WCNC-TV Hosts 3rd Annual “Make a Difference Day” Donation Drive for Goodwill

This past Saturday, October 22, 2016, WCNC-TV (NBC Charlotte) hosted “Make a Difference Day” benefiting Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.

The nationwide annual initiative by Tegna featured a donation drive for Goodwill, which at the end of the day collected 4 full trucks with 16,662 pounds of donations – even more than last year – from generous donors in the community!

Team members from Goodwill and WCNC-TV, as well as the station’s on-air anchors and reporters, collected donations on-site from 6 a.m. – 4 p.m., including host Larry Sprinkle, Bill McGinty, Ben Thompson, John Wendel, Rachel Rollar, Brooke Katz, Xavier Walton, Kelsey Riggs, Rachel Brown, Richard DeVayne, Hannah Welker, and more.

In addition to the donation drive, WCNC-TV surprised Goodwill with a $5,000 financial contribution to support our mission of changing lives through the power of work. Thank you to WCNC-TV and the 503 donors from the community who came out to support Goodwill and give a second life to items they no longer need.

Leading up to Make a Difference Day, WCNC-TV aired four inspiring success stories of Goodwill clients and team members. Watch the videos below to see the hard work and dedication put forth by these individuals on their journey to family sustaining employment.

• Jake graduated from the hospitality & tourism occupational skills training course at Goodwill, and is now co-owner and crew chief of a racing team in Maiden, N.C. Jake was at a low point in his life when he came to Goodwill, and he credits our organization with giving him the confidence he needed to get back on his feet and ultimately find success. “Goodwill helps Charlotte man find direction.”
• KeShawn is a student in the Career Leadership Academy for Youth (CLAY) program at Goodwill with a passion for broadcasting and video production. KeShawn was surprised with a behind-the-scenes job shadow at WCNC-TV as he prepares for a career in the field. “Local teen gets surprise visit to WCNC.”
• Hyrum is the store manager at our Ballantyne retail store. Hyrum began his career at Goodwill as a donation processor, was promoted to retail lead worker, then again promoted to assistant store manager and is now a store manager thanks to hard work and encouragement from his team members and supervisors. “The power of work can change lives.”
• Shell graduated from the hospitality & tourism occupational skills training course at Goodwill and is a current Board of Directors member who owns Elegant Connexions, an event space business in Concord. “Help make a difference in our community this weekend.”

Thank you to WCNC-TV, Goodwill team members and community donors for making “Make a Difference Day” a huge success again this year. Purchases of these donations in Goodwill retail stores will help fund job training and employment services free of charge for individuals such as Jake, KeShawn, Hyrum and Shell to find jobs and earn wages to support themselves and their families. Together, we can all make a difference!