Donation is capstone gift in year-long fundraising campaign
Louisville, Ky. — Goodwill Industries of Kentucky will announce a major financial gift from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation at a celebration event at 10:00 a.m. on November 17. The [$200,000] gift from Chase completed Goodwill’s $1.3 million fundraising campaign that began in October 2010.
Dubbed the Broadway Beacon Initiative, the project’s goal is to transform Goodwill’s East Broadway campus into a citywide destination for employment and training.
“There’s never been a more critical time to devote resources to job creation and training,” said Roland R. Blahnik, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. “Thanks to the generous gift from JPMorgan Chase Foundation and all of our campaign donors, Goodwill can dramatically expand its ability to give people the chance they need to succeed in the workforce.
Goodwill’s facility at 907-909 East Broadway has not experienced any significant renovations or upgrades since 1990 despite the organization’s double digit growth in job placements and employees. In the last 20 years, Goodwill has also seen exponential increases in wages paid to people with disabilities or other disadvantages.
“For years, we’ve been bursting at the seams on Broadway,” said Dr. Marsha Berry, vice president for Goodwill’s Beargrass Division based in Louisville. “This renovation has been a long time coming and will help us achieve bigger and better results in job placement and employment counseling.”
Renovations and expansion are slated to begin before the end of 2011 with completion in late 2012. Improvements will include:
- Expansion of the Adult Learning Center from four classrooms to seven, increasing the daily capacity by 33 percent for people improving their reading and math skills or working towards a GED
- Creation of private meeting spaces for job seekers and Goodwill’s employment counselors, who often discuss confidential personal issues that affect a person’s ability to obtain and/or maintain employment
- Renovation of the Broadway donation and retail center, increasing the number of training jobs at that location
- Expansion of a recycling/reuse program to create green jobs and divert even more items from landfills than Goodwill already does through its process of selling donated merchandise to the public
After a successful internal campaign resulting in 100 percent participation by Goodwill’s Board of Directors and 83 percent by Goodwill’s 173 Louisville-area employees, the external phase of the campaign began on December 1, 2010. In addition to the JPMorgan Chase Foundation gift, Goodwill received leadership donations in the amount of $250,000 from the City of Louisville; $50,000 from the Brown-Forman Corporation; $50,000 from The Gheens Foundation; $40,000 from PNC Bank; $10,000 from The Cralle Foundation, and $10,000 from Publishers Press.
About Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
As one of the largest Goodwills in the country, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky accepts a variety of donations, including clothing and other household items, which are sold in its stores. Donations are tax deductible and receipts are available. In fiscal year 2011, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky placed 2,584 Kentuckians in jobs and paid more than $16 million in mission-related wages. Kentucky’s Goodwill has 59 centers throughout the state that provide jobs and job training. Goodwill also provides employment services and post-employment support to help people with disabilities or other disadvantages achieve and maintain employment to gain a better quality of life. For your nearest donation and retail center, visit www.goodwillky.org.
