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Check here for the latest news releases about LLGI
Springfield Woman Rewarded for Her Honesty
Goodwill Online Auction News
Wad of Cash Found in Donation to Goodwill
CWLP Eases Hand Up Eligibility Requirements
Goodwill's Grand Opening on Wabash Avenue (Springfield)
Goodwill Works on Consolidation
Lend A Hand - Springfield Area Nonprofit Wish Lists
Checking Their Lists
CWLP and Goodwill Partnership
Goodwill Store Clothes Organized
Dell and LLGI Form Green Partnership
Dell Press Release
Posted June 8, 2009
Dell, Goodwill Expand Free Computer Recycling Program to Seven More States
Round Rock, Texas
Dell and Goodwill Industries International� are expanding Reconnect, a free drop-off program for consumers who want to responsibly recycle any brand of unwanted computer equipment, to 451 new donation sites in seven additional states�Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia. They�re also expanding the program in Wisconsin to the Southeastern and South Central parts of the state.
Reconnect is now available in 18 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Today�s announcement brings the number of Goodwill stores participating in Reconnect to more than 1,400 nationwide. Goodwill, focused on creating job opportunities for individuals with disabilities or others having a hard time finding employment, plans to hire additional staff to oversee the expanded recycling program.
Reconnect offers consumers a free, convenient and responsible way to recycle used computer equipment. Consumers can drop off any brand of used equipment at participating Goodwill donation centers in their area and request a donation receipt for tax purposes. For a list of participating Goodwill locations across the U.S., visit www.reconnectpartnership.com.
With today�s announcement, Dell makes it even easier for customers to responsibly recycle unwanted electronics. Through its extensive recycling options for consumers, small and medium businesses, large enterprises and governments worldwide, Dell reached its goal to recycle 275 million pounds of equipment ahead of schedule. The company was the first IT vendor to set product recovery goals in 2004, completed the rollout of its global recycling program in 2006 and now offers a free worldwide recycling program for consumers.
Quotes:
- Mike Watson, senior manager of Dell Global Recycling Services: �We believe it should be as easy to recycle a computer as it is to purchase one. Our partnership with Goodwill makes recycling incredibly convenient for consumers. That it helps create jobs and preserve our planet at the same time makes the program a win all the way around.�
- Jim Gibbons, president and CEO for Goodwill Industries International: �The Dell-Reconnect partnership with Goodwill is a great model for the technology industry. The partnership has not only allowed us to responsibly recycle and divert more than 50 million pounds of electronic equipment from the landfills, but also create green-collar jobs and skills training at a time when both are very much needed.�
ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 184 community-based, independent member agencies in the United States, Canada, and 14 other countries. Goodwill Industries trains people for careers in fields such as financial services, computer programming, banking, and health care. To pay for its programs, Goodwill sells donated clothes and other household items in more than 2,200 retail stores and online at www.shopgoodwill.com, the first and only Internet nonprofit auction site. The organization also builds revenues, and creates jobs, by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including janitorial work, packing and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. To find your local Goodwill, use our online locater at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) 664-6577.
About Dell
Dell sources more than 25 percent of its electricity needs from renewable power sources.
Springfield Woman Rewarded for Her Honestry
BY Blake Wood
WCIA 3 & MyCFN News
Posted May 20, 2009
SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield woman is rewarded for her honesty. She found $12,000 in cash while sorting clothes at Goodwill and turned it over to her boss. Now she's getting a big pat on the back for setting a good example.
�I was totally shocked I didn't know what to think, but the first thing I thought was someone lost an awful lot of money,� said Goodwill worker Sheryl Huneke. She knew she had to do the right thing, even though she could use the cash.
�A lot of people were staying I did the right thing, but I had other people saying I was stupid,� said Huneke.
Sheryl found the cash while sorting through clothes in a bin. The cash was separated into two envelopes each contained $6,000.
�That's just unbelievable that anyone is that honest. You think about that it could be really easy to say I already gave 6, but that really says a lot about her integrity,� said Goodwill CEO Sharon Durbin.
Goodwill waited 90 days before deciding to keep the cash. They got more than 100 phone calls from people saying it was theirs. Goodwill will use the cash to buy a new van and they're giving Huneke the rest. She'll use her two thousand dollars to pay medical bills.
Goodwill Online Auction News
BY TIM LANDIS
The State Journal-Register
Posted Mar 07, 2009
A group of 74 Goodwill Industries stores nationwide, including LAND OF LINCOLN GOODWILL INDUSTRIES in Springfield, has taken a cue from eBay with creation of an online auction site that features items from local stores.
No corn flakes shaped like Illinois here or selling U.S. Senate seats (from Illinois). Well, there is the �bottle cap� belt.
The emphasis remains on storefront retail outlets, said Sharon Durbin, president and CEO of Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries. But she said the organization found certain items bring more in an online auction than on the shelf.
�We had one item, a diamond bracelet, that one of the managers thought at first might be worth $3.50, but she decided to take a chance and have it evaluated. They found out it was a real diamond. We put it on our online site, and it brought $1,601. It comes right back to our mission dollars,� Durbin said.
She also relates the story of a California Goodwill that sold a painting online for $15,000.
The site works very much like eBay with minimum starting bids, number of bids and the auction end-time. Categories range from musical instruments to religious merchandise and dolls to sporting goods.
�Anytime we have an item we think might bring more on a bidding process, we put it up,� Durbin said.
She added that the group is trying to raise additional funds to aid expansion of the Land of Lincoln worker-training program to include anyone who has lost their job, as well as people just released from prison.
Previously, the program had been limited to people with disabilities.
�We�ve seen more demand in the last six or seven months, and now we have this new area opened up,� Durbin said.
Land of Lincoln Goodwill has three stores in Springfield as well as stores in Chatham, Jacksonville, Bloomington and Champaign.
By the way, Durbin said no one has yet proved ownership of �thousands of dollars� in cash found in a donated item in February. Goodwill is holding the money until May 4 to see if anyone can correctly identify the item.
Not that people aren�t trying.
�We�ve had 85 calls. A lot of them are just guessing. They�ll tell us, �We donated Grandma�s clothes and that�s what was in it.� I�m looking for specifics,� Durbin said.
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Wad of Cash Found in Donation to Goodwill
By DAVE BAKKE
From the Springfield Journal-Register
Published February 6, 2009
People who donate to Goodwill have been known to forget the odd $20 or even $100 in a pocket or cookie jar.
But Sheryl Huneke, an employee at Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, found thousands of apparently overlooked dollars in a donated item on Wednesday.
Officials at the local Goodwill, 800 N. 10th St., won�t say what the money was in. They also aren�t being specific as to how much money Huneke found or the denominations of the bills � that information could help identify its owner � but they said it totaled in the five figures.
�I�ve found money before,� said Huneke, who is from Lincoln, �but not like (Wednesday).�
The money just kept coming as she sorted through a bin containing donations that had been picked up and brought into the Goodwill warehouse.
As specified by Goodwill regulations, Huneke immediately reported her find to her supervisor, Kathy Goebel. Employees are required to sign a contract stating that if they find something of value among the donations, they are not allowed to keep it.
Not that Huneke would have.
�I wasn�t raised that way,� she says.
Goebel and Huneke took the money to Sharon Durbin, president of the Springfield Goodwill, where the money was counted and secured.
They were stunned by how much had been found. Huneke said she hopes she never finds that much money in a donation again.
�All day after that happened,� she says, �I was nervous and shaky.�
Durbin contacted Goodwill International about the cash, seeking guidance on how to handle it.
Now, it�s up to the owner to claim it. Whoever lost it has 90 days to prove it is theirs or it becomes Goodwill�s money.
�There was no paper or any other identification in the donation that would help us find the person,� Durbin says.
Whoever lost the money should contact Durbin at 789-0400. She is going to ask the Springfield police for help handling the claims.
In order to claim the money, the owner will have to be able to say how much there is, what denominations it is in and in what kind of donation it was found.
Durbin says Goodwill officials are sure the donation came from Springfield, and she is almost certain she knows what part of town the donation came from. All of those qualifiers will be used to help Goodwill get the money returned to its owner.
�I can�t imagine waking up and finding it was gone,� says Durbin.
Dave Bakke can be reached at 788-1541.
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CWLP Eases Hand Up Eligibility Requirements
From CWLP's Website
Published January 29, 2009
The eligibility requirements for participation in the Hand Up customer bill assistance program have been eased, making it possible for more Springfield residential customers to receive aid.
Hand Up is a joint cooperation between CWLP and Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries that allows customers to work at Goodwill in exchange for payment toward their past due CWLP bill. Previously, customers had to have a minimum past due bill of $400 in order to take part in the program. Under the new program parameters, no minimum amount is required. This will open the program to more in-need customers at a time when other assistance options are dwindling.
The Hand Up program, which debuted in September 2007, has helped nearly 500 customers pay off over $66,000 in debt so far.
Goodwill's Grand Opening on Wabash Ave
From Springfield Journal-Register
By TIM LANDIS
STAFF WRITER
Published June 6, 2008
The knickknacks, used blue jeans and donated housewares traditionally associated with Goodwill Industries are still there � next to the coffee bar, bookstore-style reading area and pastry display case.
Then again, the new Goodwill retail outlet on Wabash Avenue is considered an experiment for a not-for-profit business that operates more than 2,200 stores nationwide and had 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion.
�We�re testing it here, and if it works well here, we�ll take it to other Goodwill stores,� Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries chief executive Sharon Durbin said Friday as employees prepared for today�s grand opening.
Land of Lincoln operates three stores in Springfield, and stores in Chatham, Jacksonville, Bloomington and Champaign. Stores on Wabash Avenue and Monroe Street in Springfield were closed and consolidated at the new location.
The new store also is the site for a one-year pilot project of partnerships with major retailers such as Macy�s and Bergner�s that have agreed to donate new, brand-name goods from overstocked inventory.
Durbin said that program, too, would be expanded to other Goodwill stores nationwide if it works out in Springfield.
In addition to the coffee bar and pastries, plans are to offer free, wireless Internet service, though the hookup had not been completed as of Friday. The store also has a new color scheme and lighting, and the display areas are laid out more along the lines of a traditional department store.
Assistant manager Becky Bertram and employee Ashley Brennan both completed barista training and were busy Friday slapping �Edgar�s Coffee House� labels on hundreds of paper cups. The coffee shop is named for Dr. Edgar Helms, the Boston physician who founded Goodwill in 1902.
A portrait of Helms greets visitors at the entrance.
�It�ll be doing a little bit of everything for all of us,� Bertram said, who has had coffeehouse experience. The store will have about 20 employees.
Cars drove slowly past on Friday as would-be customers tried to figure out if the store was open. A few such as T. Bray of Palmyra stopped long enough to determine the opening was not until today.
�These were just $3, and they�re leather,� Bray pronounced, pointing to her shoes, purchased at Goodwill.
She said she typically tries to make at least one stop at Goodwill when making the trip from Palmyra, about 50 miles south of Springfield.
The Goodwill store is not unique with its experiment in a new look and services. Some Goodwill stores across the country have added bistros and optical care to traditional job-training and employment programs.
A Goodwill program in Wisconsin has formed a partnership with a local credit union to provide counseling and financial assistance to clients caught up in payday loans and other debt problems.
Durbin said she would like to bring some of those programs to the central Illinois stores, but the immediate goal is to get the new location on Wabash Avenue up and running, including relocation of the Springfield administrative office.
Long-term plans also are to expand a job-training program for people with disabilities to include anyone looking for work.
Goodwill ended one tradition the last few years. There are no longer drop boxes for donated items. The new store includes an expanded drop-off and processing area.
�We�re changing. We have to. I have a lot of plans once we get these other facilities ready,� Durbin said.
Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536.
Goodwill Works on Consolidation
From Springfield Journal-Register
By BRUCE RUSHTON
STAFF WRITER
Published Sunday, January 13, 2008
John Brubaker isn�t proud. �I come here a lot,� said the retired vice president of field training for Horace Mann. �Do I need clothes? No. I�ve kind of got a hobby.�
So do a lot of other folks, judging by the mid-afternoon Friday crowd at Goodwill on Wabash Avenue, which will close its doors at 6 p.m. today.
The sale started Monday with everything marked down by 25 percent. By Friday, everything was 65 percent off. The parking lot was filled, and about two dozen shoppers packed the store. Many wished to remain anonymous.
�Everybody thinks I dress so good, and I don�t want nobody to know I�m coming here,� said a woman who asked to be called Kelly. �I get compliments constantly. I just say I got it at the boutique, or Saks West. I wear things for awhile, then I drag it all back (to Goodwill).�
Goodwill hopes to open a new � and bigger � store by April 1, just down the street at the old K�s Merchandise building at 2001 Wabash Ave. Besides replacing the store at 1333 Wabash Ave., the new facility will house administrative offices and employment training programs that are now at Goodwill headquarters on North 10th Street, which is up for sale.
Brubaker and Kelly have kept close tabs.
�There�s going to be a coffee shop,� Kelly noted approvingly. �When you get older, you get a sore back.�
Sharon Durbin, executive director of Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, said she had hoped to have the new store open by Jan. 1, when Goodwill bought the building last fall for $1.7 million. Goodwill had hoped to renovate it for about $520,000.
The renovation price tag has jumped to nearly $1 million, thanks to building codes that require upgrades of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems, Durbin said. Goodwill is hoping that donations and the proceeds from selling its building at 800 N. 10th St. will pay the added costs, Durbin said.
Durbin said Goodwill is talking with two prospective buyers. She wouldn�t name them, but said they are in the non-profit sector.
At the direction of the state Environmental Protection Agency, Goodwill removed an underground fuel tank at the 10th Street building in November at a cost of about $25,000. Testing will be required to determine whether more money will need to be spent to clean up soil, Durbin said. The building once housed a shoe factory, she said, and chemicals from tanning leather might be present.
�It sounds like they�re moving along in a satisfactory manner,� said Maggie Carson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Goodwill also plans to close its store at 2305 W. Monroe Street this spring. When all the closures are finished, Springfield will have two Goodwill stores: one on Wabash Avenue and the other on North Dirksen Parkway. Durbin said consolidation will improve Goodwill�s financial bottom line and allow the charity to better serve the disadvantaged.
�When I first walked in a year ago, it was very apparent to me we�d over-saturated our services as far as thrift stores in the Springfield area,� Durbin said. �It�s not about more and more buildings and more and more stores. It�s about being able to provide services to people.�
Brubaker, Kelly and other bargain hunters said they like the idea of bigger stores with more stuff in them.
�They need more room � they have a lot of products, but not enough room,� said a shopper who didn�t want to be named because she doesn�t want her children to get teased for wearing secondhand clothes.
The woman, whose cart brimmed with clothing that included an L.L. Bean cotton sweater that looked new, confessed that she doesn�t come to Goodwill just to buy school uniforms for her kids.
�I�ve got a habit, and this is the best way to fix my habit,� the woman said. �It�s cheaper than the mall.�
Bruce Rushton can be reached at 788-1542.
Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries� mission is to assist people with special needs to build their futures in partnership with our community. Goodwill requests a projector for training and presentations; a laptop for use with a projector; educational videos, CDs, DVDs, and books for use in classrooms; cooking utensils for cooking classes; nonperishable food items for cooking classes; any type of arts-and-crafts items; a sewing machine; fabric, thread, patterns, and any other items used for sewing; notebooks, pencils, markers, and educational supplies for classrooms; volunteers to help paint at various store locations; and donations to help cover costs associated with painting.
By TIM LANDIS
BUSINESS EDITOR
Published Saturday, October 20, 2007
Kitty Boyce has two binders full of toy recalls from the past five years, including six added this week. Wes Barr, a local coordinator of Toys for Tots, has 1,500 toys to sort through by early November.With the holiday shopping season closing in, resale and consignment shops, as well as charitable organizations, are trying this fall to make sure waves of recalled toys don't find their way to shelves and donation bins.
"It's a nightmare. Most of the people who bring these toys in don't even realize it, even with all the publicity," said Boyce, owner of The Kids Closet in Rochester. The resale shop for children has been in business 16 years.
Boyce has kept a running log of recalls the past five years, but she has been especially busy this summer and fall tracking recalls from such major brands as Mattel, Disney, Fisher-Price and Gymboree.
The largest recalls were for toys made in China that contained lead-based paint.
"Lately, it's like changing the recall board every day," said Boyce, who also is vice president of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops.
If a customer brings in a toy or other recalled items on her list, Boyce said, they are advised to return the product to the manufacturer.
Toy recalls have become a liability issue for resale businesses, she said.
"When you sell something, you assume the manufacturer's warranty," she said.
Charitable organizations such as The Salvation Army and Goodwill also have issued national alerts, prompting stores in some regions of the country to temporarily refuse toy donations.
Local Salvation Army administrator Van Werth said two retail shops in Springfield continue to accept toy donations, but managers at both the stores regularly get updated recall lists.
"Hopefully, people would not be so insensitive as to donate something on a recall list. We want them to follow the manufacturer's procedures," said Werth, who is co-administrator in Springfield with his wife, Cheryl.
Sharon Durbin, president and CEO of Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, said recall lists also have been posted for employees there. But she said the real problem for resale shops is that recalled toys usually don't show up right away.
"It may be two or three years out when it's donated," Durbin said.
Goodwill has four stores in Springfield, and one each in Chatham, Jacksonville, Champaign and Normal. ....The remainder of this story is at the State Journal Register
Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536 or tim.landis@sj-r.com.
Utility and Service Agency Join Forces To Help Customers Pay Their Bills
From WANDtv.com
Aug 22, 2007
With the hot weather outside, Springfield's City Water, Light & Power is teaming up with Goodwill Industries to help those struggling to pay their power bills. Any CWLP delinquent customer can now work for $8.00 an hour at Goodwill, with all the money going to their power bill. The program kicked off this afternoon with two participants sorting clothes in Goodwill's processing center.
Goodwill Retail Operations Vice President Deborah Clark says seven participants are already signed up and several others are waiting to be interviewed. Each participant can work a total of 25 hours and have up to $200 applied to their bill. Clark says it's a win-win situation for everyone involved. "I believe there were a few elderly ladies, a few people that have families in their homes," Clark said. "It's a group of several different people." This is the second partnership for CWLP and Goodwill. City leaders say more than 400 participated in a similar program a couple years back. Now if for some reason someone can't work, Clark says you can have a family member work in your place and the payment would still be applied to the bill.
For more information on the program contact CWLP customer service at 789-2030.
This story was also told by the City of Springfield and The State Journal-Register.
Goodwill Store Clothes Organized
From Springfield Photos Blogspot
June 22, 2007
BY NANCY LIN
Goodwill Store...now organized by clothing size!
On a recent trip to one of the local Goodwill stores I was delighted to see that they are now organizing their clothes for sale by size.
Believe it or not, this is a new thing for our local Goodwill store.
This will make it more likely that shoppers will find something to buy.
If you haven't shopped at a Goodwill store lately, now is the time to shop.
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