Goodwill of Colorado is in the business of providing second chances.
Edgar J. Helms graduated from theological school in Boston and dove headlong into missionary work. He was stationed in a struggling inner-city section of Boston’s south end. The population there largely consisted of poor immigrants who had traveled to the United States to build a new life but were jobless and desperate for life’s basic needs. Seeing a need, he took some burlap bags and canvassed the wealthier neighborhoods for clothes and home goods. He took these goods back and gave a wage to those who would work to refurbish and repair these items in order to re-sell them. The sale of these refurbished items thus created a stream of income and created more jobs, paying people to keep the process moving.
Spreading Good
Goodwill was established in 1902 and the name was officially coined in 1915. By 1920, there were 15 locations across the United States and six years later, Helms started traveling to globalize the effort.
For more than 120 years, Goodwill has been creating jobs in the name of salvage and sustainability through re-worn, re-used and re-purposed items that would have otherwise been left behind. What initially started as a solution to a seemingly isolated issue has blossomed to a global organization that has served an integral role throughout history.
The goal has always been to look for ways to serve others on another level through creating second chances. In recent years, Goodwill Industries has developed a depth and breadth of programming and services to aid in the mission of helping those with various barriers live life to the fullest with independence and community integration. Beyond the case management and programmatic services offered to those with developmental disabilities, Goodwill offers career training and development as well as career services for both the banking and IT industries. They offer programs and services for seniors as well as services and resources for those in the low-to-middle-income bracket.
Goodwill of Colorado
But perhaps most surprising is the overall impact they are having on the environment as a whole. Just last year, Goodwill of Colorado received, recycled or repurposed nearly 236 million pounds of materials to help preserve the environment and grow the economy. Additionally, they have kept 377 tons of environmentally hazardous computers/components out of landfills through their Dell Reconnect Program. The system they have in place, in conjunction with recycling programs for items that cannot be sold, divert at least 79 percent of donated items from landfills. Of the donation proceeds, more than 90 percent is then invested in a minimum of 30 programs and services across the state of Colorado helping those who are underserved, and low- or middle-income residents overcome barriers to personal and economic independence.
One last little interesting tidbit. According to the 6th annual State of Recycling and Composting in Colorado (SRCC), released in 2022 by the nonprofit Eco-Cycle and the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG), “Colorado continues to landfill more and recycle less than its peer states and the national average. In 2021, the state diverted just 16% of its municipal solid waste, half the national average of 32%, and Coloradans landfilled almost 6,000,000 tons of material—roughly 95% of which could have been recycled or composted.”
So, if you are looking for ways to aid in overall sustainability endeavors, but are not quite ready to start a compost pile in your backyard, consider giving to Goodwill Industries of Colorado and let the seasoned professionals take those items and turn them into second chances.
Website: https://goodwillcolorado.org/
Facebook + Instagram: @GoodwillColorado