Station Great Lakes in December, 1996. Originally, basic clerical functions such as answering phones, copying documents and occasional typing were performed. Current services have expanded to include medium and high-level clerical duties. This work also involves preparation of travel and training orders, video teleconferencing set-up, and budget tracking.

Administrative Support at the Naval Center

Since October 2001, Goodwill Great Lakes has been providing a complete range of administrative support services for the staff and students at the Navy’s Service School Command, a teaching facility that offers training in military engineering systems and combat systems.

The administrative support functions are enormous:

Equipment inventory management of almost 18,000 separate items
Purchase and control of all training supplies required by the command
Operation of multiple technical publication libraries on campus
Assisting Sailors with everything from assignment of housing and problems with pay to obtaining orders to their next duty stations
Processing requests for annual leave from all students and staff
Distributing mail and messages on campus
Coordinating details of official ceremonies
Processing evaluations and fitness reports

Clean Laundry for Sailors is Part of Goodwill Great Lakes

Since 1974, Goodwill has operated a successful laundry service. The Naval Station Great Lakes was its first customer and remains a valued customer today. With support services, program participants are able to process more than 2 million pounds of laundry per year for the U.S. Navy. Every load, from pick-up to delivery, is processed within 48 hours.

Customer Service

With a focus on customer service, Goodwill operations embrace continuous process improvement or “Kaizen.” Continuous improvement looks at various ways to perform job functions and offers recommendations to improve the work process and customer service, all with employee participation.

Goodwill Great Lakes will continue to provide excellent customer service through ongoing customer service events, expanded workforce development workshops and placement and career assistance services for program participants. Key operational areas will be identified for process improvement.

Referral Agencies

Illinois Referrals

Illinois Department of Human Services / Office of Rehabilitation Services*
Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin
Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago, Inc.*
Veterans Affairs*
Illinois Department of Employment Security
Private Industry Council of Lake County
Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center
Lake County Urban League
Waukegan Housing Authority
Waukegan High School
North Chicago High School
Independence Center
Connection Resource Services, Inc.
Jewish Vocational Service
NICASA Women and Children's Center
Gateway Foundation
Anixter Center

Wisconsin Referrals

Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
Kenosha Achievement Center, Inc.
Milwaukee County Adult Services Division

*These agencies provide the majority of participant referrals.

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