Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut, Inc.

I had the pleasure of assisting at the Get Hired Hartford Career Expo last fall. This is an incredible event that Goodwill hosts to help connect people with jobs. There were tons of great companies like Whole Foods, Connecticare, Pratt & Whitney and The Hartford - even the Hartford Yard Goats were there! And, oh my gosh, thousands of job seekers! What really impressed me about Goodwill is there commitment to bettering an individual. This event didn't just have recruiters from nearly a hundred companies, but they also had career coaches on site to review your resume and a professional photographer giving free portraits. The offerings were tremendous and were only surpassed by how well managed the entire day went. Truly inspiring to spend a day with such a dedicated and caring team of people. Bravo guys!

I wish I could say good things about Goodwill of Western Connecticut, but after helping a disabled family member get a job there I cannot. Goodwill is supposed to help people who would otherwise be unemployable, but over the last few years as they have remodeled and expanded their stores I have noticed they are acting more like a profit minded business than the charity they purport to be. At the location my family member worked they fired all the disabled workers and brought in young kids without disabilities. I also notice the same thing happening at other Goodwill locations. They don't pay much, and don't give decent raises, unless you consider .25 an hour a decent raise. This is for the stockers and clerks. I don't know how the managers are paid. My family member started at $8 an hour and was told that the salary capped out at $8.25 no matter how many years worked. What I am left wondering is what happened to Goodwill's lofty ideals and stated mission of providing employment and other services for the less fortunate. Oh, and by the way, when my family member was fired, Goodwill refused to give the earned vacation pay which had accrued over 2 years because they had always said they were "too busy" in the store to schedule the employee's vacation. That's right - a disabled person was forced to work 2 years without a break and then had the pay stolen! Disgraceful!