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 Goodwill
was founded in early 1900s in Boston, Massachusetts by the Reverend
Edgar Helms. In the hopes of aiding the poor and unfortunate,
Reverend Helms collected used household goods and clothing in from
wealthier communities for distribution to those in need. When
left with "less-than-desirable" items that needed repair,
he hired and trained those who were in need for the tasks of
repairing the used goods. When repairs were complete, the goods were
resold, or were given to the people who repaired them. As this
process continued over the years, the idea of "a hand up, not a
hand out" became a theme.
Dr. Helms'
organization was incorporated in 1910 under the name of Morgan
Memorial Cooperative Industries and Stores, Inc. At the
facility, located in the Morgan Memorial Chapel in Boston,
individuals were trained for jobs and were aided in locating
employment.
Dr. Helms' vision set
an early course for what would one day become a 1.2 billion dollar
industry comprised of over one hundred separately incorporated
nonprofit organizations . Helms described Goodwill Industries as both
an "industrial program as well as a social service
enterprise".
Today, Goodwill
Industries International consists of 187 autonomous members in the
U.S. and Canada, and 54 associate members in 37 countries outside of
North America. Services now range from service people
with physical, mental and emotional disabilities, to socio-economic
barriers such as illiteracy, homelessness, advanced age, past
substance abuse, lack of work experience or criminal history.
GOODWILL
INDUSTRIES OF THE COASTAL EMPIRE, INC. was incorporated
on April 25, 1965.
From a modest
beginning, operating on $60,000 a year, in a borrowed building, with
eight (8) employees, Goodwill has grown in to a multi-million dollar
operation with over five hundred employees.
At Goodwill Industries, people are our product. The entire
organization is dedicated to the mission of assisting people with
disabilities and other barriers to employment to live independently
and become employed.
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