Blogs

School is back in session and students have returned to the classroom. They are learning critical lessons to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. They are acquiring the skills needed to contribute to society. I am grateful for the wonderful teachers and mentors I’ve been lucky enough to have…both in and out of the classroom. Recently I saw a t-shirt that read “I teach. What’s your superpower?” Teachers truly are super heroes as they help make the world a better place for all of us.

Although formal classroom days are behind me, I continue to be surrounded by great ‘teachers' and 'mentors’ at Goodwill.

I was fortunate enough to be part of an engaging peer networking book discussion this morning at Goodwill, hosted by Executive Learning Exchange, centered around the book Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go, Career Conversations Employees Want (2012, Kaye & Giulioni).

One of the common things we hear as we bring prospective business partners and community agencies through our Goodwill Centers for Work and Training is, “I never knew Goodwill did that!”  Everyone is well aware of our Goodwill Store & Donation Centers, but we have also worked hard over the past several years to reinvest in our Workforce Development capabilities.

The Goodwill 2013 Community Impact Report was recently mailed to Goodwill employees, volunteers, donors and other area partners.  This year’s report was changed from a traditional Annual Report to a Community Impact Report, and these significant changes in the look and content of our report have allowed us to share our outcomes in a new and more impactful way.   

As Vice President of Goodwill TalentBridge, I’ve encountered employers across a variety of realms. From hospitals to schools, TalentBridge has had the privilege of providing staffing services in all of these areas. Naturally, staffing and recruiting has allowed us to interact with a variety of candidates as well. One such group of candidates that have gained a lot of attention over the last year, are Millennials. Some hiring managers fear them, while others embrace them.

At Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago, describing what we do can be summed up simply and broadly as Transforming Lives through the Power of Work.