The ability to read is critical to nearly every employment opportunity so Horizon Goodwill is reaching out to support our teachers and improve reading and language skills in the next generation of our great American workforce. Mrs. Lynn McCain and her husband, Horizon Goodwill CEO Mr. John McCain, are finding new ways to use the generous donations we receive to further support our local teachers. [Read more…] about Community Teachers Surprised With Locally Donated Books
Goodwill Does What?! – United Way Day of Caring
Welcome back! As you may know, my goal is to educate and excite you about all that Goodwill does for our community and what it can possibly do for you and/or your business! If this is the first blog you have read in this series, please feel free to see how it all got started from my first entry here. [Read more…] about Goodwill Does What?! – United Way Day of Caring
Business Services Employee Spotlight-Brenda Wills!
Welcome back! My goal is to educate and excite you about all that Goodwill does for our community and what it can possibly do for you and/or your business! If this is the first blog you have read in this series, please feel free to see how it all got started [Read more…] about Business Services Employee Spotlight-Brenda Wills!
Goodwill Does What?! -HBP
Welcome back! As you may know, my goal is to educate and excite you about all that Goodwill does for our community and what it can possibly do for you and/or your business. If this is the first blog you have read in this series, please feel free to see how it all got started from my first entry here.
If you have lived in Washington County for a while, there is a good chance that you are familiar with this week’s featured business partner, Hagerstown Bookbinding and Printing Company (HBP). HBP has been around since 1903 and is now one of the largest independent printing companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. What you may not know is that since the late 1980’s, they have partnered with Horizon Goodwill Industries.
The relationship was initially formed when Horizon Goodwill began doing subcontracting work for HBP. Since it’s inception, it has blossomed into a much more robust partnership. In today’s environment we have full time HBP personnel working at our corporate facility in our warehouse area. They work alongside our clients who assist HBP with their fulfillment work. The larger the demand and scope of the project, the more hours our clients are able to work. This symbiotic supply chain solution benefits both organizations and we are thrilled to have this partnership!
Our clients work on assembling (a.k.a. kitting) packages that will go out to a variety of HBP’s customers. This type of work requires close attention to detail and gives our clients experience working as part of a larger assembly line type team. The Holiday season is obviously a big push in retail and our staff if gearing up for what looks to be another great year assisting HBP with this work! The jobs created here are a great proving ground for our clients and gives them a paycheck along the way.
There is also an additional group that helps get these packages prepared for final shipment to HBP’s end customers. Working alongside the HBP staff gives our clients a feel for open market competitive employment.
They work very well together and have created a great bond. Horizon Goodwill employee Katie Harrell really likes the work experience and stated, “We work together and laugh together. We are like family out here, not just a team.”
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments regarding the blog or what our Business Services division can do for you! bmarks@goodwill-hgi.org
New Donation Center Creates New Opportunities in Frostburg MD
With the opening of our new donation center in Frostburg, Maryland, Horizon Goodwill Industries invites you to be part of job creation and training in your local area!
When you donate goods and clothing at the Attended Donation Center on 10 Hampton Inn Drive, you help build these opportunities for growth and success for job seekers with barriers to employment.
By bringing in a not quite right lamp, or pair of shoes you liked but don’t love, or that holiday gift you still haven’t opened, you get to declutter your space, bring joy to the person that does fall in love with these pieces, and provide job training opportunities to the people in your local community that are participating in some of our service programs.
As an added bonus, if you donate between now and Oct 1st, you will receive exclusive Bon Ton coupons as part of the Million Acts of Goodwill event. These exclusive 25% off coupons are good on many items normally excluded from other sales and are a great way to get a head start on some holiday shopping or finding a fun treat for you. Even better! You get one coupon for every item you donate. Any one donated item or set earns one coupon for an extra 15-25% off of a wide range of items including handbags, footwear, fragrances and cosmetics, apparel, luggage housewares and more!
This new donation center is open from 10am – 6pm, 7 days a week. And guess what?… It is drive through! With the coming winter weather, you can pull up to the drive through bay and unload your donations without having to worry about wind or rain.
Our friendly staff looks forward to seeing you at 10 Hampton Inn Drive, Frostburg, MD (Up on the hill behind the Burger King). We will be happy to assist you with unloading your donation and providing a tax receipt and don’t forget your Bon Ton coupons that are available for all donations made before Oct 1st.
Business Services Staff Highlight- Julia S.
Welcome back! My goal is to educate and excite you about all that Goodwill does for our community and what it can possibly do for you and/or your business! If this is the first blog you have read in this series, please feel free to see how it all got started from my first entry here.
This week, we are going to take a look at an individual who is employed through one of our contracts. Julia S. works in Harpers Ferry servicing a contract we hold with the National Parks Service. Here is her success story!
Julia was initially referred to Goodwill and started out hanging and tagging clothes in our Martinsburg store. Although faced with barriers to employment, this opportunity provided insight. Julia says that, “I learned some important things about myself. I am employable, I am adaptive, and I work to be the best I can be at whatever I’m tasked with!” This type of attitude is what makes our work so rewarding!
When this opportunity ended, Julia worked a few short term jobs and continued to stay in touch with her contacts at Goodwill. During one conversation with them, Julia off-handedly mentioned how comfortable she was with Microsoft Excel. Soon after, she was contacted about a clerical receptionist position that Goodwill needed to fill. She was nervous but also very excited about this new middle-skills opportunity. “So that’s how I got to be where I am now. This has been an amazing opportunity and the government employees I work with everyday are great people who do great work!”
Horizon Goodwill does so much to help so many. And there are so many more people out there for us to help! Sometimes it just takes that first step before you are able realize your full potential. “I think I thought I was a burden or something. But there are so many people who go through this (Goodwill) system and realize, like I did, that we are more capable than we sometimes think we are!” This is why we are here and what Horizon Goodwill is all about. Removing barriers, creating opportunities.
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments regarding the blog or what our Business Services division can do for you! bmarks@goodwill-hgi.org