goodwill News

The award-winning documentary "For Once in My Life" will be shown at a special VIP screening hosted by the Southwest Florida Goodwill Foundation and WGCU Public Television. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP because seating is limited.

Show your love for Mother Earth on Valentine's day by recycling at Goodwill's Towne Centre store in Naples. Goodwill and Collier County Solid Waste will accept computers, e-waste, shredding, batteries, grocery bags and more for recycling.

Author Neville Kirkwood has also sat over cattle kills of man- eating tigers. And he’s read Indian folk tales. Jungle Heroes is the result of these experiences…

Author W.C. Highfield will be signing copies of his novels on Saturday, February 12 at the Goodwill Book Store in Fort Myers. Highfield will sign and sell his books from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., donating a portion of the proceeds to Goodwill.

Four high schoolers from Hendry, Glades, and Charlotte counties have received laptop computers to prepare for their futures. The Dell laptops were provided by the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology and distributed by Goodwill

Divorcing couples over 50 must sort out their pension arrangements or face being seriously out of pocket, warns one of Scotland’s leading financial advisers.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida and the GoodGuides youth mentoring program commemorated National Mentoring Month by honoring 32 mentors at a dinner reception. GoodGuides is a program designed to help at-risk teens.

Organization Maintains Certification for Over 40 years

Drop off unwanted items from Jan. 7 – 16 and enter to win professional organizer services

January is National Mentoring Month, and GoodGuides is hoping to recruit 50 new adult mentors this month for its Southwest Florida youth mentoring program. GoodGuides will host introductory mentor training sessions Jan. 13 and 27, 2011 in Fort Myers.

Florida Community Bank, a division of Premier American Bank N.A. recently presented the Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Project with a check for $1,500. The Community Reinvestment Funds will help program graduates with the cost of course materials.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida is experimenting with a new way to handle year-end giving, by utilizing a text-to-give campaign. Donors can contribute $10 through mobilecause.com by texting Goodwill 33917 to 85944.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is preparing for its annual year-end influx of donations. Donors flock to charities during the final month of the year to take advantage of tax incentives.

The Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise project celebrated nine graduates at a ceremony in LaBelle, Florida. The MicroEnterprise project is a joint partnership between several Southwest Florida nonprofit agencies.

More than 4,500 people visited the 2010 Festival of Trees, and many cast their votes for the event's annual People's Choice awards. This year's top awards were given to Fort Myers Floral Design and Liberty Aluminum Co.

The Festival of Trees, one of Southwest Florida's favorite holiday traditions, will be a featured exhibit at the Fort Myers River District Art Walk in December 2010.

Many auction winners at the upcoming Tux & Trees Gala are expected to "pay it forward" by donating their prize trees to other local charities. The Gala is the signature fundraising event of the Southwest Florida Goodwill Foundation.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. is pleased to announce that Roger Harrison, D. Hugh Kinsey, Sr., and Cynthia Newmaster have joined the organization’s volunteer Board of Directors.

Eleven Southwest Florida residents are preparing for new careers as entrepreneurs, thanks to the SWFL MicroEnterprise project. The program is a partnership between Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, The SWFL Community Foundation and others.

MERS/Goodwill, Congregation B’nai Amoona and the City of Creve Coeur partner again for the 6th Annual Electronics Recycling Drive

For the second time this October, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida will celebrate a grand opening. The agency's new Retail & Donation center at the Arbor Towne Square shopping center will open on Thursday, October 28, 2010.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida has concluded its second-annual search for Southwest Florida's thriftiest shopper. Rachell Skerlec of Cape Coral received nearly 700 votes to receive the "So You Think You're Thrifty" crown.

Raider Publishing International proudly presents The Remnants of Goodwill by Anders Gustavsson

The FGCU Hockey Clubs and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida are partnering to collect donations for the local nonprofit. Fans are encouraged to bring donations for Goodwill to the October 8 and 9 home games at Germain Arena in Estero.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida has received Collier County's WRAP Award for the agency's recycling and waste reduction efforts. This year, Goodwill has diverted more than 1.45 million pounds of donated goods from Collier County landfills.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. is preparing to open its 25th retail store in the five-county area. On Thursday, October 7, the agency will cut the ribbon to a combination bookstore and donation center on McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers.

The winners of the inaugural "Lemonade Wedding" contest took their vows on Sep. 12, 2010. Twenty-five vendors donated goods or services to the giveaway, which was sponsored by Studio Six Eleven events and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida is seeking approximately 24 new part time employees to staff two new stores in the Fall. The agency will host a job fair on Wednesday September 8 to fill these positions.

The Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Project, a partnership of several organizations in Southwest Florida, is celebrating its first graduating class. Fourteen future entrepreneurs have completed the ten-week small business curriculum.

Same Time and Money with One-Stop Back-to-School Shopping at MERS/Goodwill

The Lemonade Wedding Bridal Social will give Southwest Florida brides-to-be an opportunity to plan their dream weddings while also supporting Goodwill. The event is Sunday, August 8 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Hotel Indigo in Fort Myers.

Belinda Rodriguez of Moore Haven has joined the volunteer Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida is helping the Transportation Security Administration with its Homeland Security efforts. Goodwill donated more than 60 non-sellable suitcases and 900 pounds of clothing for explosive detection training.

Inaugural programs to be held in Central Florida this summer

Bargain hunters, coupon clippers, and discount divas will strut their stuff at Goodwill Retail & Donation Centers across Southwest Florida, as the agency presents the 2010 "So You Think You're Thrifty" contest. The contest begins July 20, 2010.

The annual Missouri Older Worker of the Year contest kicks off

Four Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy students received their exceptional student education curriculum diplomas on June 10, at the school's 2010 commencement exercises. The L.I.F.E. Academy is a Charter School for students with developmental disabilities.

Goodwill Stores Have Everything You Need to Start Your Own Reading Program

Studio Six Eleven Design and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida have partnered to create the "Lemonade Wedding Giveaway." The contest will help one "sweet" Southwest Florida couple facing some "sour" times to have the wedding of their dreams.

Successful small business owners who are interested in giving back to the community are encouraged to volunteer as mentors for the Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise project.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida will honor its Graduate, Achiever, Employer, and Business of the Year at its Annual Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 5. The event is traditionally held during Goodwill Industries Week.

A. Elliott Rittenhouse, Jr. has joined the Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida team as the agency's new Director of MicroEnterprise. Rittenhouse will be responsible for overseeing the new Southwest Florida MicroEnterprise Project.

With unemployment rates nearing 14% in parts of Southwest Florida, job-seekers in Charlotte County have a new resource. Goodwill's Port Charlotte Job-Link Center, which opened on February 25, will provide training, placement, and other services.

The London-based World Peace and Freedom Institute is seeking upstanding men and women from around the world who are worthy of being named Goodwill Ambassadors.

Goodwill donors in Port Charlotte will now be able to make donations at a new location-- an Attended Donation Center at Port Charlotte Town Center. The new donation center is located outdoors, between Regal Cinemas and Sears.

Goodwill and Levi's are partnering on a joint initiative called "Care Tag for Our Planet," which is aimed at reducing unwanted clothing from our landfills.

"Palmetto Ranch," a fourteen-unit apartment complex for people with disabilities, ceremonially opened its doors on Thursday, January 21 with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by residents, community leaders, and representatives of Goodwill.

Courtney Portela and Nilsa Amaya have been hired to administer Goodwill's youth mentoring program, GoodGuides. The program provides career exploration, mentoring, and skill development for at-risk youth ages 12-17 in Southwest Florida.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida will cut the ribbon on its thirteenth housing complex in Southwest Florida on Thursday, January 21 at 10:00 a.m. Phase one of Palmetto Ranch provides 14 apartment units designed for people with disabilities.

Voyage Home Loans is reaching out to communities across the world through the social network, Facebook, in the hopes of spreading social goodness throughout 2010.