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Tag: Power of work
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Top 5 Reasons to Donate Clothes to Thrift Stores Like Goodwill
When you donate clothes to thrift stores in Alberta, like Goodwill, many good things come from it. One of the most immediate benefits is the satisfaction experienced from helping others. There’s no doubt – it feels good to help others! But, did you know that several studies have found that giving back actually improves your health, happiness and well-being?
Personal benefits aside, there are many great reasons to donate. Here are the top 5 reasons to donate clothes to thrift stores like Goodwill.
Why Donate Clothes to Thrift Stores?
1. Sustainability
One of the biggest reasons to donate your gently used goods is to help keep clothing and other household items out of the landfill.
When you donate to thrift stores like Goodwill, you are helping to divert millions of kilograms of waste from the landfill each year. For example, in 2019 alone, Albertans who donated to Goodwill Industries helped to divert nearly 16 million kilograms of waste.
Not only are you preventing your old clothes from reaching the garbage dump when you donate, but you’re also helping to create a more sustainable future by decreasing the amount of new clothing that is manufactured.
It takes a lot of energy to manufacture new clothes, including water and electricity. The packaging and distribution of new clothing come at a huge cost to the environment as well. So, by donating to and buying from thrift stores, you can help contribute to a sustainable planet in more ways than one. Reducing your environmental footprint has never felt so good!
2. Options for Others
When you donate clothes to thrift stores, you are also helping others.
By donating your clothing and household items, you are providing affordable alternatives to the often overpriced goods found in retail stores. Helping to stock Goodwill locations with your gently-used, quality clothing, means that individuals in your community will have access to second-hand items at a fraction of the price.
3. Clutter-Free Home
Tired of the clutter that your unused clothes create in your closet?
This is another great benefit of donating! By donating your unwanted clothes to the thrift store, you’ll be doing yourself a favour and cleaning out your closet. It’s a win-win – you can help others in your community while also creating a decluttered and stress-free space in your home.
Why Donate Clothes to Goodwill Thrift Stores?
As we continue to explore the reasons to donate clothes to thrift stores, let’s take a look at why donating to Goodwill is such a great option for those living in Alberta.
4. Power of Work
Meaningful employment is a powerful thing. While many of us take this for granted, others in our community do not always have an easy time finding the meaningful employment that they deserve. Goodwill is here to change that.
Goodwill Alberta employs people with physical and mental disabilities. The organization is one of the largest employers for people with disabilities in the province.
Goodwill provides meaningful employment at thrift store locations throughout Alberta. The social enterprise offers a flexible and accommodating environment so that individuals can thrive at work. In addition to providing employment, job training and career services within the Goodwill Alberta organization, Goodwill is also able to help individuals benefit from these opportunities within other companies.
Therefore, by donating clothes to Goodwill thrift stores, you are helping individuals in your community find the meaningful employment they desire.
Here are a few stats that show just how your donated items are put to work.
- 1 donated t-shirt = 6 minutes of Interview Skills Training
- 10 donated t-shirts = 1 Job Interview
4. Supporting Your Community
Best of all, when you donate clothes to thrift stores like Goodwill, you are supporting your local community.
89% of all Goodwill revenues go back into this mission of helping local individuals find meaningful employment. This means that revenues remain in Alberta to help local residents. The money is used to help with job training, placement programs and other social and environmental initiatives.
Goodwill also creates partnerships with other local organizations in Alberta. The goal of these partnerships is to help collectively address environmental and social issues. For example, Goodwill has partnered with ATB Financial. In addition to diverting waste from the landfill and providing employment for Albertans with disabilities, Goodwill, together with ATB Financial, will launch a furniture refurbishment program. This program will help divert even more waste and create more jobs in the community.
Therefore, by supporting Goodwill through your donations, you are supporting a better tomorrow for your community and the individuals and organizations within it.
Looking to donate clothes to thrift stores in your local community?
Goodwill has thrift stores and donation centers throughout Alberta. To donate your clothes and other household items, locate the nearest Goodwill Alberta Donation Center using our online locator.
Not only will you be doing good for the environment, but you’ll be helping others in your local community.
See you soon!
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Goodwill proving the power of work
Goodwill career centre participant Joel Slugosk works at a computer under the guidance of employment facilitator Lucy Fiforowich during the career centre’s open house on Friday, Feb. 6. Megan Voss/Sherwood Park News/QMI Agency
Reposted from the Sherwood Park News. Article by Megan Voss,
While the Goodwill thrift centre, donation store and career centre opened up last fall, Goodwill recently held an open house and celebration of what it has accomplished so far.
Dale Monaghan, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Alberta, said there are five people who are a part of the Power of Work program, which is located in the career centre in the middle of the store. Proceeds from Goodwill go directly towards the career centre and the program.
“The Power of Work program is, first of all, it’s internationally recognized because all Goodwills in 17 countries have some sort of Power of Work program, and it’s all about creating employment opportunity for persons of disadvantage… in the case of our Goodwill, our purpose, our mission, is to support Albertans with disabilities to get great jobs,” he said.
“Power of Work, for our Goodwill, is our training and development program and then also, beyond training and development, job search and working with employers in the community to successfully hire a person with disability. It’s about preparation out of the person with disability that’s come to our Power of Work program, it’s about readying yourself for employment, so that means job search, that means rehearsals on interviews, that means focus and development on values (that are) important in the workplace, strategies on how to succeed in the workplace.”
Monaghan added that participants are taught the importance of showing up on time and putting in a full shift, as well as expectations in the workplace and interpersonal skills with other team members.
An open house was held on Friday, Feb. 6 to give businesses the opportunity to visit the career centre and talk to the Power of Work participants.
A unique aspect of the program, Monaghan noted, is its staff’s involvement in job search activity.
“We go out with our Power of Work personnel, and we go out and meet with businesses and explore some options for jobs. Oftentimes for employers with businesses, it’s not clear that there’s necessarily a job available for a person with disability,” he said.
The process is one that Monaghan called “job carving.”
“We’ll go to a business and help the decision-makers there carve a position that is valuable to them, but also is very suitable for a person with disabilities. From that, then we make the connection and an interview happens. We wholeheartedly believe that there has to be a tremendous fit… but the skills, the credential, the personality of the person with disability has to fit with that business, because this is not intended to be a short-term relationship, this is intended to be a mutually beneficial relationship that lasts a longer time. That’s what Power of Work is all about — it’s an incredible bundle of relationship and capacity building, which includes the business. This is not just getting a person with disability a job, this is an entire strategic relationship bundle that includes the employer, which is a partner in this whole power of work strategy.”
While one of the five participants currently has a job within the store, the career councillors at the career centre are continuing to work with the employee to teach greater employment skills, customer service and interpersonal relationships.
The donation centre can also be used as job training for the other four.
“The overall package… has been wonderful,” Monaghan said of the store, which has multiple purposes, including retail, the donation centre and career centre.
“The community has been tremendously welcoming to us.”
He said so far, since the store’s opening in October, there has been a large amount of shopping and donations, and the Robin Hood Association has helped Goodwill with training and advice. Monaghan said he also thanked Strathcona County residents for their support.
“We’re just overwhelmed with the reception and the continued support of residents who shop and donate and ultimately to me, it’s not Goodwill and the Power of Work that is creating all this training and opportunity, it is the resident who shop and donate — they’re our partners,” he said.
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Kelsey Wood is your Inspiring Albertan!
CTV Calgary
Published Wednesday, November 26, 2014A valued team member at Goodwill Industries is showing others that work is something to smile about and is our CTV Calgary Inspiring Albertan this week.
Kelsey Wood works at the Goodwill Industries’ Chinook Store and is rarely seen without a smile.
She sorts through the donations and prepares them for the retail sales floor.
“Goodwill is a family and we work as a team,” said Kelsey.
Fay Wisted is Director of Goodwill Industries for southern Alberta and says Kelsey is very special to her.
“Kelsey is somebody that came to us three years ago and to this day, I started out as the store manager at this store, and to this day when I walk into the store I’m met with a hug and a smile every day,” said Wisted.
Kelsey was brought to CTV Calgary’s attention by Olympic curling silver medalist Cheryl Bernard who is now a spokesperson for Goodwill Industries.
Bernard says she was looking for a local non-profit organization to represent and had been leaning towards Goodwill and meeting Kelsey made the decision easier.
“She’s such, got such a heart and she’s somebody that we should all look at. She smiles everyday, life is really good and so I wanted to vote her for an inspired segment,” said Bernard.
Kelsey was at Bernard’s side a few weeks ago when Goodwill announced that the skip would be an ambassador for the charity.
There is a good natured rivalry between the two over medals as Kelsey has been to the Special Olympics in several sports.
“I like basketball and floor hockey and I got a floor hockey medal, for a gold medal for floor hockey,” said Kelsey.
Bernard says the subject of the Olympics came up very soon after they met.
“She said, oh you were in the Olympics, how many medals have you won? And I went, well just one. She said, oh that’s okay, I’ve won six,” said Bernard.
Wisted says other employees are also inspired by Kelsey.
“A lot of our individuals that work for us are shy, they’re a little bit introverted and we respect that, they do a fantastic job but Kelsey’s the one that’s always jumping up and speaking out, she’s always the one that’ offering her, herself to do anything we need done. So I think that she is an inspiration to them,” said Wisted.
For showing us all, that work is something to smile about, Kelsey Wood is our Inspiring Albertan this week.