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Success Story: Jessica and Billy Roberts

The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services referred Jessica and Billy Roberts, of Romney West Virginia, to Horizon Goodwill Industries. The brother and sister have recently completed their Community Based Assessment, a tool used to determine their level of job readiness, at the Hampshire County Library.

Pictured from left to right: Brittany George; Volunteer, Kathy Puhalla; Children’s Activities, Trisa Hott; Interim Director, Jessica Roberts and Billy Roberts; Volunteers.
Pictured from left to right: Brittany George; Volunteer, Kathy Puhalla; Children’s Activities, Trisa Hott; Interim Director, Jessica Roberts and Billy Roberts; Volunteers.

In July 2013 Jessica and Billy began completing a 45-hour assessment at the library assisting with the library’s pre-school hours.    During this time Jessica and Billy assisted Ms. Puhalla in doing arts and crafts during the children’s activity time as well  as assisting with other projects around the library.  On October 2, 2013 Jessica and Billy completed their assessment at the library.  The library staff sponsored a going away party for Jessica and Billy, thanking them for their service.

Horizon Goodwill Industries would like to thank the Hampshire County Library for giving Jessica and Billy such a wonderful experience, as well as congratulate Jessica and Billy on the completion of their Community Based Assessment!

Tips for Finding a Job When You’ve Been Unemployed

111375_7735If you’ve been out of work for an extended period of time, finding employment again can seem like an impossible feat. Despite the stressors of losing your job or being unemployed for personal reasons, there are several steps you can take to maintain your spirits and learn job skills while rediscovering new career opportunities. Here are some tips to help you beat the odds and find a job when you’ve been unemployed.

Finding a New Job IS Your New Job

  • Devote all your free time and energy to your job search.
  • Wake up early, shower and change as if you were going to work. This will not only keep you in the habit of waking up early when you do find work, but it will also motivate your job search.
  • Your daily responsibilities should include finding new job openings, following up with recruiters and reaching out to your network.  [Read more…] about Tips for Finding a Job When You’ve Been Unemployed

MAGIC in the Mountains Fall 2013 Conference

During the second week of October a few members of the Horizon Goodwill Industries’ corporate leadership team took a trip to the wonderful Glade Springs Resort located deep in the heart of West Virginia to the “MAGIC in the Mountains” fall 2013 Conference. Although the excursion was lengthy, it was well worth it. We pulled up to a gorgeous resort that offered every amenity you could think of, but the best thing was the eagerness and willingness to learn within the corporate Goodwill team. We are people that are passionate about what we do, that is for sure, and sense of excitement was felt right away.

Puffy G greets members of the Mid Atlantic Goodwill Industries Coalition at their 2013 Fall Conference
Puffy G greets members of the Mid Atlantic Goodwill Industries Coalition at their 2013 Fall Conference

The Mid Atlantic Goodwill Industries Coalition or MAGIC is comprised of 15 Goodwill® organizations as a regional association whose goal is to collaborate on best practices. As soon as we got there we were greeted by a huge Goodwill Mascot, appropriately named “Puffy G,” and met for a pre-dinner mixer to socialize and get to mingle with our colleagues. These are the people who make Goodwill what it is today, a thriving business model with one thing in common – the passion to create employment and spread our mission. Horizon Goodwill Industries’ mission can be summed up as the following:

Horizon Goodwill Industries serves people who have barriers to getting and keeping a job. Through work experience and other forms of training and counseling, we seek to help them develop the skills and experience needed to be successful in the world of work and to use the skills and experience gained to build careers, which in turn improves life for themselves and their families. Goodwill is about jobs! Jobs give people independence. Independence stabilizes families. Stable families make strong communities.

During the two day meeting we met with our Goodwill peers as a whole and in our niche business sectors for learning objectives and for inspirational speeches given by our best CEO’s, Cheri Bever from Charleston, WV, Alissa Stewart from Huntington, WV, Goodwill Industries International’s CEO Jim Gibbons, and guest speaker Dr. Cal Kent, Ph.D. from Marshall University.  The “MAGIC in the Mountains” objective was to meet with our groups of interest within the industry and discuss, brainstorm, and resolve issues and ideas as they related to our region. Our stay was pleasant and our ideas, projects, campaigns, initiatives, and committees are flourishing more every day. It was wonderful to meet all the CEOs of the Goodwill brand and their staffs. What an amazing experience, I am already anticipating next year’s retreat.

I would also like to say thank you to Goodwill Industries of KV and Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area, Inc. for hosting us in beautiful West Virginia! Follow their social media accounts for even more information on the conference.

Flagger Safety Training Success at Garrett College

In August of this year, Terry Beachy, Coordinator of the Northern Outreach Center & Mountaintop Truck Driving Institute of Garrett College offered a special Flagger Safety Training course for Goodwill participants. Not only did she offer an additional class outside of their scheduled Flagger Training classes, but she negotiated pricing for the class at a discounted rate for those affiliated with Goodwill.

This certification course is required for individuals flagging along Maryland roadways and is approved by the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) with whom the individuals are now registered. Each participant received a certification card and their names have been submitted to additional databases that employers access to find flaggers.

We want to thank Terry for her efforts in coordinating this, along with the instructor Mr. Joe Farris. They both helped to provide an opportunity for our clients that could possibly open doors that would not have been available to them without the training.

left to right: David Timney, James Robinette, Jerry Smith, Daniel Izat, and Gregory Lincoln (in front).
left to right: David Timney, James Robinette, Jerry Smith, Daniel Izat, and Gregory Lincoln (in front).

Six of our participants enrolled, paid, and completed the class- they are pictured from left to right:  David Timney, James Robinette, Jerry Smith, Daniel Izat, and Gregory Lincoln (in front). Jaron McDonald also participated but was not available at the time of the photo.

submitted by Stephanie Ritchie, Retention Specialist

Kaplan Universities Guangxi China’s Urban Cluster Study Group Visit Goodwill

Mr. Zhang Linfeng, Mrs. Huang Dongying, Mr. Wang Baoyue, and Mr. Li Guishheng traveled a long way to visit us at Horizon Goodwill Industries. These professionals are here from China to participate in the Kaplan University Guangxi China’s Urban Cluster Study Group. Their goals for the time they spent at Horizon Goodwill were to talk about business potential, learn about Goodwill’s Social Enterprise business model, and the services we offer. Day oneconsisted of meetings, lunch, and a tour of our corporate and warehouse facility.

Kaplan University Student Visit Day 1. Click here for more photos.
Kaplan University Student Visit Day 1. Click here for more photos.

During their stay the study group toured our store location in Romney, WV and paid a visit to Sideling Hill rest area in Hancock, MD, where we contract with the State of Maryland for employment and training opportunities as well as provide Total Facilities Maintenance Services for the site. HGI uses this state contract to generate revenue for our job training programs while providing a much needed service to the state and jobs for local residents.

Kaplan Student Visit Day 2
Kaplan Student Visit Day 2 Click here for more photos.

Mr. Zhang, Mrs. Huang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Li were very knowledgeable and we learned a lot from their official visit. They got to be part of a very special day during their visit, the United Way of Washington County Annual Day of Caring! The “Day of Caring” is an annual event that mobilizes volunteers to work on a variety of service projects at local nonprofit organizations and residential homes. The cluster group helped us get ready for our volunteers and help spread the word about Goodwill all day long.

Kaplan Visit - Day of Caring Click here for more photos.
Kaplan Visit – Day of Caring Click here for more photos.

They even got more “hands on” a few days later with our donation center employees and job training program participants. The group shadowed them and learned the process your donations go through to create so many job training opportunities.

Kaplan Students help in the Donation Center. Click here for more photos.
Kaplan Students help in the Donation Center. Click here for more photos.

We hope they learned as much as we did during their visit with us. It was a great opportunity and a marvelous experience. Thank you, Kaplan University for this program and letting us perform such an enormous role during Guangxi China’s Urban Cluster Study Group stay in America.

Donate Your Vehicle to Horizon Goodwill Industries

Your unused vehicle has tax deduction written all over it!

Tax deduction written all over

Car donations made to Horizon Goodwill Industries benefit individuals with barriers to employment. All vehicle donations to Horizon Goodwill Industries are tax deductible and benefit local programs that provide services to individuals who want to work but have disabilities or other barriers to employment. Here’s how the vehicle donation process works:

Step 1: Contact us. Click here to fill out our online car donation form, or call WADE Auctions at 1-888-KARS-789 (527-7789) and designate your donation to Horizon Goodwill Industries.  [Read more…] about Donate Your Vehicle to Horizon Goodwill Industries

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