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It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again!

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Hopefully you recognize the title of this week’s blog as just one of the memorable quotes uttered by possibly baseball’s most colorful character to ever tie up cleats—Yankee legend Yogi Berra. He passed away just last month at the ripe old age of 90, which lead to several tributes across all types of media, but the interesting thing is most of the pieces I read spoke more about his colorful words of wisdom than his athletic career, and for good reason! His “Yogi-isms”, little sayings that would just organically spring from his brain, are so simple, yet full of poetic elements that really make the receiver stop, think and appreciate what they’ve just experienced.

I was thinking of Yogi as I drove Kaitlyn to the Horizon Goodwill Store last week, as it literally was like deja vu all over again. We made the same trip last October to purchase donated clothing in order to create her Halloween costume, and she begged me to do so once again this year. It’s kind of becoming a father/daughter tradition, and I think that’s pretty cool. This time, however, she kept stating the phrase “Be Your Own Monster”, which I discovered was the nationwide tag line between Sony Picture’s “Hotel Transylvania 2” and Goodwill Industries®. As a writer and marketer, I have to admit, it works—and is a pretty cool concept to boot!

This week I decided to share the details of our shopping trip with the Horizon Goodwill Faithful, as well as throwing a few “Yogi-isms” in for good measure. Think you can spot all of them? [Read more…] about It’s Like Deja Vu All Over Again!

The Weather’s Getting Brisk—Does Your Coat Still Fit?

Screen Shot 2015-09-16 at 12.53.43 PMHey everyone! I’ve got some really great news I just couldn’t wait to share with all the Horizon Goodwill faithful. I got up Monday morning and, as I’m sure many of you also have to do on a regular basis, I needed to move my wife’s car out of the driveway so I could get mine out. I didn’t want to be late and I’m sure my employer wouldn’t want to hear that I forgot to perform the vehicle tango the night prior.  Anyway, throw on my shoes, grab both sets of car keys and head out the door—only to be slammed with some downright frigid weather!  Ok, maybe it wasn’t exactly “frigid”, but it was really cold out and I wasn’t expecting that. In my defense, there was frost on both vehicles, so I knew I wasn’t coming down with the flu.

I moved Missy’s car onto the street, pulled mine out, then pulled her’s back in. Even with all this activity I was still cold and decided it wouldn’t be the worst idea to go inside and pull my Fall jacket out of mothballs.  There it was, right where I left it last October, waiting for me like an old friend in the corner at a high school reunion. I grabbed the coat and proceed to put it on while exiting the house, but realized immediately it didn’t fit. I know what you’re thinking; “John must have put on some weight since last year”—but guess again! It was too large! I was stunned…what could this mean? [Read more…] about The Weather’s Getting Brisk—Does Your Coat Still Fit?

The Lessons Our Fathers Teach Us

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A couple of weeks ago I shared a story titled “You’ve Never Seen A Hearse With A Trailer Hitch For A Reason”, a little tale regarding what I learned about Horizon Goodwill’s favorite musician Kristian Bush. In the article I mentioned how my late father had a love for all types of music, specifically country, which, as a teen growing up in Western Pennsylvania would embarrass me to no end.  This was in the 1980’s, when Def Leppard was taking the world by storm, Bon Jovi was slated to become the next big thing and everyone, at least in my high school, wanted to rock with Twisted Sister and bang their head alongside Quiet Riot. Yes, without a doubt, my dad was so uncool as he played The Statler Brothers and Marty Robbins at maximum volume driving through town. But now, looking back as a father myself, I realize not only was my father the coolest man in my universe, unbeknownst to me, he taught me life lessons that have made me the person I am today.  Do you mind joining me as I share some of his wisdom? [Read more…] about The Lessons Our Fathers Teach Us

Horizon Goodwill To Hold 60th Annual Awards Dinner

 

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Horizon Goodwill Industries (HGI) will hold its Annual Power of Work Awards Dinner on Wednesday, May 6th at the Fountain Head Country Club in Hagerstown. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and the dinner and awards ceremony will follow at 6:15 p.m.

The individuals and organizations being recognized at this event are being singled out for their personal achievements and commitment to the Goodwill mission of helping people in our communities that want to work but experience barriers to employment.

[Read more…] about Horizon Goodwill To Hold 60th Annual Awards Dinner

A Fly On The Wall Conversation…You Never Know What You’ll Hear

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I like to work from home sometimes, not a lot, but sometimes. With the recent cold weather leading to school closings, my daughter, and all of her classmates for that matter, has been spending more time at home as well. Anyway, last week I was working at my desk and Kaitlyn, my second-grader, was playing with this educational tablet device thing that “Santa” left for her. Little did I know she was recording my speakerphone conversation with Deb from Horizon Goodwill. Want to read the transcript? Of course you do! [Read more…] about A Fly On The Wall Conversation…You Never Know What You’ll Hear

It’s Tax Time—Do You Have Enough Deductions?

 

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As if the inclement weather isn’t enough to just ruin your day, you’ve just received your W-2 forms from your employer. Yes….Tax Time is here once again. Maybe some of you actually look forward to this time of year, anxious and eager to gather last year’s records, sharpen your Number 2 pencils, blow dust off that adding machine you’ve had since 1992 and get started with the number crunching.

For most of us, however, it’s a painful chore to itemize deductions, download Turbo Tax or schedule an appointment with H& R Block, only to discover you owe the IRS even more of your hard-earned dough. Let’s take a look back at 2014 and see if you can reap the benefits of your past generosity. [Read more…] about It’s Tax Time—Do You Have Enough Deductions?

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