Did you know? January is National Poverty Awareness Month. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the official poverty rate was 11.6%, impacting 37.9 million people in the U.S. in 2022. At Goodwill, we take a comprehensive approach to supporting individuals facing poverty. Offering free GED classes, digital skills training, supportive housing programs, and job training, we strive to address all barriers an individual may encounter on their journey to discovering and achieving their true potential.

Visit the DEIB Employee Resource Hub on Goodwill Connect for additional resources on Poverty Awareness. 

Every Friday in 2024, we'll share a feel good story about the many lives impacted by our mission of providing job training and education to people with barriers to employment. Check out more success stories here.

Meet Colby, a Project SEARCH graduate working in UPMC Passvant's Environmental Services (EVS) department!

This past November, Colby received the Support Services of the Year Award for his commitment to two of UPMC's core values, Responsibility and Integrity. When presented with the award, Colby was described as "the heart of the EVS department, and his excitement is infectious. Colby takes pride and responsibility in his role, and the EVS team can always count on him to work hard and complete the assigned task. . .Colby can be seen throughout the facility working on different projects and has proven to be one of the most dependable associates in the EVS department. He leads by example by demonstrating a willingness to assist whenever needed and ensure the job is done correctly."

In addition to meeting his employment goals, Colby had the goal of obtaining his driver's license. He recently passed his driver's test and can now drive himself anywhere he wants. Congratulations, Colby!

UPMC Project SEARCH is a one-year training program fully immersed in the workplace (UPMC) for high school students with disabilities who are transitioning from high school to work. Learn more here.

Meet Justin Goelz, a cashier at the Heidelberg Goodwill Outlet! Justin has worked at Goodwill for a year, enjoying the fun atmosphere with his coworkers. He credits his team members for helping him become more comfortable in his job.

Justin's favorite Goodwill Core Value is POTENTIAL, saying he has the potential to move up within Goodwill.

In addition to being a team member, Justin is a frequent Goodwill shopper! His favorite purchase is a food processor. In his spare time, Justin enjoys reading a good book. A fun fact about him is that he loves to cook!

We're excited to celebrate the Heidelberg Goodwill Outlet as January's Store of the Month!

The Heidelberg Goodwill first opened as an outlet store in December 2016. Despite being our smallest outlet store, you'll find many treasures here! From new-with-tag pieces to vintage items, shoppers always find something to purchase.

The tight-knit team at the Heidelberg Outlet enjoys sharing jokes and works hard to ensure the store is a safe and fun place to shop. During bin rotations, you'll see the entire team working together to ensure new bins are efficiently put into place. 

Stay tuned this month to see more from the Heidelberg Goodwill Outlet!