On Friday, November 18, the staff and participants of Goodwill’s Day Services and Life Skills Development programs held their annual Holiday Bazaar at the Goodwill Center for Work and Training – Southwest Campus (GSC) in Greendale. This year marked the 15th year that Day Services has offered unique arts and crafts, sweet and savory treats, and holiday décor for sale to the community.
Each craft or food item for sale was created by Goodwill participants and all the profits went directly into funding programming at the respective sites.
Some of the unique pieces included fragrance lotion bars, fleece pillows featuring favorite Wisconsin sports teams, painted furniture, homemade soup mixes, candies and baked goods, and fabulous hand-crafted jewelry. Employees in other Goodwill departments and members of the community also donated items to sell during the event. Customers especially loved the collages of various familiar Milwaukee neighborhoods created by Dan Rice, a very talent member of our Goodwill’s Purchasing department.
As part of this event, GSC also hosted a Chili Cook-off featuring slow cooker meals from each of the Day Services programs. The event was judged by Jane Kirchhoff (Day Services Director), Cathy Girard (Vice President, Development and Community Services), Bruce Jacobson (GSC Facilities Manager), as well as participants from GSC Day Services and Life Skills Development programs. Participants and GSC staff enjoyed the opportunity to sample many different types of chili, but judges eventually decided on the top three from among all the entrants.
- First place — COC South for their “Zesty Colorado Chili.”
- Second place — COC North for their “Tailgate Chili.”
- Third place — GSC’s Day Services program for their “Italian Chili.”
Overall, the event was a tremendous success. Participants and staff are looking forward to preparing for next year’s Holiday Bazaar!
