Memphis Goodwill Industries was founded in 1927. Today, the organization employs more than 600 people in the Mid-South who would otherwise face significant barriers to employment. Memphis Goodwill defines “barriers to employment” as any physical, emotional, mental, social, educational or economic condition that has, in the past, prevented an individual from gaining employment. These individuals have experienced difficulty in their lives due to these barriers. They have been, in many cases, considered “unemployable” for one reason or another. Because of this, they have been unable to provide for themselves or their families and unable to be a productive member of a global community such as the greater Mid-South.
Goodwill has several areas where it makes its mission work possible. These areas include: Donated Goods, Contract Services, Goodwill Grounds, Goodwill Janitorial, and Vocational Rehabilitation.
The Donated Goods area of the organization consists a network of Goodwill GoodNeighbor Centers (GGCs) and Attended Donation Centers (ADCs) around the Mid-South that provide job training skills while giving team members real life job experience. The GGCs and ADCs are not just retail stores and donation sites but act as training centers that help train individuals though extensive coaching by our Team Leader Coaches (TLCs) and Assistant Team Leaders (ATLs). This training allows our team members to move past their individual barrier and into becoming productive members of society. Our TLCs and ATLs work with our employees daily to help them improve themselves in the areas of time management, ethics, language, literacy, research, mathematic skills, taking responsibility for ones actions, cognitive thinking, personal interaction with others, and other job related skills necessary to work in any business within the community.
Our Contract Services area consists of our AbilityOne program. This program is run with the assistance of the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped (NISH). Helping these individuals learn necessary job related and in some cases life skills is key to helping them move on to what can be termed as “regular” jobs at other companies. The skills they learn at Goodwill will help them be successful in the everyday work world, thereby allowing them to provide for themselves and their families in a manner that they have been unable to before.
Goodwill also has a grounds maintenance area and a janitorial area that helps with the organization’s mission related work. Goodwill Grounds works with commercial clients to provide a full range of grounds maintenance related services (landscaping, tree pruning, irrigation, etc.). Goodwill Janitorial works with commercial clients to provide basic office cleaning services for their business.
Goodwill’s Vocational Rehabilitation Center works with severely disabled individuals to provide them with the training and skills to become productive members of today’s workforce. Individuals served at the center will be enrolled in programs ranging in length from one to six months. These programs are designed to teach anything from basic life skills to specific job tasks, with a focus on positive development of appropriate job site behaviors. The center serves as a great connector and support system for the families of these individuals by providing a social network and peer group to help them cope with the daily challenges encountered when supporting family members with disabilities. The center is actively seeking placement partners such as hotels, industrial companies and others, willing to employ program graduates.
Ultimately, we want to grow and nurture our area to foster healthier communities. We connect people to good jobs and through employment give them the opportunity to become productive and successful members of society.