First sign of spring = Younkers Goodwill Sale

By Jim Cherney, Retail Operations Director

Each year – as we anticipate the end to our long, cold, Michigan winter and our donation stream trickles to a drip – we are blessed with the Younkers Goodwill Spring Sale. It is the much-needed, early March boost we can count on to lift our weary spirits!

This year, the sale kicks off on March 13 and runs through Saturday March 29. It’s the perfect incentive to inspire folks to start cleaning out their closets with the thawing of the snow and warmer days ahead.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the sale, it works like this: anyone donating to Goodwill during this two-and-a-half week period – either at a Goodwill store or Younkers – receives a 25% off Younkers coupon for each item donated. Donate six items and you get six coupons. Donate 25 items? Get 25 coupons! (You get the idea.) And the coupons are good toward items that rarely (if ever) go on sale.

Donors are not only rewarded with discounts on new spring items, but they help make a difference in our community by supporting Goodwill’s mission of job training and placement programs for people who need helping finding a job.

Savvy Goodwill shoppers also know that this is an excellent time to shop at Goodwill as a new crop of high-quality donations begin to refill our stores.

We are so grateful to Younkers and their ongoing support and belief in our mission. Held each spring and fall, the sale is the largest and longest-standing department store donation drive with Goodwill. Since its inception in 1994, the cause-marketing collaboration has generated an estimated value of more than $211 million in revenue to support Goodwill’s employment services.

So what are you waiting for? Start cleaning out your closets. Spring will be here before you know it!

For even more discounts, and a chance to win prizes, visit Younkers’ Million Acts of Goodwill website at Millionactsofgoodwill.com.

My sweetest find

By Liz Witzler, Marketing Director

L

ong before I started working at Goodwill, I was a thrift store aficionado. Some believe it is a gene you are born with, and you either possess it or you don’t. Having personally witnessed many converts to thrifting, I know this is to be false.

My love of secondhand clothes began the week before the start of first grade when my mother hung five school dresses in my closet that had belonged to my sister and announced, “These should fit you now.” I idolized my older sister (still do) and remember how thrilled I was that her dresses were now mine. I couldn’t wait for school to start!

In college, I started collecting and wearing “vintage” clothing … acquiring intricate 1950s-era beaded cardigans (so cute with jeans) and 1960s-ish swing coats (I still have a blue velvet one that I wear to the symphony) at small thrift shops and church rummage sales. I admired the quality and craftsmanship of these pieces, and fantasized about their former glamorous lives.

After graduating from college and starting my first serious job, consignment shops helped me build my professional wardrobe beyond my single “interview suit.” Wearing brands beyond my financial means gave me confidence, as if through textile osmosis I would inherit the success of their previous, more accomplished owners.

In addition to clothing, I like old things … furniture, books, artwork, jewelry. As many of you thrift store-types know, it’s exciting to unearth a treasure you find at a Goodwill store. There’s something wonderful about finding something discarded or forgotten, and giving it new life and value through your own adoring eyes.

Then there’s the bragging … let’s not overlook the glory in that! Quite often, when I tell a new acquaintance that I work at Goodwill it is followed by the sharing of their greatest find story. Like the fisherman who caught the biggest fish, or the golfer who achieved a hole in one, all Goodwill shoppers have a story about their sweetest find.

For me, it is a raku-fired piece of pottery that I found at the North Muskegon Goodwill store for $3.00. It is one of my favorite possessions and resides on my living room coffee table where I can see and enjoy it every day. I don’t know who made it, or what its value is, I only know that I love it.

Do you have a sweetest Goodwill find story? We would love to hear about it! Please share a photo of your treasure on our Facebook timeline and you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate for some Valentine’s Day sweets!

Don’t make resolutions

By Jane Drake, MoneyWorks Manager

With the start of the new year, it is inevitable you will read and hear lots of advice and tips on making resolutions. Try this tip: don’t.

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology only 8% of people are successful in achieving their resolutions. Instead of making resolutions, try a different tactic that will be more likely to help you be happier and more successful. Try what we tell our MoneyWorks clients: change your thinking.

Don’t think you have to be on a diet to lose weight. You know you tried diets before, and they failed. You don’t like having to deny yourself foods you enjoy. Instead, go on an eating plan. It is not about denying yourself all the sweet and gooey, or crisp and salty calorie-laden foods you love. Think of it as having all the delicious and wonderfully healthy foods you want!

In the same way, we advise many of our clients who are working on achieving financial goals, they should not think they have to be on a budget. Many of our clients tell us that they tried keeping a budget but just couldn’t do it. Just as with a diet, they didn’t like that they had to deny themselves something in order to stick with it.

Change your thinking. Instead, of a budget, adopt a spending plan. It is not about denying yourself that new article of clothing, the shiny new toy, or the latest phone upgrade. It is not about not buying what you want with the money you worked so hard to earn. Think of it as taking control of your money so it will no longer be a source of stress to you. Think of it as a wonderful tool to open new possibilities, help you reach your short and long-term goals, and create greater security for you and your family. We can show you how!

We also tell our MoneyWorks clients that nothing happens if you don’t first dream it and then commit to it on paper. Studies show that goals are more likely to be achieved if they are written down. So don’t make a resolution this year. Try a new approach: change your thinking, dream big, and be sure to write it down.

If you would like assistance with spending plans, debt deduction, or saving goals … with free, one-on-one assistance, please contact MoneyWorks directly at financialaction@goodwillwm.org.

Rekindling the spirit of the season

By Drew Robinson, Resource Development Coordinator

Every year at this time, I am amazed how differently adults and children experience the holiday season.

When I was young, I remember Christmas being a time of magic and mystery: everything was perfect! For the week-and-a-half of vacation from school, we spent our days sledding, building snowmen (and later, snow forts), and would watch with excitement as the stack of presents under the tree grew larger each night.

When I became an adult, the snow and the season had become far less appealing. Christmas shopping and wrapping presents consumed most of my free time. I agonized over what gifts to buy my parents, siblings, and in-laws, and wondered does it even matter? I worried would Dad appreciate the cordless drill I got him as much I enjoyed (cough cough) receiving a weed wacker? Despite our best intentions, we resorted more and more on giving and getting gift cards. What was the point of it?

This year, my family is trying something different. My children and their kid cousins will all receive the normal pile of gifts – toys, clothes, etc. – but for the adults, we will be making donations to charities in each other’s honor instead.  We’re already enjoying the reduction of shopping anxiety and fewer trips to the mall, and we will not miss standing in long return lines, or stockpiling those unused gift cards in our wallets. (And speaking of magic and mystery, it shouldn’t take us an hour to pack up the car after dinner on Christmas night!)

We will be practicing what I believe Christmas really is all about: celebrating the blessings we have received by helping others in need. The surprise bonus: it feels really good.

As we enter the last few weeks of this holiday season, consider becoming one of the growing number of families using this approach to redefine the season: for yourselves, and for your children (believe me, they won’t want a weed wacker in 30 years either).  As you do, I hope you will consider Goodwill when selecting your financial charitable gifts.

For over 60 years, Goodwill Industries of West Michigan has helped thousands of people in West Michigan with barriers to employment find, and keep, good jobs in our communities. By providing opportunities for people to earn their own income, we help them experience the dignity that comes with independence: the ability to provide for themselves and their families, and make a meaningful contribution to society.

Giving to Goodwill couldn’t be much easier either: just click on the “Donate Online” tab at the top of our homepage at www.goodwillwm.org, and you can complete the process on a few easy steps. You can even let us know who you are honoring with your gift, so we can provide them with an acknowledgement of your giving.

Giving to those you love by giving to others in need: sounds like a gift that keeps on giving, doesn’t it?

May you rediscover the magic of the season as I have!

Happy Holidays!

Donate a little time. Make a BIG impact.

By Amanda Grover, Tax Program Coordinator

How many volunteer opportunities have you heard of that can make a $5,000 difference in someone’s life? Volunteers involved in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Services for West Michigan can tell you it is a very rewarding experience. Last tax season, volunteers assisted more than 2,200 households in West Michigan, and the economic impact of our efforts was greater than $2.4 million.

We are always looking for new volunteers! No accounting or tax experience is required – you only need a little time, some basic computer knowledge, and the desire to learn.

This free tax preparation program assists low-to moderate-income individuals, and for some, this is the largest lump sum of money they will receive all year. For some struggling families, these tax returns make a big difference – enabling them to stay in their homes, pay overdue bills, and buy groceries.

The program has been hugely beneficial to our community, and volunteering is a great opportunity to learn something new and develop a useful life-long skill. Our VITA volunteers have enjoyed getting to know each other and experiencing the camaraderie that results from our common goal. A few of our student volunteers turned the experience into an internship and a way to gain future job references. Regardless of the various benefits, volunteers agree that the biggest reward comes from the gratitude of people receiving the service, and learning first hand how much the return is going help that person or family.

The free tax preparation program has had a presence in Muskegon for over a decade. Goodwill became the lead agency for the program four years ago. There are lots of volunteer times and locations to choose from! This coming tax season, there will be 11 sites in four counties: Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, and Lake. Sites operate at various times but appointments are available anywhere between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. There will also be select sites operating on Saturdays.

To learn more about volunteering with VITA Services for West Michigan, please contact me at 231-722-7871, ext. 246 or send me an email at agrover@goodwillwm.org

See the person, not the disability

By Meredith Champagne, Vocational Rehabilitation Manager

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and as the vocational rehabilitation manager at Goodwill Industries of West Michigan, this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, for both professional and personal reasons. Here we are in 2013 and there is still a stigma around hiring individuals with disabilities. Disabilities are seen and unseen, and regardless of their presentation, they should not impact how we view their ability to perform job-related tasks.

I am legally blind. I say that with pride, and I say that with trepidation, as I personally struggled to find employment after completing college. As a person with a disability, it can be difficult to convince an employer that your disability will not impact your ability to do the job. In interviewing for this position, I explained that with minimal accommodations, I could not only do the job, but was the best fit for the position.  It brings us back to the roots of Goodwill’s philosophy, “a hand-up, not a handout.”  I was allowed to demonstrate my skills, grow, and contribute to Goodwill and the community in a meaningful way.

The beauty of my current position is that I get to work with individuals with various disabilities and through pre-vocational training, watch them reach their full potential.

Employing people with disabilities is not about charity. According to the Job Accommodation Network, most employers report no or very low cost when making workplace accommodations for people with disabilities. Fifty-eight percent of employers said accommodations needed by employees  and job applicants with disabilities cost absolutely nothing. Additionally, those employers who do hire people with  disabilities report multiple benefits including improved employee retention, increased worker productivity, and ultimately cost savings.

As America continues to pull itself out of the recession, the unemployment rate among adults with disabilities remains at 14.1 percent; nearly twice as high as the unemployment rate of people without disabilities. During October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Goodwill Industries of West Michigan encourages employers in both the private and public sectors to strengthen their workforces by hiring qualified people with disabilities.

Fall for Goodwill

By James Cherney, Retail Operations Director

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … and nope, I’m not talking about Christmas.

Fall is an exciting and busy time for our Goodwill stores. Kids are back at school (and need new clothes), cooler temperatures creep in (think warm sweaters and coats), and best of all Halloween is on the horizon (cool costumes!)

This year we’ve expanded our offering of new Halloween costumes. I think you will be pleased at the quality and selection we have for you, as well as our deep discount prices. We’ve also stocked up on accessories such as hats, wigs, fangs, face paint, and more.

For the more creative types, Goodwill stores are a treasure trove of materials you need to put together a great one-of-a-kind costume. Be a pirate, a cowboy, a zombie, a princess, a cartoon character, or maybe a celebrity or sports hero. The possibilities are endless!

If you need more inspiration, check out our Halloween Pinterest board. We’ve gathered some great DIY costume ideas as well as Halloween décor and food ideas.

Once you create your costume, don’t forget to take a photo and enter our Costume Challenge on Facebook. Entries are accepted Sept. 30 through Oct. 19. Winner receives six passes to Double JJ Indoor Waterpark for a great family getaway!

Also, in case you haven’t heard, we opened a new store in Coopersville in August! Check out all 16 of our store locations and fall in love with Goodwill this fall!