Random Acts of Goodwill with Lorna G. Utley

Economic Impact

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:04:00 +0000

I am just back from a week in Washington, DC with my counterparts from Goodwills across the country. We shared information about the impact of Goodwill with our elected representatives that I would also like to share with you.

The numbers prove that Goodwill is an important piece of the effort to jumpstart Michigan’s economy. The 10 Goodwills in our state generate more than $100 million in annual revenue.

Here are the important numbers about the Goodwills in Michigan for 2007:
· $103.1 million in gross revenues
· Direct employment of 3588 people
· Served 28,949 clients
· Placed 6349 people in competitive wage job positions

Nationally there are more than 180 local Goodwill organizations training, preparing folks to be ready for work and trusted from the day they start working. I am proud that Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit is a key part of this important effort..

Trained. Trusted. Ready to Work.

Goodwill International New Leader Visits Detroit

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:37:00 +0000

We had a special visitor here at Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit last Thursday. Jim Gibbons, the new President and CEO for Goodwill Industries International, was here to visit Detroit and learn more about the important work that we are doing helping people to be trained and ready to work.

I hosted all of the Michigan Goodwill CEOs for a Goodwill Association of Michigan meeting for us to learn about what each other is doing in our respective geographical areas and to hear from Jim about Jim. Jim recently came from the National Association for the Blind (NIB) where he served as their President and CEO for nine years. Before that, he worked in the telecommunications industry.

Jim Gibbons lives the Goodwill mission every day as he is completely blind himself. He has been challenged by a disability but he has resoundingly won the battle. He was the first graduate of the Harvard Business School MBA program who is blind. Jim is learning a lot about all the wonderful work that we do with anyone with really any barrier to work whether it is a disability, or one of a myriad of others: chronically unemployed or underemployed, returning citizen, mental illness, people with HIV/Aids. He was particularly pleased to learn more about our Flip the Script program.

Young minority men ages 18 to 30, rewrite their life’s “script”, during a 16 week intensive classroom training program focusing on the fundamental principles of algebra, reading enrichment, social skills development, workplace ethics, male accountability and anger management.

And to all of you, who read this blog - As they say on the Motel 6 commercials of old, come and visit us anytime, “we’ll leave the light on for you.”

A Zoo Goodwill Partnership

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:25:00 +0000

I am often asked how a non-profit can thrive under in the challenging economic environment we now face. An important part of the answer is collaboration.

We can accomplish even better things when two different non-profits work together in helping others while helping each other.

Recently, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit and the Detroit Zoological Society have done just that! The Detroit Zoological Society has contracted with our organization to provide janitorial services for the upkeep of the buildings at the Detroit Zoo. We just started on April 21st and it is going very well.

Half of the 12 positions created by the contract will be filled on a full-time basis. Many of these individuals who will be working previously experienced barriers to employment. We also plan to fill the remaining five or six positions on a transitional basis to provide 90 to 180 days of paid work experience before those people are moved into other permanent jobs.

Ron Kagan, executive director of the Detroit Zoological Society, recently said that our Clean Downtown initiative, in which people in our training programs earn a living by maintaining a clean environment in Downtown Detroit, showed the zoo we had the experience to get the job done efficiently and cost effectively. We are very excited about this opportunity to collaborate with the Zoo, keeping the buildings Disney-like clean and providing jobs for those who need and want to work.

Metro Detroit Generosity Shines

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

From time to time, upon reflection, it is easy to be proud of our community.

I learned of two examples in the past week that proved, once again, that no matter the economic circumstances, we Metro Detroiters really care about each other.

When the Hechtman Senior Apartments in Oakland County experienced a devastating fire, a call went out for donations to help affected residents. Within HOURS, they had everything they needed as people from the West Side, East Side and of all ages and races descended on the fire scene to drop off what they could.

And just this week, we learned that a local non-profit’s latest fundraising effort beat the national average for similar organizations by 8 percent!

It’s that culture of generosity that fuels the Motor City, no matter what the state of the economy. That spirit of philanthropy, among all groups in our community, is what will enable Goodwill to deliver on its mission in the years to come.

We have the HOTTEST Tickets in Town

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:46:00 +0000

Well, the Detroit Tigers opened up their season at Comerica Park this past Monday, and even though the sun wasn’t shining and it was that winter gray pallor that we are all sick of at least the Tigers played (although a tough loss).

Thank goodness, I think that we all felt that winter was never going to end this year. As Ernie Harwell used to say before every season opener…

For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone;The flowers appear on the earth;The time of the singing of birds is come,And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

We have the snow record to prove it, the 4th snowiest in Detroit’s history. BUT, that is behind us now, and Goodwill is going to be part of the baseball scene. We have 300 tickets for the Tigers game on April 23rd, 7:05 pm when the Tigers play the Texas Rangers, tickets are 22$. Proceeds raised through selling the tickets will benefit Goodwill. The Tigers are the team to see this year; get these tickets while they last and help Goodwill!

Please contact Mark at: mlane@goodwilldetroit.org ……I’ll be there and I want you to be there, too.

Want to know where the jobs are? Just follow Goodwill.

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:47:00 +0000

Research in the region shows that future employment opportunities are in: healthcare, information technology, administrative/clerical and, importantly, hospitality/retail.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, Wayne County Community College, the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute and CVS/Pharmacy are coordinating the Detroit Hospitality/Retail Career Center funded by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth and Detroit Workforce Development Department. START is a Skillls, Tasks, and Results Training for participants seeking careers in retail, hospitality and lodging. Our students receive 180 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction covering all aspects of hotel operations, skills-based training 12 hospitality and retail positions, instruction in guest services, professionalism and safety, industry-recognized certification upon completing the program, as well as 18 Continuing Education Units. Employers receive free recruitment and pre-screening, criminal background checks, drug screening, accommodations for interviewing and employment consultation. There is an expanded labor pool, with employee assistance services, reduce employee turnover, work opportunity tax credits, targeted jobs tax credits and a diverse applicant pool.

Detroit mirrors the national in moving toward a service economy. With all our all our new hotels, new restaurants and new development, Goodwill is meeting the community’s needs with trained hospitality and retail employees. This program is good for all our employer partners and good for the people we serve. Once again, we are playing to our strength – preparing the workforce for today’s jobs….trained, trusted and ready to work.

Bowling for Jobs!

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Just when you think you know all about the place where you live, you learn something new.

With 100 local bowling centers and more than 85,000 registered league bowlers (adult & youth), Metro Detroit is considering the Bowling Capital of the World. Being a very recreational, casual bowler at best (my mom has me beat…she still bowls a 100 at age 86), I was totally unaware.

Goodwill along with Blue Ribbon Bowling Centers, Michigan Business & Professional Association and Michigan Food & Beverage Association have created a bowling extravaganza for the dedicated bowlers as well as occasional bowlers around Metro Detroit.

Goodwill’s Motor City Bowl-A-Thon will be going on during the entire month of March. Please join us anytime in March for a great time for a great cause. For every team that competes, Goodwill receives $105. For more information: www.motorcitysbowlathon.com

Russ Russell, Vice President of Development, Marketing, & Public Relations shares why being a part of the Goodwill's Motor City Bowl-A-Thon is important:

Dine out for Goodwill!

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Many of us are always so glad to see Friday roll around. But then, on Friday night, we end up not doing much of anything – we just veg out on the couch. Too often, that’s the case in my house.

There are two weeks coming up, though, where you will want to plan to save some energy to make it out on Friday night. It’s all part of Cuisine for a Cause.

First, if you dine at Opus One on Friday or Saturday, February 22nd and 23rd, 25% of your guest check goes to Goodwill.

Then, on April 25th, for only $100 a ticket, you can have a really great evening out. It’s a big event benefiting 10 charities that includes fine wines, hors d'oeuvres and lots of great company. But the best part is that for the tickets that Goodwill sells, Goodwill gets $80 on each of those $100 tickets sold. That’s a great return, don’t you think?

You can also view our Cuisine for a Cause promo in the video below, and to purchase tickets to this wonderful event call: 313.964.3900 ext.302

We hope to see you far away from your couch and supporting Goodwill.

A New Direction…Opportunities for Today & Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:08:00 +0000

As we all recognize Detroit is the city proudly known for motion and music-the Motor City and Motown…..and as GM turns 100 years old in 2008 we are reminded once again how important manufacturing and automobiles have been to our city’s and region’s success over the years. But we all know that has been changing and we need to retool ourselves for the opportunities of today and tomorrow. Just look at all the enhancements at our 3 casinos. Based on the research that Goodwill funded several years ago the jobs of today and tomorrow in this region are in administrative/clerical, healthcare, information technology, and hospitality/retail. Goodwill is collaborating with the City of Detroit and Wayne Community College to train people for the hospitality and retail business. It is important for us to work jointly with these and other groups to prepare all that want to experience the “power of work” with the tools and preparation for jobs of today and tomorrow.

Focus on the Economy, Creating Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Well, this week, the Presidential races changed quite a bit for both Democrats and Republicans, as the field narrowed down to two candidates per party.

Now, it’s easier to focus on what each of the candidates are saying. For those of who are in the job creation business, now is the time to see what each of them have to say about how the U.S. economy can be improved and how we keep creating good jobs for our citizens.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit excels creating opportunities within our own organization for good jobs or with our partners in the corporate community. Some of those corporate business relationships span many years.

For example, our partnership with DTE has been successful for more than 60 years and with Ford for more than 80 years.

A relationship you might not expect is ours with Downtown Detroit Partnership and the Clean Downtown partnership where Goodwill had and has more than100 employees and trainees working to keep Downtown Detroit clean and ready visitors at all times. The next time you are Downtown look for the Clean Downtown folks and know that many of them are getting a great chance to work through Goodwill - earning a first paycheck, getting a bank account for the first time and for many of them, reconnecting with their families.

That is what the power of work does for a person and that is what Goodwill is all about.

Unemployment: Numbers and Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:33:00 +0000

The State of Michigan’s unemployment rate is now at 7.6%. That was the lead sentence, more or less, in several recent news stories. But, the last line in one of the stories was most startling:

“The state’s labor force declined by 40,000 in 2007.”

Think of it this way, it’s like the entire city of Lincoln Park being out of a job.

Painful? Yes. Devastating? It doesn’t have to be.

There are actually thousands of job openings across the region and across the state. We just have to train the thousands of motivated people who want those jobs so they are qualified to fill them. That’s where Goodwill comes in.

We are focusing new efforts to train the future health care, customer service, restaurant and retail workers who will be qualified to fill the current and future job openings. We won’t be satisfied until everybody who wants a job gets a job. Until then, we are doing our part to bring down that unemployment number.

Goodwill Detroit appears on NBC Nightly News

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:59:00 +0000

One thing about Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit you can say for sure… we are flexible. We are constantly preparing our clients to face a fast-changing world. But, we are also seizing opportunities at each turn.

On Monday, January 14, on the eve of the Michigan Primary, our contacts at Local-4 Detroit suggested that NBC Nightly News call us. They were in town covering the election and were interested in seeing an organization, or talking to an individual, that is trying to overcome the employment challenges in Michigan. We were happy share one of Goodwill’s many powerful stories.

Our team worked together and we were successful in that one of our trainees quickly said “yes” to being interviewed for national TV. Because of ability to put this together so quickly, we were part of the lead story by Correspondent Ron Allen on Monday’s nightly newscast, telling our story to an estimated 9.7 million viewers!

Click on the play button below to watch the story.

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Lorna G. Utley) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:29:00 +0000

Welcome to my new blog. I am really looking forward to giving you an inside look at the challenges facing our community along with insights on solutions and examples of how Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit is taking important steps toward getting our region on the right track.

Since starting my job as President and CEO of this remarkable organization in 2007, I have been constantly asked, "What does Goodwill do?" Through this blog, I hope to answer that question with real-life stories. Throughout my career, I have worked to match philanthropy with community programs that literally make a difference. So, I plan to provide you with some ideas about how non- profits, fueled by philanthropy and their own hard work, can be answers for the segments of our region that need the most help.

I also look forward to hearing from you - about what's working, what we're missing and how we're doing as an organization and as a Metro Detroit community.

So please, bookmark this blog, visit often and comment when you have something to say. I'll be posting as often as I can.