What is the Goodwill Way? Well, it’s how we do things and how we define who we are—basically it’s how we work together at Goodwill. We have these things called guiding principles that help direct our actions. They are: Inspired by People, Power of the Whole and Results Matter. These three principles are at the heart of what we do each and every day.
These are new concepts for all of us; staff and participants alike. Looking for ways to simplify and recognize these guiding principles was important to us. Over the course of several participant council meetings, we tackled each principle and determined how we interpret it and what we can do to demonstrate our knowledge of it.
Participants, with the help of staff, simplified the guiding principles to make better sense of them:
- who we are
- what we want at our program
- and results we want in our program.
A large display board was created with the simplified principles. As a group, it was decided that we all wanted to be recognized when we are living the Goodwill Way.
Alissa G. was our first participant to be recognized and her name is featured on the board. She takes the initiative to routinely assist a peer at lunch by holding food containers for him so it’s easier for him to open them, and also encourages him to reach as he puts his trash in the bin. Brad W. was our second participant to be recognized on the board. He helps with the lunch dishes.
Living the Goodwill Way is something that everyone at Waukesha Adult Day Program has always strived to do, but now we have a tangible way to see how we are actually using the guiding principles to build a fun, respectful and judgment-free place to have fun with friends.
