Goodwill Celebrates the 144th Birthday of our Founder, Edgar J. Helms on January 19th

Goodwill Industries International was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar J. Helms. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired poor people and immigrants to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out” was born.

During the decades that followed, Helms' vision spread as Goodwill organizations sprung up throughout North America. The depression era brought an increased focus on people with disabilities. In later years, people with economic and social barriers to employment began to benefit from Goodwill's outreach.

In 1930, Elizabeth Murray, a social worker and advocate for people with disabilities, who strongly believed in the Goodwill mission, initiated a campaign to establish a Goodwill in the nation's capital.

For five years, Mrs. Murray recruited community leaders and solicited funds.

On May 31st, 1935, Mrs. Murray and six other community leaders signed the incorporation papers for what was then known as Goodwill Industries of Washington, DC.

In 1939, a generous $100,000 donation from Anne Hubbard Davis allowed Goodwill to purchase its own building at 1214 New Hampshire Avenue. By then, Goodwill had 126 employees, 5 stores, a dry cleaning plant, shoe and furniture repair shops, and 5 trucks.

In 1956, Goodwill opened a comprehensive rehabilitation center to serve the large number of veterans with disabilities. Employees refinished and restored donated items which were then sold in Goodwill's retail stores.

And we continue to evolve.

Today, GGW operates a chain of retail stores; cleans millions of square feet of office space; and employs almost 700 people, 75% of whom are disabled or disadvantaged.

Since 1935 Goodwill of Greater Washington has served tens of thousands of people with disabilities or disadvantages. With your continued support we can serve thousands more!