A total of 11,113 people received services in 2014 from one or more Goodwill programs, which include work training services, disability awareness education, furniture donations, clothing vouchers, durable medical equipment distribution and fully-trained mobility assistance dog placement. All Goodwill services are provided at no cost to the recipients.
"That means that every 10 minutes of every business day in 2014, someone in the 23-county Goodwill Industries of Chattanooga service area benefited from one or more of Goodwill’s 12 mission programs," officials said.
It’s not only an admirable accomplishment for the 92-year-old Chattanooga-based charity, it’s record-setting, according to Chattanooga Goodwill’s President and CEO, Dennis Brice.
“This figure shattered the previous record of 9,436 people served in 2013, and that number had broken our 2012 record of 7,753 clients served.
Each year, we continually find ways to assist more and more of our neighbors through a broad spectrum of services,” said Mr. Brice. “We’re extremely grateful to all of our donors and shoppers who helped make our services possible, and we’re very proud of each of our staff members who worked so hard to achieve this accomplishment."
"Through a variety of mission programs and services, Goodwill works to enable individuals to earn a paycheck and become confident and contributing members of their communities. These programs and services are funded largely by revenue derived from sales of donated items in Goodwill’s 15 area retail stores. More than 86 percent of Goodwill’s revenue is channeled into its mission programs in local communities.
"For example, since 1923, Goodwill Industries of Chattanooga has served people with disabilities and other disadvantages, such as long-term absence from the workforce, a lack of employable skills, learning disabilities, incarceration, health challenges and other issues that make finding and keeping a job difficult.
"Goodwill Industries is an enterprising organization and offers many programs in addition to job training and employment services," officials said.
Health Equipment Links Program services is unique to Chattanooga and served 6,126 people in 2014 with free needed medical equipment. Many of those served had no insurance or were under-insured. HELPs provided wheelchairs, canes, walkers, bath benches and more.
Three certified mobility assistance dogs completed their two-year training and were given away by the Goodwill Assistance Dog Academy in June. The cost of training per dog exceeds $25,000. GADA also provides ongoing follow-up for each of the dogs it places. In addition, GADA provided reading assistance to 94 students at Nolan Elementary and Big Ridge Elementary schools, therapy for 14 veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and assistance dog demonstrations and disability awareness education to 1,157 people.
The Furniture Bank, now in its fifth year of operations, also set a record. The Furniture Bank provides a variety of furniture, bedding, mattresses, kitchen ware and more to families that are moving from temporary housing or homelessness to more stable housing situations. Last year, the Furniture Bank provided enough furnishings to “make a house a home” to 1,018 heads of household and their dependents.
Goodwill retail opened new avenues of revenue by expanding opportunities to customers. These opportunities included first-ever Halloween costume and décor sections in each store and in April, the opening of the Goodwill Outlet Store which offers sales by the pound. Fall 2014 was spent preparing for the opening of the Goodwill Home Store which opened in early January 2015. Goodwill will open its 16th store this month. The store is located in Chatsworth, Ga.
For more program information and for additional client service numbers, visit
GoodwillChatt.org.