Good to Know Newsletter

In early May, Goodwill was the proud recipient of a Milwaukee County Historical Society Centennial Award. This recognition was given to Goodwill in honor of our 100 years of service in the Milwaukee Community. Receiving the award were a group of long-standing Goodwill employees who have given decades of service to our organization, a combined total of 142 years of collective service to Goodwill!

It’s Earth Month, which means we all have a renewed focus on being environmentally friendly and committing to recycling. Here at Goodwill, the idea of being green has always been an underlying philosophy of our business since our beginnings in 1919 and extends throughout our entire organization.

Our Annual Report is available online! The report, titled “Proud Legacy, Inspiring Impact” shows our mission impact through stories of the people we served, both past and present.

Our loyal customers have spoken! Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Centers have recently won two awards, both voted on by the people right here in our community. The awards are:

“Work hard, believe in yourself, and you can accomplish anything.” Those were the words of advice Donald Driver gave to graduates of the Donald Driver Mentoring Program at the graduation ceremony for our 2018 graduates of the program. Those words resonated with the group, who spent more than six months partnering with Mentors from the community to set goals for advancing in their careers, tackle challenging interpersonal situations, building confidence, networking with new people and much more.

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc. recently elected Tim Mattke as Chairman of the Board. Tim joined the Goodwill Board in 2010, and as Chairman he will help oversee the largest Goodwill organization among 161 agencies in North America. Annually, Goodwill provides services to over 60,000 men and women with disabilities and disadvantages.  

We are very excited to welcome the newest addition to the Goodwill Retail family – the Goodwill Store & Donation Center in Glenview, Illinois is NOW OPEN!. Amazing staff, amazing merchandise and an amazing mission! 

Goodwill has been providing Workforce Development services throughout southeastern Wisconsin for 100 years. While the services we provide have transformed throughout the years, our mission of providing jobs and training has been the foundation of our work in the communities we serve.

Goodwill is pleased to acknowledge a generous grant of $25,000 from the U.S. Bank Foundation to help fund the EmpowerOne workforce development program. 

Through EmpowerOne, individuals with disabilities build the skills and independence needed to be successful in employment and be a real part of their community. The program has a number of services, from foundation and skill-building, to on-the-job training, to employment and independent connection in the community.

Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) received national recognition for partnering with Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin on Project SEARCH, a jobs program for young adults with disabilities who are transitioning from school to work.