Neighbor News
Goodwill Manasota, community partners launch spring-cleaning campaign
Donation drives at area businesses and schools help Goodwill to change lives through the power of work
As spring gets off to a mild start, Goodwill Manasota hopes people will think of the spring-cleaning season as both a time to offer a fresh start to unwanted belongings and to help give individuals in need of work get a fresh start, too. By donating clothing and households items to Goodwill, consumers can ensure their spring cleaning refuse is diverted from landfills, and helps to fund job training and placement programs for individuals with barriers to employment right here in our community.
Through its social enterprise model, Goodwill uses the revenue from its retail store sales to fund programs for job seekers, including veterans and military families, people with disabilities, seniors, and others with specialized needs. In 2014, Goodwill Manasota served more than 16,000 members of the community, including providing free employment services that enabled hundreds to land jobs and others to receive invaluable job training and life coaching. With the economy showing signs of recovery, it is essential that people in our community who are out of work receive the training they need to succeed in the workplace.
“Spring is traditionally the time of year for new beginnings,” said Goodwill Manasota president and CEO Bob Rosinsky. “When you donate this spring, you get a fresh start for your de-cluttered house, your donated goods find a new home, and you help give a job seeker a fresh start of his or her own.”
Goodwill is particularly grateful to the dozen community partners that hold donation drives at their locations. Over the next couple of months, four AAA locations (Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota and Venice), Ringling College of Art + Design, two of Sarasota’s Insignia Bank locations, CORE Construction Services of Florida, and IMG Academy will collect goods. Last year, through area donation drives, nearly 12 tons of goods were collected.
“We are so fortunate to have local businesses that are committed to helping to strengthen our community,” said Donna Evans, director of donation development for Goodwill. “Not only do our business partners provide us with thousands of pounds of goods, they also help to raise awareness of our organization and the work we do. We’re also happy that they are encouraging a culture of ‘reduce, reuse, repurpose,’ which is central to our mission.”
To learn more about how Goodwill can assist your business in holding a donation drive, contact Donna Evans at (941) 355-2721, ext. 131 or email donna.evans@gimi.org.
PHOTO ID: In April, four AAA locations in Sarasota collected items for Goodwill; staff members at the AAA office on Bee Ridge in Sarasota include (from l-r) Cheryl Tichacek, Merry Hill, Michael Haney and Rosenda Calloway
About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and philanthropic donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities and other barriers to employment by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. In 2014, Goodwill Manasota served more than 16,000 people, placed 680 people in jobs and assisted 520 veterans as they reintegrated back into the civilian workforce. Goodwill Manasota’s economic impact back to the community is worth $81.3 million. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce-reuse-recycle movement and this past year diverted 39 million pounds out of the landfill. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota is accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota in essence belongs to this community, and is not owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org.
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