Goodwill Industries-Knoxville

I may be a bit biased, but one of my favorite non-profits is Goodwill Industries-Knoxville, Inc. Obviously this is not a Knoxville-specific organization (It's actually INTERNATIONAL) but the Knoxville branch is really amazing and does significant work throughout the East Tennessee region. Also, I wanted to share because most people just know Goodwill as a store for cheap donated clothes, but there is so much more to their organization than that.

Their mission is to provide vocational services and employment opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment. (Barriers can include physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities, felony charges on their record, lack of housing, poverty, etc.) They are able to do this by providing training and work opportunities through a variety of different programs. 

For example,
1. Goodwill provides Driver's Education classes to help people obtain their license or get the drivers license reinstated (as it is often hard to maintain a job without reliable transportation) 
2. They provide assistance with job applications and resume building skills
3.They have a training facility that teaches clients how to complete manufacturing work and to develop workplace appropriate  skills.
4. They offer a computer class in order to teach clients how to work with programs like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook so that they can be successful in their workplace. 

They operate 28 retail stores in 15 counties in East Tennessee which they use to fund the five Employment Training and Rehabilitation Centers., which is where the training services take place. Goodwill Industries-Knoxville serves over 4,100 clients annually. 

When you donate clothing to, or shop at, Goodwill you directly support individuals in the Knoxville community. Your donations help generate funds for Goodwill's mission to provide vocational services and employment opportunities for people with barriers to employment