Goodwill Industries of Kentucky

We are excited to host Raymond Smith as part of our West Louisville Opportunity Center speaker series today! Raymond is the Vice President of Multicultural Engagement at Park Community Credit Union and has more than 30 years experience in community development.

Fourteen years ago, Helen (right) was in drug court, and Robin (left) was her program coordinator. Now, with nearly seven years clean and a peer support certification under her belt, Helen works for Goodwill as a Training & Development Supervisor for our Lexington Opportunity Center. Last week, we hosted a reentry simulation in Lawrenceburg, to teach others about the barriers people face when reentering society. One of Helen's participants at the simulation was Robin! Of the situation, Robin said, "I met this sweet girl long ago, in the beginning of my career. She wasn't a 'success story' at the time, but I have kept up with her through Facebook. I walked into a training, and she was there to train ME on empathy when working with this population ... She is extremely successful today, and it shows in the work she is doing. Complete full-circle moment for me." Hele said, "Goodwill has taught me so much. I am so grateful for the doors that have opened and the opportunity to learn and grow. I know that I worked hard to get here, but I owe a lot of my success to Goodwill for treating me like a human being and not judging my past." Both women said they got goosebumps when they saw each other.

At Goodwill, donations are the lifeblood of our mission. Last year, we welcomed more than 1.5 million donations at our doors. We then sell donations at our retail stores to help fund free, barrier-removal services for Kentuckians who need a hand up finding or maintaining meaningful employment. In the last year, in effort to increase donations, we have opened four Attended Donation Centers (ADCs) – three in Louisville and one in Lexington. Our first Lexington ADC opened earlier this month at 2285 Versailles Road. The ADC is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. On Friday, September 6, we will open another ADC at 2191 Nicholasville Road in Lexington. Spread the word and donate today!

A friendly reminder to attend our Career Services hiring event today from 3:00pm-6:00pm at the West Louisville Opportunity Center. Managers will be available to talk with candidates who are interested in Goodwill jobs!

Attention Lexington donors! It is now easier than ever to donate. We have opened our first Attended Donation Center in Lexington, located at 2285 Versailles Road. It's open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Why donate? Getting rid of clutter is good for your mental health AND donations to Goodwill help fund free, lifechanging services for Kentuckians in need.

Meet a beloved Goodwiller, P.K. Falkenstein! He has been with Goodwill since 2015 and currently serves as our Director of Logistics & Transportation. P.K. is the proud father of two, Kasey and Kooper, and a "Papa" to his grandson, Jennings. When Jennings was born, Kasey and her husband called P.K. and his wife into the delivery room and surprised them with the news that Jennings' middle name would be "Kenneth," in honor of P.K. When asked what he loves most about Goodwill, P.K. said, "In the field of logistics, I could help inventory or ship a car part, baseball bat, consumer package or widget. However, there is only one place that I am aware of where I can use my role in logistics to impact lives in a profound way. That's at Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. I am very proud to work for an organization that demonstrates such a willingness and eagerness to help people on a daily basis, to better the quality of lives for so many."

Last week, we opened our first Attended Donation Center (ADC) in Lexington. The Center is located at 2285 Versailles Road and is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Director of Logistics & Transportation P.K. Falkenstein said, "We will come right out and help you unload, and we'll take those donations and we'll get them to the appropriate stores to help with our sales to fund our mission." He continued, "The three ADCs in the Louisville area account for over 200 donations a day that help fuel our stores, that help fund our mission. So we have seen a big uptick in the Louisville area, and we're hoping we can replicate that in the Lexington area.”

Last week, we held a statewide Customer & Donor Appreciation Day as a small token of gratitude for those who help keep Goodwill's mission alive. We could not help remove barriers for thousands of Kentucky job seekers each year without your support.

ATTENTION! We are excited to offer a convenient new way to donate your gently used items in Lexington! Tomorrow, we are opening our fourth Attended Donation Center (ADC), making it easier than ever to donate and support our mission! The ADC will be located at 2285 Versailles Road in Lexington and will be open seven days per week from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Items donated to the ADC are transported to local Goodwill stores based on inventory needs. The items are then sold to help fund employment programs and career services for Kentuckians who have disabilities or other barriers that make it challenging to find or maintain employment. Nearly 90% of all revenue generated from our retail stores supports mission-related programming.

Come join us for our Career Services Hiring Event! If you are passionate about helping others and being in a positive work environment, Goodwill is for you!