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Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is pleased to announce the promotion of Haley Smith to Director of Real Estate and Facilities. Since joining Goodwill in December 2021 as a Construction Manager, Haley has been a driving force behind our Donated Goods Retail growth. Before her time with the nonprofit, Haley brought her expertise as a Project Manager in residential construction and retail construction for Goodwill Industries of San Diego. 

Haley’s dedication to professional growth is evident as she pursues her Project Management certification and Commercial Real Estate license. She has been instrumental in managing key projects, including the recent opening of the Gastonia Career & Employment Center, and will now lead Facilities, Events, and Real Estate for Goodwill, along with her expanded team.  

Congratulations, Haley! 

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is pleased to announce the promotion of Lee Bond to Director of Corporate Compliance, recognizing his more than 17 years of exceptional service and leadership at Goodwill. Lee has been pivotal in advancing Risk Management, Safety, Loss Prevention, and Business Continuity initiatives. His guidance during the challenges of COVID-19 and disaster recovery planning underscored his invaluable expertise.

Lee’s commitment to growth includes earning the V-Legal Certificate from Vanderbilt School of Law and certifications in Environmental Health and Safety and Loss Prevention. Lee also served as a Detective Sergeant for more than 20 years in command of the Homicide and Robbery division for a Hampton Roads police Department in southeastern Virginia, before his tenure at Goodwill.

Congratulations, Lee!

DON’T PLAY HEART TO GET

 

Our stores have curated items perfect for a romantic Valentine’s date or a fun Galentine’s get-together. Stop by your local Goodwill to shop its selection of dresses, date-night outfits, festive dishware, stuffed animals, romantic movies and books, candles, cozy blankets, and more!

And you can feel good about your purchases because they do good for our community! The revenue we generate from selling items in our stores helps people train for and find employment. When people have access to quality jobs, they gain the stability they need to support themselves and their families. This not only empowers people, but it also creates stronger, healthier, and more vibrant communities.

 

VALENTINE’S & GALENTINE’S ESSENTIALS

GREAT FINDS IN STORES NOW

Black Philanthropy Month (BPM), established in 2011 by Dr. Jacqueline Copeland-Carson of Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network with recognition by the United Nations, is celebrated globally every August to elevate African-descent giving and funding equity. Since its founding, millions of people and organizations across the globe have celebrated every August as a month of celebration and renewal of giving to and by African-descent communities. 

At Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, it’s our mission to build pathways that help people pursue the life they want to achieve. Success isn’t achieved alone, which is why we encourage partnership and collaboration to help our team and the people we serve in achieving their goals. As a nonprofit, we rely on donations and shopping at our retail stores to fund our mission, in addition to corporate and philanthropic donations.  

Nick and Regina Wharton, longtime donors of Goodwill, share why giving is important and why they choose to support Goodwill.

Q: Why is it important to give?

Regina: “Giving helps to put you at the center of what community stands for — no one makes it on their own.  As my mother would often say, no matter how much you think you have somebody has more. And no matter how little you think you have somebody has less. Keep life in perspective and give what you can to our community to make a difference.”  

Nick: “I believe in strategic partnerships based on authentic collaboration with organizations doing extraordinary work in the community.”

Q: Why is it important to give to Goodwill?

Regina: “Simply stated Goodwill does good work! I was honored to serve on the board for Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, so I gained a lot of knowledge about Goodwill and the difference the organization makes in our community.  It also meant a lot for us to honor my father who worked in the trades as an elevator repair person and business owner.  It’s a reminder that we come from a family that has benefited from what Goodwill stands for.” 

Nick: “I think it’s so important that those who have give to organizations that are making a difference. A lot of organizations are involved in the movement to change the economic trajectory of the city. Goodwill is among the organizations making an extraordinary impact on jobs in the city.” 

Q: How important is it to be leaders as Black philanthropists?

Regina: “To whom much is given, much is required!  We have been blessed to be a blessing to others.  We give as much as we can, and we have raised responsible adults that also give. Knowing we have been a role model for them matters to us. Give what you can and collectively it makes a difference.”

Q: Where does your sense of community come from?

Nick: “My mother raised three sons in a tough working-class community in Jamaica, Queens, NYC. I benefitted from rich community support systems that nurtured my growth and development. My entire career as a nonprofit executive and in the corporate arena has been providing economic opportunities to those left behind. These experiences have hard wired a desire to see people change their lives in communities that embrace and nurture change.

Q: How can someone’s involvement help others in the community?

Regina: “Involvement is all about building awareness!  A lot of times you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes unless you get involved. Once you get involved you will find out the many ways you can make a difference with your time and treasure.  I take every opportunity I can to mention the Goodwill Opportunity Campus — where it’s located, the good work that’s happening with programs & services, and what’s behind the retail stores!”

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If you would like to help fund Goodwill’s programs and services that we offer to the community free of charge, consider dropping off your gently used donations at one of our locations or making a financial contribution.

25% OFF DONATED GOODS

Christmas is coming early at Goodwill! Shop our Christmas in July sale Thursday, July 25 – Friday, July 26, and enjoy 25% off all donated items as our gift to you! The sale is taking place at all of our retail stores, excluding our Second Editions outlet stores. In addition to marking down all donated goods, our stores are putting out inventory of holiday items and decor, so you can stock up early on everything you need to deck the halls later this year. 

YOUR PURCHASES DO GOOD

Shopping at Goodwill is good for more than just your budget – it’s good for our community too! That’s because the revenue we generate from selling donated goods in our stores funds the career training programs, job search support and family stability services that we offer absolutely free of charge to thousands of people in our community each year, including our own Goodwill team members. Together, we can create a brighter future for all!

Goodwill is partnering with businesses throughout the region to boost donations and local impact as we turn your items into career services for people in the community. We are thrilled to announce a new partnership between Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, representing a powerful collaboration between two of the largest nonprofits in our community.

From Monday, July 15 through Monday, July 29, four YMCA centers – Brace, Simmons, Morrison, and Keith – will go head-to-head in the Give for Good competition. This two-week blitz encourages each location to rally their employees, members and community supporters to donate gently used items at Goodwill bins located inside their facilities. The YMCA that gathers the most donations by the end of the competition will be crowned the winner, and all donated items will be sold at Goodwill stores to fund crucial job training and employment services across the Charlotte region.

We’re grateful to the Y for kicking off the Give for Good competition and are looking for other organizations to take the challenge. Are you part of a locally-focused business that would be a perfect partner for the head-to-head donation challenge? Let’s explore the possibility. For more information, click here.

The City of Gastonia recently launched GoGastonia, a new on-demand microtransit service that is replacing six fixed bus routes. On-demand microtransit provides a similar convenience to private rideshare services, allowing riders to book and pay for on-demand rides online or by phone – for the same cost as public transit.

SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT WITH GOODWILL & GET 10 RIDES FREE!

We’re partnering with the City of Gastonia to help you get started. Join us at the Gastonia Career Center (116 Armstrong St.) on Wednesday, July 17, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., where we’ll help you set up your GoGastonia account, show you how to book rides, explain the service area and costs, and more. Plus, new accounts set up during the event will get their first 10 rides free!

Sign up below to attend one of four breakout sessions:

HOW TO ATTEND:

BACK TO SCHOOL

It’s hard to believe that another school year is right around the corner, and families are preparing to send their kids back to school for another year of learning, development, friendship and fun. We know that shopping for the school year ahead can be daunting, but stocking up on back-to-school items doesn’t have to be costly! Visit your local Goodwill to browse its affordable collection of children’s clothing, shoes, accessories, school supplies and more!

AFFORDABLE ESSENTIALS

RECENTLY SPOTTED IN OUR STORES

LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD

Visit your local Goodwill to browse its collection of back-to-school must-haves. And remember, your purchases do good! The money we make from selling donated goods in our stores funds career training programs, job search support, family stability services and more – all of which we offer free of charge to thousands of people in our community each year, including our own Goodwill team members.

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont (GISP) is announcing its participation in the newly formed “Beyond the Cliff” Coalition. This Coalition is a first-of-its-kind national collaborative of nonprofits, state and local governments, and collaborative stakeholders focused on helping families achieve economic prosperity and specifically eliminating the benefits cliff. The benefits cliff describes the experience that millions of low-income families face when they increase earnings only to face an abrupt loss in public assistance which leaves them worse off financially.

While GISP is a leading workforce development nonprofit and works hard to create access to promising careers for individuals, the organization is aware of the challenges many team members face, and is working to address those obstacles for its team and community through an effort called the Benefits Cliff Community Lab.

GISP already leads a regional coalition of organizations advocating for policies that address benefits cliffs and aid workers in career progression and businesses in hiring and retaining talent. The coalition aims to change the narrative and provide solutions for individuals and families seeking prosperity. They also provide employers with resources on evidence-based practices, programs, and policies designed to mitigate the impact of the benefits cliff and drive upward economic mobility.

“Goodwill is committed to building pathways that help people pursue the life they want to achieve, and that includes our own team members. As we continue to increase wages for our team members, we are committed to finding solutions to address the impact of benefits cliffs and remove as many obstacles as possible so they can prosper and thrive,” said Chris Jackson, President & CEO, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.

Recently, GISP, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Freedom Communities and Atrium Health presented to the Joint Legislative Economic Development and Global Engagement Committee at the North Carolina General Assembly about addressing the benefits cliff. Together they shared about the importance of addressing the benefits cliffs and the positive impact it can have for North Carolina workers and their families – and for businesses. They proposed the committee establish a legislative task force to come up with solutions to the benefits cliff.

Brittany Birken, Community and Economic Development Director and Principal Adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta*, studies the impact of benefit cliffs on individuals and communities and served in an advisory capacity in the formation of this collaborative. She said, “Bringing together these innovative efforts to address the benefits cliff has the potential to identify the solutions needed to increase family economic mobility, meet employers’ talent needs, and ensure that the economy is working for everyone.”

The Coalition is being led by Martha O’Bryan Center with funding support from Kresge Foundation. The inaugural members of the Coalition include:

In addition, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) will serve in an advisory capacity.

“At Martha O’Bryan, we seek solutions to the root causes of poverty.  We are very excited about leading this coalition focused on eliminating the benefits cliff. As an antipoverty organization, we believe families can rise out of poverty in one generation. We recognize that that has not been true in all places for all people. Solving this issue is an important step toward expanding the landscape of opportunity for all families,” Marsha Edwards CEO & President, Martha O Bryan Center.

Are you looking for work with purpose in Southeast Charlotte? Would you like to be in the business of creating a brighter future for people in our community? Then Goodwill is the place for you! We’re hosting an upcoming hiring event for both management and frontline positions at our retail store on Sardis Road. 

HOW OUR STORES SUPPORT OUR MISSION

The money we make from selling donated goods in our retail stores funds job training courses, job search support, family stability services and more – all of which we offer free of charge to thousands of people in our community each year. In fact, you may know someone who is well on their way to a brighter future after accessing our programs and services. Simply put, our retail stores fund our mission.

PAY & BENEFITS

As a Goodwill team member, you not only get to do meaningful work, but you also receive great benefits and competitive pay – with frontline team members starting at $15/hour. In addition to great benefits (like comprehensive health insurance, vacation and sick pay), team members also receive access to free career development and job training programs, opportunities for career advancement and more.