[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 55 (Monday, May 8, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S3604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GOODWILL INDUSTRIES WEEK

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate Goodwill 
Industries Week and call attention to a leader in job training and 
employment services for people with disabilities and other barriers to 
employment.
  Nearly a century ago, Reverend Edgar Helms, a Methodist minister from 
Boston, founded Goodwill on the premise of reusing household goods and 
clothing from wealthy neighborhood homes to create a system that 
provides the poor with training, jobs, and self-esteem. The Goodwill 
philosophy of ``a hand up, not a hand out'' was born, and has blossomed 
into a $1.5 billion non-profit organization. Dr. Helms' own words 
described Goodwill Industries as both an ``Industrial program as well 
as a social service enterprise . . . a provider of employment, training 
and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of 
temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted.''
  Just a few of the programs offered include retail skills training 
through a partnership with Target stores, service technician training 
on-site at Valvoline Instant Oil Change locations, and construction 
skills training at Habitat for Humanity building sites. These programs, 
matched with Goodwill employment services, prepare people to enter the 
workforce in high-demand fields.
  Goodwill Stores funnel nearly 84 cents of every dollar spent at 
Goodwill towards employment and training programs for people faced with 
barriers to employment. This includes individuals with disabilities, 
people with limited work history, those who have experienced corporate 
downsizing, and recipients of government support programs. By operating 
autonomously, each of the 182 Goodwill member organizations adapts its 
services to meet the needs of its local community. This allows them to 
design specific programs and services that give Goodwill graduates the 
appropriate skills they need to find work close to home.
  Goodwill programs may not be for everyone, but Goodwill Industries 
International, through its employment and training efforts, provided 
necessary services for nearly 321,000 people worldwide in 1998, people 
who now have the tools to accomplish the goals in life that were once 
beyond their grasp.
  For this week of May 7-13, I commend those who have made a difference 
in someone's life through the services of Goodwill Industries and those 
who accomplish new heights in their careers thanks to these much-needed 
programs.

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