Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
All locations will be Closed Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Retail Stores and Donation Stations will reopen at normal hours Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.
Administration Building and both Job Connection Centers will reopen Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 at normal business hours.
Toledo, OH – Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio, Inc. will officially launch its newest workforce development program Good Rides on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Good Rides is a workforce development program designed to help individuals facing transportation barriers getting to and from work. Goodwill purchased a shuttle bus to help with the widespread issue and participants enrolled in the program will work with navigators to identify their barriers. Once identified, the navigators will create plans to overcome the challenges in order to become transportation independent.
Goodwill is currently working with area employers on the program and the launch will involve Whitmer High School interns working at Rosenboom, located in Bowling Green, OH. Students will leave directly from Whitmer High School to Rosenboom and will be returned to school following their shift.
“This really is an exciting program. We have been talking with area employers and people we serve for quite some time and transportation has frequently been mentioned as a challenging barrier to employment”, said Amy Wachob, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio, Inc. “We are anticipating that the Good Rides Program will make a significant impact on eliminating a workplace barrier.” Wachob further states, “It is important to note that this is not a public transportation program, this is a workforce development program. Its design and intent is to work with individuals one-on-one and provide a lasting workplace solution. We are very encouraged by the depth of interest from both the people we serve as well as area employers. We have already been asked to increase our fleet!”
For more information on Goodwill’s Good Rides Program call or email:
Phone: 419-255-0070 ext. 3201
Email: dtakats@goodwillnwohio.org
Robert McIntosh walked into the Job Connection Center on October 30, 2019 determined to change his future. He had heard from a family friend, that there was a company looking to hire for call center work and thought it would be worth a shot to check it out. According to Robert, he was “desperately looking for a job.”
Robert completed an online application with Credit Adjustment Inc. (CAI, Inc.) that day and registered to participate in the Job Readiness Program in November. Upon completing the three day, 16 hour training, Robert was scheduled for an interview with CAI, Inc. later in the week.
Robert says, “I haven’t interviewed for a real job in 10 years and the job readiness course helped me to ask the right questions at the right time.” We are happy to report that Robert is joining the company effective the first week of January 2020. He goes on to say, “I didn’t think I was going to get a job so fast, because I had been out of the office setting for 10 years.”
Thanks to his new job, Robert says, “Now I will be able to buy clothes and go on trips like I used to do. And I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to afford it, because I have a JOB!!! My first major investment will be to purchase a good used car.”
Keith has been a familiar face at Goodwill Industries for the last five years. In 2013, he started working with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) and selected Goodwill Industries of Northwest Ohio as his vendor to receive vocational services through the Workforce Development program. The first step for Keith was to complete a Community Based Assessment. After he completed the assessment, he started to work with a professional job developer to learn Job Seeking Skills Training and Job Development. In July of 2014, he attended an interview with the CEO of Goodwill and was hired at Goodwill as a part-time building janitor. Since then, Keith has increased his hours and at times works full-time as needed. Keith indicates that “he likes the Goodwill staff and the experience of working at Goodwill Industries Northwest Ohio”. When speaking with his supervisor, he states that Keith is “joyful, courteous, and does his job quietly with no complaints is always willing to help out in the Contracts Division and work various contracts including festivals.” Congratulations to Keith for celebrating 5 years of employment with Goodwill!
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