Causes: Human Services

Mission: Goodwill industries of akron, ohio, inc. Is a not-for-profit corporation that helps individuals prepare for, find, and retain employment. Goodwill serves the five-county region of summit, portage, medina, ashland, and richland. Goodwill helps to directly strengthen the region's workforce through its employment programs and indirectly through the net proceeds from its retail outlets and contract services division.

Programs: Items are donated from generous donors through its retail stores, attended donation sites and through estate or home pickups . The items are sold in its 13 retail stores, boutique, online through shopgoodwill. Com, ebooks, or auto auctions. Items that do not sell in retail locations are sold through an outlet store. Remaining unsold donations are sold as salvage to keep items from the trash as well as earning dollars to promote the mission. A total of 356 work experience, work adjustment and vocational evaluation clients participated in training or employment experience in the retail area in 2014.

mission services includes a vast array of employee/employer services. For the career/job-seeker the goodwill industries of akron, ohio, inc. Offers career exploration, advising services, resume and interview preparation as well as skill identification. For the business/employer we offer recruiting, applicant screening, and pre-employment testing. For those in need of more intensive services, goodwill offers the following individualized services including assessments, adjustments, evaluations for individuals with visual impairments, job coaching, placement and retention, work experience and youth programs. Workforce development also hosts a radio reading program serving the visually impaired or cognitively challenged in the area. The elizabeth clark program serves those in need in our area with vouchers to our retail locations. During 2014 workforce development referred 380 participants for placement and placed 341. In total, it served 9,381 individuals. Of those 9,381 individuals served, 706 received vocational evaluations, assessments & adjustments; 221 participated in youth programs; 239 in work experience; 4,143 participated in job skill classes & workshops; 583 through job fairs; 51 received job search assistance & coaching; 2,313 received other services including bus passes, elizabeth clark emergency fund gift cards, & radio reading; 784 were helped through employer services, recruitment, screening, testing, training & outplacement.

contract services includes assembly operations and industrial sewing and is certified to iso 9001:2008. It is a participant in the state use program providing items such as safety vests, towels, washclothes, aprons and laundry bags. Its sewing department also offers customized industrial sewing for area businesses. Assembly operations offers local businesses with individualized assembly needs. It offers collating, die-cutting, heat shrinking, packaging, kitting, de-manufacturing, re-work, sorting, labeling and prototyping. 58 individuals in work experience, vocational evaluation, and work adjustment were provided training or employment experience in 2014 through the contracts division.