[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E720-E721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE 130TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOKAN GOODWILL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 11, 2024

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with abundant joy and eternal 
gratitude in recognition of the 130th anniversary of Goodwill of 
Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, affectionately referred to by 
their beneficiaries as MoKan Goodwill. This year marks over a century 
of the organization's commitment to empowering people and strengthening 
communities by providing much-needed jobs, affordable household goods, 
and employment training services to Greater Kansas City's most 
vulnerable residents. I fully expect MoKan Goodwill to continue to 
faithfully provide their services for as long as there are Missourians 
and Kansans to accept them, and I ask that we take a moment to reflect 
on the organization's profound impact.

[[Page E721]]

  The history of MoKan Goodwill is the history of two separate but 
like-minded organizations, eventually converging to make possible the 
charitable institution we know today. The first, founded 130 years ago 
in 1894, was Kansas City's Helping Hand Institute. Formed as a relief 
organization for the city's unhoused population, the institute supplied 
food and shelter as well as monetary compensation in exchange for 
completing work projects. This process served to successfully provide 
support, employment, and eventually self-sufficiency for those who 
needed it most. In doing so, the Helping Hand Institute not only made a 
difference in the lives of thousands of Kansas Citians, but also 
developed the city into the thriving metropolis we know today.
  The second organization Goodwill, founded in Boston by Reverend Edgar 
J. Helms in 1902, was not unique to Kansas City, but was known 
nationwide for its charitable work and pioneering philanthropy. With 
the charitable will of any good minister, Helms sought to improve the 
living conditions of impoverished immigrants. He established Goodwill's 
trademark business model of collecting donated goods and selling them 
for a modest profit, which would be used to pay the workers who 
prepared the goods for sale. Helms made a habit of employing people who 
were economically disadvantaged or had disabilities, people who, at the 
time, would likely be unable to find a job elsewhere. It was a system 
with similar values and missions as the Helping Hand Institute. Both 
organizations not only provided relief to those who needed it the most, 
but also sought the opportunity for upward social mobility--the 
opportunity to make the American Dream, which seemed so elusive to so 
many, a reality.
  Goodwill first came to Kansas City in 1925, in the form of a repair 
shop at St. Peter's Evangelical Church on Oak Street. It became clear 
to both Goodwill and the Helping Hand Institute that their efforts to 
raise the city's disadvantaged population into self-sufficiency would 
be more successful together. In 1978, the two merged to form the 
Helping Hand of Goodwill Industries. This name was changed to Goodwill 
of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas in 2010 to better reflect the 
geographic scope of the organization, thus creating the MoKan Goodwill 
that we know and love today.
  Today, MoKan Goodwill remains a steadfast pillar of the community of 
Greater Kansas City. Their thrift stores continue to operate under 
Reverend Helms's initial model, creating a valuable place of employment 
while extending the opportunity to purchase low-cost household goods, 
keeping those very same products out of landfills. The organization 
also offers individualized, one-on-one employment services to help 
their clients succeed in taking the most crucial step towards becoming 
self-sufficient: finding a job. Goodwill understands the importance of 
employment; to quote their mission statement, ``Employment is more than 
a paycheck. It is independence, agency, dignity, and equality.'' That 
mission has evolved with the times. Through classes with Goodwill's 
Artemis Institute, students can learn about new technologies commonly 
used in workplaces and can even become certified as a Manufacturing 
Associate. Programs like the Artemis Institute prove that Goodwill can 
adapt to the digital age, and any other age thereafter.
  Scripture 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us, ``Each one must give as he has 
decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God 
loves a cheerful giver.'' The founders of the Helping Hand Institute 
were cheerful givers. Reverend Edgar J. Helms was a cheerful giver. 
Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas is an organization full 
of cheerful givers. Mr. Speaker, please join me as we celebrate 130 
years of cheerful giving. The work that MoKan Goodwill has done 
empowering people and strengthening communities has been invaluable in 
building the vibrant Kansas City we know today. Congratulations to 
MoKan Goodwill on 130 years of service and many more to come.

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