Get on the Bus 2009

Two years ago this month, I started at Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit as the CEO and President. The time seems like it has flown by as all of us at Goodwill are focused on helping people get trained and ready for work. We have raised the volume on our message as what we do at Goodwill becomes more relevant in these tough economic times. We put people to work so they can become self-sufficient. One of the ways we help folks when they find that job is with transportation.
Many of the people who earn a job depend on the bus to get to their new workplace. Often, though, they can’t afford the fare until they start earning regular paychecks. So, for the third year, we are running our "Get on the Bus" campaign that allows anyone in Metro Detroit to make a contribution to help local Goodwill clients get to the jobs they’ve earned. In many cases, that job is their very first.
CVS, Pepsi, SMART, Comcast and WJR are partnering with us to support "Get on the Bus" throughout October to raise funds for bus passes, as well gas cards and automotive repairs so Metro Detroiters can overcome their transportation barriers and get to work. A donation of only $49 gives a Goodwill trainee a bus pass for an entire month. Any amount is of course appreciated.
You can give by visiting www.giveabuspass.org or calling 888-380-GIVE.
It is campaigns like this that can involve an entire community in philanthropy and help Goodwill accomplish our most important objective – helping Metro Detroiters overcome barriers to employment.

Pay it 4ward for Metro Detroit jobs!

It seems like everywhere I go around Metro Detroit, everyone is talking about Goodwill’s Pay It 4ward campaign. It has been gratifying to see Goodwill “top of mind,” especially during a summer of bad news. I have been touched to see Metro Detroiters helping fellow Metro Detroiters by giving whatever they can in a campaign envelope and passing it on.

This campaign has generated so much interest that when it came time for the planned end the campaign, our sponsors convinced us to keep it going until the end of September. It has been special to see people understand how simple a concept it is and how they can play role no matter how small. I’ve received emails from folks who have passed the envelope around in their offices and got a quick $25, $50 or $100….knowing they made a difference. I even went to my golf league one Wednesday night and someone, never identified, had started an envelope around the dinner tables and I came back to Goodwill the next day with a nice contribution to the campaign.

I know there are those who say, “Hey, you never know, if someone is taking the envelope and keeping the money.” Frankly, in this world of great need, if someone really feels that they need that little extra help, we have helped someone as well. Overall, we have chosen to trust our community and that has proven to be a wise choice.

We have also been invited to be one of the non-profits to benefit from various community efforts like Arts, Beats and Eats during Labor Day and last weekend’s Kem concert in Detroit. Check the link out (www.payit4warddetroit.org <http://www.payit4warddetroit.org/> ) and be part of our efforts. Everyone knows how important it is to help each other. And it is easy when we pay it forward, because we never know when we might need help ourselves.

Unprecedented crisis calls for unprecedented solution

Unfortunately, the fact that unemployment in Metro Detroit has reached crisis level is no longer news. But, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit’s education, training and career services are more necessary now than ever before. From this necessity has evolved the one-of-a-kind “Broadcasting for Jobs” campaign that will commence at 6 a.m. tomorrow and last throughout the day. The effort will include a call to action broadcast across 11 top-rated Southeast Michigan radio stations simultaneously reaching out to a wide cross-section of individuals from all parts of Metro Detroit.

As you are driving to or from work, or even while you are at work during the day, we ask that you think about those in our community who have neither a commute to make nor a desk to work from because they need help securing employment. We invite you to be part the solution to the region’s unemployment crisis by tuning in to your favorite radio station tomorrow and urging others to do the same.

You and thousands of others will be encouraged to call (866) 964-GIVE or visit http://www.goodwilldetroit.org/ to donate to the fight against local unemployment. Just a few minutes of your time and a few dollars can help fellow Metro Detroiters secure job opportunities and take their lives in a positive new direction.

The stations on which Goodwill will be “Broadcasting for Jobs” Friday are:

· WCSX-FM (94.7)
· WDVD-FM (96.3)
· WJR-AM (760)
· WMGC-FM (105.1)
· WMXD-FM (92.3)
· WNIC-FM (100.3)
· WOMC-FM (104.3)
· WRIF-FM (101.1)
· WWJ-AM (950)
· WXYT-FM (97.1)
· WYCD-FM (99.5)

As many of you know, in just the past two years of our nearly 90-year history, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit has placed more than 2,500 Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county individuals into new jobs and provided assistance to thousands more in the region. Your support of Friday’s “Broadcasting for Jobs” effort will help us make a positive impact on an even greater number of our unemployed friends and neighbors.

To maintain that momentum, “Broadcasting for Jobs” will embrace a powerful medium to deliver a message of hope to an entire region. Please listen and contribute, if you are able. Your support will help our community become trained, trusted and ready to work.