Goodwill Needs Donations!

Goodwill of Greater Washington needs your donations! If you have any housewares, clothing or furniture that have outgrown your home, please donate them to Goodwill by dropping them off at any of our conveniently located attended donation sites. Click here for a list of our donation sites and directions. Thank you!!

Tell Congress to Support Funding for Federal Workforce Programs

More than $335 Million of WIA Funds at Stake

Take Action!

The House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2008 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill that proposes to rescind $335 million of so-called unexpended funds from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and direct those funds to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This cut will drastically reduce the availability of workforce development services nationwide. Fortunately, the Senate version of the bill does not contain this rescission. The decision on whether or not the rescission stands will be determined when House and Senate versions of the bill are reconciled within a joint conference committee this fall. There continues to be too few congressional voices complaining about the House passed WIA rescission. Follow the link to email your member of Congress to oppose this rescission.

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BIG GOODWILL ALUMNI CELEBRATION!!

Last week, Goodwill’s Arlington Career Campus held our third Alumni Dinner of the year.

Our alumni dinners give us a unique opportunity to reconnect with our graduates and find out how the job training they received at Goodwill has translated into personal success, inside and outside the workplace. Here is just some of the great news that we heard at the event from some of our Bank Skills training program alumni:

Several alumni found fulltime employment including jobs as:

• Financial Services Representative at Bank of America
• Senior Sales Associate at United Bank
• Customer Service Representative at United Bank
• Administrative post at the Washington Marriott
  
  Other successes include a graduate who recently received an award as the “Outstanding Customer Service Representative” for his entire region at M&T Bank. Another who will soon complete computer training and begin pursuing a job in accounting; and a third who is now in a home buyers program and has been pre-approved to purchase a townhouse!
  
  These are major accomplishments for our Goodwill alumni and we share in their pride! Your support of Goodwill made these successes possible. Thank you!

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Over 9,000 People Visited the Fashion of Goodwill Virtual Runway Show!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to view the Fashion of Goodwill Virtual Runway Show and place a bid during our online auction!

To date, over 9,000 people have visited our virtual fashion show which launched on September 12th. That’s 9,000 people who now better understand the quality of merchandise that can be found at Goodwill Retail Stores and more importantly, 9,000 people who now better understand Goodwill’s mission of job training services for the disadvantaged and disabled.

The virtual fashion show has now been posted on YouTube, but can still be seen through the Goodwill of Greater Washington website, www.dcgoodwill.org.

Deloitte was once again our presenting sponsor for the fashion show, along with support from Capitol One, Doggett's Parking Co., Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP, Squire Sanders, Geppetto Catering, Studley, Sage Communications, Polished by Tu-Anh, PNC, Blue Sky Films, The Meloy Family, Trinity University, Mike Ryan, Calvert Group and Commerce Bank.

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Goodwill of Greater Washington’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Number Has Changed to 33248!

If you participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, please note that CFC numbers for many non-profit agencies are changing this year. Goodwill of Greater Washington’s is one of them. Our new CFC number is 33248. Please remember to support Goodwill through the Combined Federal Campaign. Every dollar you donate helps us provide someone with the training they need to secure employment and achieve independence. Again that CFC number is 33248. Thank you!

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Mental Health Parity Bill Advances in Congress

The Senate by unanimous consent Sept. 18 approved the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, legislation that would require businesses with 50 or more workers to offer the same medical benefits for mental health care as they do for other medical conditions. The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on Sept. 19, by a 10-3 vote, approved the House version of parity legislation, H.R. 1424.

The Senate bill is the result of extensive bipartisan negotiations in the Senate and among business, insurers, and advocates. Business groups have rallied behind the Senate bill, saying it would be less costly than H.R. 1424. Mental health advocates also have signaled their support for the legislation, saying it has the best chance of becoming law.

The House measure still must go through the full Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee. Negotiations are currently underway with House and Senate leaders on how to proceed with the parity legislation.

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Did You Know that October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?

Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The Office of Disability Employment Policy has the lead in planning NDEAM activities and materials to increase the public's awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. Various programs carried out throughout the month also highlight the specific employment barriers that still need to be addressed and removed.

This effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment actually began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month." Please support Goodwill’s efforts to help provide employment opportunities to people with disabilities and disadvantages by making an online gift today. Thank you!

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Goodwill Opposes Changes to IRS Form 990

Goodwill Industries International is urging the Internal Revenue Service to reconsider proposed revisions to its Form 990, a key public disclosure document used by charitable organizations. While Goodwill supports the IRS decision to redesign its Form 990 – which after nearly 30 years of piecemeal updates is confusing and repetitive – the organization believes that Schedule M of the new form would necessitate extensive capital expenditures and substantial ongoing personnel costs, while diverting resources from Goodwill’s charitable mission.

“We need a better, more effective Form 990, but collecting the information necessary for compliance shouldn’t cost so much that it jeopardizes our ability to help people,” says George W. Kessinger, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Every dollar spent meeting pointless reporting requirements is a dollar we don’t have to spend on programs that help people find jobs and become financially independent, tax-paying members of their communities.”

More than 60 percent of Goodwill’s operating revenue is earned through the sale of donated goods; proceeds help finance job training programs and other support services that benefit hundreds of thousands of people each year. Under Schedule M of the redesigned Form 990, Goodwill organizations in the United States would be forced to adhere to numerous burdensome, costly reporting requirements, such as categorizing donations based on 22 or more different types of property and recording the quantity of items received during the year.

“Like the IRS, Goodwill is concerned that some donors may have tried to overvalue donations for tax purposes,” says Kessinger. “Recent tightening of the tax laws has already addressed this problem.” Goodwill Industries is urging the Internal Revenue Service to appropriately weigh the heavy burdens and likely small benefits of any new reporting requirements in a redesigned Form 990.

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