Did you know that Goodwill is a proud member of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (PMAHCC)? PMAHCC is the principal regional advocate for the Hispanic business community’s civic and economic interests. It is their mission to develop, promote and advocate on behalf of Hispanic businesses & professionals in the Pittsburgh region, while encouraging the advancement and economic growth of Pittsburgh’s Hispanic community.

Hispanic and Latinx Americans make up the largest minority population in the United States. These millions of citizens represent a rich history of influence from a wide range of cultures, experiences, perspectives, ambitions, hopes, and ideas. This year, take the steps and commit to doing your part as an individual to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by challenging yourself to learn something new, seeking input from team members or donate to an organization focused on furthering progress for Latinx and Hispanic individuals.

For NBC News, young members of the Hispanic and Latinx communities, including actor Gina Rodriguez, discuss the complexities of growing up with this heritage in the United States. Alongside difficulties and obstacles they often face is the hope for a bright future.

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. While you never have to wait for an annual event to take pride in your ethnic background, for Latinx and Hispanic Americans, the purpose of National Hispanic Heritage Month is to honor their respective cultures and the histories behind them. It’s a period meant for recognition, education, and celebration.

A Personal Story…

By Michael Rodriguez, Interim Director of E-Commerce

One of my favorite family traditions that still continues on to this day is making tamales with the family the Saturday before Christmas. My whole family made enough for everyone to take some home and still have enough for eating all year round. Depending on age is what you got to do; younger kids soaked corn husks, older kids and younger adults cut the beef and pork, and everyone else either cooked the filling, folded the tamales, or started cooking and bagging them for everyone to take home.

This was also the time everyone shared what was going on in their lives and made sure everyone was doing okay. A lot of stories that have been told countless times are shared and every once in a while a new story would pop up from my grandparents.

Since I can remember, we have never missed a year. Even though I don't see my extended family often, my wife and three kids still make tamales the Saturday before Christmas. 

The grand opening of the NEW Belle Vernon Goodwill store will be on September 28th, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.! Join us for a live DJ, refreshments, free goodies with purchase, and tons of shopping! The new store is located at 460 Tri County Lane, Belle Vernon, PA 15012. We hope to see you there!

Meet Megan McGivern! They have been working at the Lawrenceville Goodwill store as a hardline processor for fourteen months. Megan wanted to be a processor at Goodwill because they thought they would be good at the job and enjoys meeting new people. 

When we asked Megan what their favorite Goodwill Core Value is, they couldn't pick just one. Megan says they try to live up to every value while at work. 

Outside of work, Megan is a crafter! They spend their free time drawing, crafting, and relaxing. 

Meet Tina Monroe, a processor at the Elkins Goodwill store. Tina came to work for Goodwill three years ago because she was a frequent shopper and enjoyed the atmosphere in the store! Now as a processor, she enjoys that every day is different.

Tina's favorite Goodwill Core Value is CARING. She says if you care about your job all of Goodwill's values will naturally follow. 

Outside of work, Tina enjoys reading, listening to music, enjoying the outdoors, and watching movies. A fun fact about her is that she always tries to be positive!

We're saying goodbye to Summer 2022! Show us what Fun in the Sun you had this Summer! Please submit photos to Kimberly.johnson@goodwillswpa.org by Friday, September 30th. 

Jessica McConnell, our Director of DEIB, had the opportunity to connect with our new cohort of Project Life students during their orientation week. The students engaged with Jessica on our new employee Diversity Awareness training, now live on Grow with Goodwill. Since they’ll be in our Workforce Development Building for the entire year, staff thought it was important that students receive the same training as employees. They learned about the differences between equality and equity, gave examples of micro-aggressions and received a fun takeaway to explain the definitions behind DEIB in a relatable way, see below. If other programs would also like to receive this training, please reach out to Jessica. 

Individual Costume Winner for the week of September 11-17: Ciana as Round Up Randy!

Each week from September 12th until Halloween the marketing department will give away one $50 gift card to Goodwill, Sheetz, Target, or Amazon (winner’s choice) to the best individual photo and a free meal to the best group photo.

After Halloween, the marketing department will choose 3 overall winners to receive a $100 gift card and one PTO day.

To enter the weekly contest, you simply need to email your high-quality photo (and your name and work location!) to marketing@goodwillswpa.org.

The contest runs Sunday-Saturday and each weekly winner will be announced in the following week’s Feel Good Friday. Our Week 2 winners will be announced next Friday!

Rules: 1) By submitting a photo, you are giving the marketing department permission to share your photo on our public social media channels. 2) At least one thing in your photo needs to be from Goodwill (let us know what that thing is).