Good to Know - Goodwill's eNewsletter for Community Leaders & Supporters

Guest

Guest Blogger for Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc.

Library Partnerships in Milwaukee County – A Story of Success

The beginnings of our partnership with the Milwaukee County Federated Library System (MCFLS), which includes all the libraries in Milwaukee County, go back to 2015. The Goodwill Center for Work & Training – Southwest Campus opened that year, which included a Workforce Connection Center (WCC) location. As part of the initial outreach to the surrounding communities, the Goodwill WCC conducted a number of activities to help raise awareness of the services offered. One of the first contacts made was with the Milwaukee Public Library.

This summer, the Commander Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Culinary Competition was held at Naval Station Great Lakes in Great Lakes, Illinois. The event is a culinary arts competition for shore-based Navy Galleys and is an American Culinary Federation (ACF) sanctioned event. This is the tenth year for the annual CNIC competition, the sixth year it was held at Naval Station Great Lakes and the second year the ACF has sanctioned the competition.

The goal for individuals in Project SEARCH is to develop job and social skills through on-site internship experiences that lead to competitive employment in the community. We often get asked about former interns and what they are doing now, so we’re excited to share an update with you. You’ll see five of our graduates working at jobs they love, making a difference and showing that the believing in yourself can help you achieve your goals.

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin & Metropolitan Chicago is proud to announce that we’ve named Dan Depies Chief Mission Officer for the organization.

Depies has been with Goodwill for nine years serving as Senior Vice President of Mission Services. Depies leads Goodwill’s core mission services which assists a diverse population of over 45,000 individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment.

Project SEARCH Milwaukee County Zoo Graduates

Front Row (left to right): Molly V., Sarah M., Gabrielle L., Samantha W.
Back Row (left to right): Gavin M., Akique N., Noah P., Travis G., John K., Anthony P.

Goodwill is proud to announce that our interns at the Milwaukee County Zoo and the Milwaukee County Airport have graduated! Ceremonies were held at both locations for the graduates to celebrate their accomplishments. The interns were joined by families, friends, program staff and airport and zoo employees who have supported the young adults in their efforts at improving job skills and moving forward in their journey toward gainful employment.

Goodwill, in honor of our 100^th anniversary, has proudly produced a new historical video. This piece shares our Goodwill history through photos, documents, success stories and interviews that tell the story of our 100 years of impact.

Goodwill has had a long-standing partnership with the Milwaukee Brewers, and our latest collaboration, on five new television commercials, is getting rave reviews from customers and fans alike.

Goodwill is proud to announce that Robert Frank, a Donation Attendant at our Goodwill Store & Donation Center in Downers Grove, Illinois, has been named the Goodwill Industries International Achiever of the Year for 2019!

The award is given each year by Goodwill Industries International (GII), a network of 161 community-based, autonomous Goodwill organizations in the US and Canada. The Achiever of the Year is a person who shows great progress and accomplishment in overcoming challenges to finding employment, and still benefits from the Goodwill work environment or receives services to support employment at a community site.

Goodwill Staff and Project SEARCH interns pose with DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

This spring our Project SEARCH interns at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport were visited by Secretary Caleb Frostman from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is one of the departments within DWD and is an important partner of our Goodwill.

While flying home from a UK tour, members of the San Francisco Bay-area band, Culture Abuse, were stopped in Chicago for a layover at O’Hare International Airport. At the time the band's lead guitarist, John Jr., was recovering from a sprained ankle and using a wheel chair, so when the band caught a shuttle for their connecting flight, John Jr.’s Gibson SG-X guitar was inadvertently left behind in the shuffle.