Goodwill Industries of Kentucky

In January 2023, the ReSpectacle Louisville Chapter joined forces with the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Goodwill Industries of Kentucky to launch a pilot program aimed at improving access to affordable eyewear for underserved communities. Due to the program’s success, this partnership has been renewed until 2028, allowing for continued expansion of services and community outreach.

Looking for employment in the Shelbyville area? We’re hosting a hiring event at our Shelbyville store, located at 450 Boone Station Road, on Monday, March 17, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you’re seeking employment, stop by for an interview, and you could get hired on the spot! At Goodwill, we’re a proud second-chance employer, and we believe in supporting our employees by offering competitive pay, excellent benefits, professional development, opportunities for advancement, and so much more. Learn more and search for open positions at GoodwillKY.org/Jobs.

We'd like to congratulate Leonard Berrios-Fuqua for being promoted to director of career services! Previously the South Louisville Opportunity Center manager, Leonard will oversee the Downtown Louisville, South Louisville, and Elizabethtown Opportunity Centers, as well as the Another Way and Power of Work programs.

Please join us in congratulating Goodwill Industries of Kentucky Vice President of Operations Mark Daniel for graduating from the Goodwill Industries International Executive Development Program! This 16-month program is aimed at helping learners develop the skills necessary for success as a Goodwill president and CEO. Congratulations, Mark!?

While still incarcerated, Julia learned about the second-chance employment opportunities and more offered by Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. After her release, she was hired at our Mapleleaf store in Lexington. “I’ve never had a job that I enjoy going to every day,” she said. “I absolutely love coming to work. I feel loved here. I feel heard and understood. It makes my job a lot easier.” Julia later enrolled in the Goodwill Work & Learn program, which allowed her to work on her education while earning a paycheck. With assistance from her career coach, Ashley Caudill, Julia earned her GED and was recently accepted into college. Now 22 months sober, she wants to pursue a degree in alcohol and drug counseling. “Ashley has been absolutely amazing,” Julia said. “Anytime I’ve gone to her with something I need help with, she’s helped me figure it out.” Read her story at GoodwillKY.org/Julia! #MissionMonday

Happy International Women’s Day! This year’s theme is “Accelerate Action.” We encourage you to take time today to acknowledge the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and consider how you can accelerate action against gender inequality.

Happy Employee Appreciation Day! At Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, we’re thankful for our employees every day, but we’re taking today to recognize and celebrate each of them even more. Without our 2,000+ dedicated Goodwillers, we wouldn’t be able to fulfill our mission to provide pathways out of poverty for thousands of Kentuckians each year.

In a recent discussion on the Business Journals Leadership Trust Expert Panel, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky Chief Financial Officer Mark Hohmann shared insights on shifting from short-term thinking to a long-term focus. He explained how Goodwill has adopted FranklinCovey's “The 4 Disciplines of Execution?” methodology over the past decade. Click the link below to view Mark's Business Journals Leadership Trust Expert Panel submissions.

Last week, the Goodwill Morehead Opportunity Center hosted a kickoff event for the Gateway from Recovery to Work program, an initiative subsidized by an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant. Goodwill representatives, community partners, and others attended to learn more about the Gateway from Recovery to Work program, which will support individuals in recovery in the five-county Gateway Area Development District (Bath, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, and Rowan counties). It will provide at least 60 Kentuckians ages 18 and older in recovery with vocational training, supportive services, barrier-removal planning and support, industry-recognized credential training, job placement assistance, and case-managed pre- and post-employment support over 20 months. The grant is part of ARC’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) initiative, which aims to address the impact of substance use disorder in Appalachia with investments in projects that create or expand services in the recovery ecosystem leading to workforce entry and re-entry. We can’t wait to see the new heights our program participants will reach through this initiative. Read more here: https://shorturl.at/u4RvK #MissionMonday

Goodwill Industries of Kentucky celebrated Black History Month with two inspiring events themed, “The Power of Black Narratives and Storytelling: Our Collective Past, Present, and Future.” Yesterday at the West Louisville Opportunity Center, Raoul Cunningham, former longtime President of the Louisville Branch NAACP, Yejide Travis, a social entrepreneur, and Fonz Brown, a local leader, shared powerful stories rooted in Louisville’s Black history and future. Last week at the Paducah Opportunity Center, Betty Dobson, a local historian and storyteller, dramatized Paducah’s rich Black history.