Goodwill Week May 5 – 11

Celebrations to include hiring event, job readiness and computer classes

Middle TennesseeGoodwill will host several free events in Cookeville to celebrate Goodwill Week — May 5-11 — including a job fair and workshops for job-seekers. 

Every year during the first full week of May, Goodwill organizations across the United States and Canada observe Goodwill Week to highlight the defining principle of Goodwill’s mission — transforming lives through the power of work.

Activities planned this year at the Career Solutions Center at 565 S. Jefferson Ave. in Cookeville include:

Tuesday, May 7: A Job and Community Resource Fair from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.,featuring Goodwill, Senior Solutions Home Care, Five Star Food Service, Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, Qualified Staffing, Pacesetters, Child Support Division and others. More than 100 positions are available, and pay rates reach $15 per hour. 

Wednesday, May 8: Job Readiness Workshop, 9 a.m.-noon; Interviewing Skills Workshop, 1-3 p.m.

Thursday, May 9: Basic Computer & Online Job Search Workshop, 9-11 a.m.; Resume Basics & Writing Skills Workshop, noon-2 p.m.

While the U.S. unemployment rate has hit record lows in recent months, many people still struggle with poverty, homelessness and lack of access to good-paying jobs. Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee’s mission is changing lives through education, training and employment.

Goodwill Industries Week has been observed by local Goodwill organizations for nearly 70 years. It was first celebrated in May 1951 as a way to encourage local Goodwill organizations to educate their communities about their mission of “helping people with disabilities help themselves.”

“Goodwill Week is also a time to celebrate the success of people whose lives have been changed by Goodwill’s mission,” said Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee President and CEO Matthew Bourlakas. “People like Shane, who works as a cashier in our Cookeville store. Shane has struggled with cerebral palsy and other medical issues throughout his life, but for more than a decade he worked at department stores. When he lost his job, though, he was unemployed for more than eight years. Now, at Goodwill, Shane’s goal is to make every customer smile. He says his job has helped him regain his confidence, and his family is proud of his progress.” 

Goodwill sells donated items in more than 3,300 stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at OnlineGoodwill.com. The revenue creates job placement and training programs to help people earn paychecks and build their careers. Goodwill organizations serve people with disabilities and disadvantages, older workers, youth, veterans and military families, people reintegrating into society and others facing challenges to finding employment. 

Ninety-four cents of every dollar spent by Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee helps people in local communities to build careers of significance and lives of meaning. Every 25 seconds of every business day, a person served by Goodwill earns a good job.

Visit www.giveit2goodwill.org for details on Goodwill Week events.

About Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

For more than 60 years, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has provided job training and job placement free of charge to people with disabilities or other barriers to employment through the sale of donated items.  Goodwill’s vision is that all people will have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential through the power of work. More information about Goodwill’s Career Solutions, retail stores and donation centers can be obtained online at www.giveit2goodwill.org or by calling 1-800-545-9231.

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