Goodwill’s inaugural Community Day, held this fall throughout Goodwill’s service territory, attracted hundreds of community stakeholders to our Store & Donation Center locations for a behind-the-scenes experience of our store operations. Goodwill employees and local community and business leaders engaged in rich dialogue connecting to one another and creating a closer connection with the Goodwill mission - to provide training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages who seek greater independence.
Angela Adams, Vice President of Community Relations, shared that the connection between Goodwill and the Community is key to delivering on our mission and maintaining successful operations. “Goodwill is creating meaningful impact in the community and for our own employees every day,” says Adams. “Community Day resulted in new connections and more solid relationships with hundreds of local business and community leaders across our territory.”
Goodwill Community Day highlighted its mission and local community impact data for each county where we operate businesses.
“Goodwill Community Day gave me a new understanding of the intricacies of the organization and their innovative approaches to advancing impact in our communities,” said Erickajoy Daniels, SVP, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Advocate Aurora Health. “My new awareness raised my interest and a sense of responsibility to be a voice of connection so that more partners, particularly in corporate spaces, understand the rich value proposition Goodwill offers.”
By serving the community, we continuously learn and help others value the talents, unique abilities and the potential of all people. “People are at the heart of what we do and Community Day helped strengthen our relationships with community stakeholders,” says Jackie Hallberg, Goodwill’s President & CEO. “Our strategy is to tell our story so people better understand our role as a workforce development organization and how that links to our local mission impact in the community.”
Some of our most notable guests:
- IL State Representatives Margo McDermed and David Olsen
- Oak Creek City Clerk Catherine Roeske
- Mundelein Township Mayor Steve Lentz
- South Suburban Chamber Executive Director Barbara Wesener
- City of Milwaukee Department of Administration Sharon Robinson
- Former Wisconsin State Senator Nikiya Harris Dodd
- Waukesha Common Council President Aaron Perry
- Village of Menomonee Falls Trustee Bonnie Lemmer
- Franklin Public Schools Board President Janet Evans
- Grafton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Pam King
- Carpentersville Village Manager Marc Huber
- Historic Third Ward Executive Director Jim Plaisted
- Village of Skokie Trustee Karen Gray-Keeler
- Forward Janesville President John Beckord
- Oak Creek Treasurer Barbara Guckenberger
- City of New Berlin Alderman Joe Stribl and many other community leaders
For more information on Goodwill Community Day, or other Community Relations initiatives, please email contact Angela Adams, Vice President of Community Relations at Angela.Adams@goodwillsew.com.
