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Catherine's Corner |
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 " Life is like a ten-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use "
Charles M. Schulz
Charlie Brown’s creator had it all right! So many of us never know that there is more than one gear on our bike! Goodwill of Greater Washington opens up the possibilities that lie within each of the people we serve. Thanks to you, our valued donors, we are able to create endless possibilities of being “Lance Armstrong” for people with disabilities and disadvantages. We can’t do it without you being along the ride….to ride at full speed and to help open all the gears on a bike to show rewarding life options to all of those we serve in our community.
Catherine Meloy
President & CEO
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A Mission Moment |
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Special Thanks from a Former Student
Good Morning,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries for the free summer course that was offered to me over ten years ago. Being selected as the "1997 Success Story" motivated me to reach for the moon as far as what I can do. It inspired me to do more to re-invent myself. As a way to give back, I taught welfare to work students teaching Microsoft Office Suite and work experience techniques for four years. I landed a job at the Treasury Department and have been working there for 10 years. To date, I would like to inform you that my credentials are as follows:
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified COTR, ITIL Trained, Master Certificate in IT Project Management, Security, Network, A+ Certified, Microsoft Certified Professional (XP)
In December, 2008, I competed for a six month detail to work with the Executive Office of the President and was selected. I am proud that I reached for the moon because I consider myself surely to be amongst the stars, working with President Obama's administration.
I am still struggling, as I am a single parent of three teenagers and received no help, but doors have opened and prayers have being answered. I am firmly confident that life for my children and I will improve soon. Not just monetarily, but the opportunity and pride that I have for myself and that my family has in me cannot be surpassed. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist your organization.
Thank you to those who donate to this program.
Sincerely,
Kristie J. Grant
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The Kane Company Provides Free Shredding
Last week The Kane Company, an office shredding company, stopped by Goodwill of Greater Washington headquarters to shred any unneeded Goodwill documents, helping Goodwill continue its efforts to grow as a green organization. Kane then sold the shredded paper to recyclers and donated back all proceeds to Goodwill.
 Office Shredding, LLC, a specialized division of The Kane Company can help reduce your risk of exposure by ensuring proper compliance with existing privacy laws and keeping abreast of new or updated federal regulations. They can help ensure you meet the guidelines of corporate ethics programs, safeguard your public image, and protect you, your customers and employees from identity theft. They will arrange for certified shredding, incineration, or a specifically prescribed method of destruction unique to your requirements. Office Shredding will also have out-of-date records shredded to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley or Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA). They will provide accountability receipts and certificates of destruction with each invoice upon request.
Office Shredding, LLC, as a member of the Kane family of companies, lets you leverage the resources of their entire organization. They have the deep bench, broad resources, and a strong corporate infrastructure that means they always say "yes".
We would like to thank the company for their generous donation and support!
Stella's Pop Factory Helps Goodwill Enhance its Online Presence
 Over the course of the past several months, local PR agency, Stella's Pop Factory has been working with Goodwill on several projects designed to enhance GGW's online presence and generate greater awareness for our mission and operations. Most of their services have focused on increasing online traffic, and improving GGW's Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings through the use of online video and other innovative concepts built around Goodwill's nationally acclaimed DC Goodwill Fashion Blog.
GGW and Stella Pop are about to launch a major online video project featuring a very beautiful, local celebrity!
Stella's Pop Factory is a creative service company located in metro Washington DC . Their friends just call them “Stella Pop”.
Stella Pop is a soda brew crew that between mixing up handcrafted concepts flavors, serves up high-fizz design and outside-the-pop-bottle thinking for our clients. Their firm is styled after a creative soda factory; they have consistently won high praise for exceptional service and expertise in advertising & marketing including content and concept development, creative services and brand optimization.
Visit Stella Pop at
http://www.stellaspopfactory.com/ and http://www.yostella.com/
Thank you Stella Pop for your continued support of Goodwill!
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Goodwill Around Town |
Goodwill Good Buy
of the Week!!
 Every Tuesday DC Goodwill Fashion Blog features great clothing, shoes, or accessories, personally selected by the DC Goodwill Fashionista.
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Teens Participate in Recycling at the DC Green Festival
 This past weekend Goodwill of Greater Washington participated in the DC Green Festival providing a recycling activity for teens. We brought in donated t-shirts from our donation centers and turned them into reusable shopping bags. With the help of the SoSo Sewing club and all of our new teenage friends helped recycle over 100 old tee shirts! What a fun and creative way to reuse unwanted clothing.
We would like to thank everyone who came out to support Goodwill, especially the SoSo Sewing club for volunteering their time! See you next year!
Share a Smile Campaign off to a Bang!
 With the first two weeks of the month now behind us, the Share a Smile campaign continues to grow strong in support of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, with well over $1,000 raised to date. Our store windows are full of “Smiling G’s” and employees are excited to tell their customers about our cause. If you have not yet purchased a “Smiling G” you can still stop by your local Goodwill store to participate through the end of October. All donations from this campaign help Goodwill provide job training services to those who need it the most.
For more information about our training programs please go to www.dcgoodwill.org.
Upcoming Goodwill Graduations
GREEN PATHWAY DC – Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training DC CAREER CAMPUS
Friday, November 13, 2009
GREEN PATHWAY DC – Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training DC CAREER CAMPUS
Friday, October 30, 2009
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES TRAINING PROGRAM
DC CAREER CAMPUS
Friday, October 30, 2009
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Leave a Legacy through Goodwill |
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Our region’s most vulnerable citizens are finding it increasingly difficult to find work in this challenging economy, and more people are coming to our doors seeking help. That is why we are asking friends like you for lasting financial support that will strengthen and reinforce our programs for years to come.
One of the most sustainable, enduring ways to support the work of Goodwill right here in the greater Washington, DC area is through your will or bequest. This type of legacy investment ensures that we will weather this storm, and the next one. We realize that it takes very special donors to confirm their enduring belief in our mission and remember us in their will.
If you have been considering such an arrangement with us, or if you have already included Goodwill of Greater Washington in your will, please let us know. Simply contact Stephen Kopalchick at 202-715-2625 or email at stephen.kopalchick@dcgoodwill.org.
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Donate to Goodwill |
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It's a Tough Economy... Goodwill Needs Your Help!
Volunteer: Our volunteer program has been put on hold
Monetary: You can help financially support our workforce development programs for people with disabilities and disadvantages, by making an online donation here .
Donation Drive: Looking for a way to support your community? Want to manage a service project that does not require a lot of preparation? Host a donation drive at your local church, job, neighborhood, or school! We make it easy as 1, 2, 3. Just contact Shanna Gidwani, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, at Shanna.Gidwani@dcgoodwill.org or 202-715-2617 to schedule a date.
Donation Centers: Public donations are the lifeblood of Goodwill's retail operation. We accept gently used clothing, furniture, house wares, working electronics, computers and many other items, and then resell them to help fund our employment, job training and placement services for people with disabilities and disadvantages. Please click here for a list of locations.
Computer Recycling Program: Goodwill of Greater Washington has partnered with Dell for Reconnect, a partnership that offers consumers free recycling for any brand of computer equipment in any condition. The program's goals are to divert over 2.7 million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from area landfills over the next year; and provide consumer education on the importance of environmentally-responsible computer disposal. Please click here for a list of locations.
Click: GoodSearch is a search engine which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!
Go to www.goodsearch.com and make Goodwill of Greater Washington your favorite charity to support!
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Catch Goodwill if You Can! |
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The Goodwill team is making guest appearances around the greater Washington , DC area! Want to know more about what Goodwill does? Want to get involved? Need a guest speakeryou're your school or local civic organization? Please contact Shanna Gidwani, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, at:
Shanna.Gidwani@dcgoodwill.org or 202-715-2617 to schedule a date.
Some organizations who have already invited Goodwill to speak or volunteered to support our efforts include Boys Scouts, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis, Jaycees and Rotary Clubs.
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Goodwill on the Hill |
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Senate Finance Committee Finishes Health Reform Mark-up
After considering over one hundred amendments for a little over a week, the Senate Finance Committee finished marking-up Chairman Max Baucus' (D-MT) health care reform proposal early Friday. The next step will be a final vote in Committee on the proposal, which Senator Baucus hopes will take place next week after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has had a chance to score the revised proposal. However, Senator Baucus has stated that the Committee may need to reconvene to “tweak” the bill if the CBO scoring is unfavorable
In a previous health reform update, it was reported that there were three amendments of interest to Goodwill Industries International. The first proposed by Senators Kerry (D-MA), Snowe (R-ME), Schumer (D-NY), Lincoln (D-AR), and Cantwell (D-WA) was accepted in the Chairman's mark and would extend the small business tax credit to charitable organizations that meet the same eligibility requirements. According to the language, “charitable organizations will be eligible to apply the tax credit against the organization's liability as an employer for payroll taxes for the taxable year to the extent of the amount of income tax withheld from its employees under section 3401(a), the amount of hospital insurance tax withheld from its employees under section 3101(b), and the amount of the hospital tax imposed.”
Finance Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) decided not to offer his amendment to remove the safe harbor available to tax-exempt organizations with respect to reasonable compensation of executives, but placed a formal statement on the matter in the record. It has not yet been reported if the Committee considered a second amendment proposed by Senator Grassley which would require tax-exempt organizations to report governance and conflict of interest information as part of their annual reporting requirements with the IRS. If Senator Grassley did not withdraw this amendment he may still be able to propose it on the Senate floor when the bill is being considered by the full Senate. GII's public policy team will continue to monitor this issue and will look for other legislative vehicles on which Senator Grassley may attach similar amendments.
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Employees of the Month |
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Contracts:
Darlene Holland – BEP
Kenx Portillo – BKB
David Moody – Bolling AFB
John McIntyre – Lafayette
Arnulfo Jimenez – OPO
Holly Fischer – USGS
Retail:
Julio Coreas – Columbia Pike
Jamileth Mora – Rockville
Joanna Aragon – Glebe Rd.
Justin Wilson – Glebe Production
Ana Ruth Solis – Falls Church
Quiana Jackson – E-Commerce
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GOODWILL OF GREATER WASHINGTON'S MISSION
Goodwill of Greater Washington's mission is to educate, train, employ and place people with disadvantages and disabilities, creating a stronger workforce and a more vital community while building dignity for the people we serve through the removal of barriers to personal success.
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