Meaningful community impact requires strategic collaboration. In honor of Women’s History Month, we are pleased to recognize the evolution of the collaborative relationship between Goodwill Community Relations , and Convergence Resource Center (CRC) , an ongoing partnership since 2018.
CRC offers life-changing services to formerly incarcerated women and human trafficking survivors. A faith-based, community service organization, CRC provides client-focused, trauma-informed care, internationally recognized trademark programs, as well as education and training for community organizations and service providers. All services are provided near the center to improve accessibility.
For the past four years, CRC and Goodwill have partnered to transform lives through sponsorship, volunteerism, training on workplace readiness skills and employment services. This partnership supports Goodwill’s mission of creating opportunities for individuals to build meaningful careers and advance in the workplace.
What began with a lunch and learn in 2018 has evolved into an opportunity to help transform the lives of individuals recovering from trauma.
Lunch-N-Learn to Sponsorship to Volunteerism
- 2018: Goodwill’s community relations efforts provided an opportunity for leaders to be trained by CRC Executive Director and Co-Founder Dr. Debbie Lassiter, a nationally recognized leader in the field of human trafficking. Goodwill leaders learned about trauma-informed care and how to interact with survivors.
- 2018 - Present: Goodwill supported CRC’s annual fundraising event with a sponsorship.
- 2019: Goodwill teams create Acts of Goodwill for CRC focused on skill-based volunteering:
- The Goodwill Human Resources team volunteered as mentors providing employment coaching and professional skills training for 15 survivors over five weeks.
- The Goodwill Facilities team volunteered to clean the carpets at CRC after water damaged their center from holes in the roof.
The Partnership Evolves: Job Readiness Support and Community Assistance Vouchers
- 2020 - Present: Goodwill aids CRC in creating work opportunities for its clients by connecting the organization with its Workforce Connection Centers helping program graduates search and apply for employment opportunities at Goodwill and other local employers.
- 2020 - Present: Through its Goodwill Cares Community Assistance program, Goodwill provides vouchers to help support the women at CRC.
Want to dive deeper? Learn more about Goodwill’s impact and outreach programs or CRC’s empowerment and professional development programs .
