When people think of Goodwill they think of low prices and great bargains. When parents think of back to school shopping they need low prices and great bargains and Goodwill is just the place to find them. With the start of school just around the corner, now is the time to find your best buys at Goodwill.

For less than $6 an outfit, you can dress your child with great-looking clothes – at a small fraction of department store prices. With most children’s items priced at $3 each, you can find an outfit for every day of the week for less than $30.

New and gently-used designer brands to please the choosiest shopper are currently on sale in Goodwill stores across Arkansas, with inventory changing daily.

Shoppers are often surprised by the range and quality of merchandise at Goodwill. Many customers enjoy finding designer items for a fraction of the price they would pay in department stores. There are new items mixed in with the used and plenty of bargains to be found.

 “The interesting thing about Goodwill is you don’t know what you’re going to find,” said Steve Terry, Vice President of Donated Goods. “You can find designer clothes that have never been worn with the price tags still on, but here it’s being sold for a fraction of the cost. There is a full spectrum of name brands in our store.”

Plus, while you’re shopping at Goodwill, your purchases are helping provide job training and employment programs for people in our local community. 

"Now is also a good time to make your clothing donations to your local Goodwill store because you will need to clean out your kids closets to make room for their new outfits," Terry added.

So, if you are a shopper looking for a great bargain or needing to make donations of your kid’s clothing that no longer fits, then Goodwill is your one stop shop. Visit your local Goodwill store today.

Click here to find the store and donation center nearest you.

Visit our Facebook page for exclusive Back to School Savings! Make sure and become a fan for future exclusive offers!

When you give to Goodwill, you join in the circle of hope. A circle that puts people to work, trains them to get ahead, and gives them independence. A circle that changes lives. Every time you donate to or shop at Goodwill, you make the circle strong. Donate, shop, change a life!

Donate

When making a donation to Goodwill, have you ever stopped to think about the difference you are making in the community? By donating to Goodwill, you are supporting our mission to build better communities.

Donate Goods. Your donations are sold in our Goodwill retail stores to fund our training, career services, and job placement programs and other services that improve lives. Click here to find a Donation Center new you.

Donate Money. When you give a financial gift to Goodwill, you are investing in people.  If you would like to give a monetary donation to help support our programs, you can drop it off or mail it to Goodwill’s headquarters located at 1110 West 7th, Little Rock, AR 72201, or you may make a donation online at www.GoodwillAR.org.

Donate Time. Make a difference in your community and get involved with Goodwill. By volunteering at Goodwill, you are supporting Goodwill’s mission of helping people achieve their full potential through the power of work.  Become a mentor, lend your job skills, prepare taxes…there are so many ways you can make a difference. Call Kim Hogue, Director of Mission Development, at 501-372-5100 ext 173 and start making a difference today.

Shop

Fashion-savvy shoppers know that some of the most fashionable members of our community donate to Goodwill which means we have the latest styles at thrift store prices.

You can purchase clothing and accessories, books, household goods and one-of-a-kind finds at your neighborhood Goodwill store with the assurance that you’ll get more “stretch” from your shopping dollar.

You not only get a great deal. You do a great deal of good for your community. The income from your purchases generates over 95% of the money used to help provide jobs, training, opportunity and hope to the thousands of individuals who are served by Goodwill Industries of Arkansas each year. Click here to find a Retail Store Location new you.

Change a Life

Since our founding over 80 years ago, our donation centers and stores have been a means to an end.  Our real business is changing lives. It’s what we do every day.
When you support Goodwill through a donation or a purchase, you are reaching out to invest in someone’s life. 

We would like to thank you for your support. You are making a difference in the lives of thousands of people in our community and ensuring that Goodwill’s service to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment will continue.

Visit www.GoodwillAR.org for more information about the donations we accept and the programs we offer. 

DOWNLOAD GOODWILL BROCHURE TO LEARN MORE

For decades, Goodwill® Industries of Arkansas has helped people with disabilities find employment, become independent and support themselves and their families. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, it has helped increase access to goods and services, such as employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and prohibit employment discrimination.

According to a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, in Arkansas approximately one in five reports that they are living with either a moderate or severe disability. Although individuals with disabilities have benefited from the Americans with Disabilities Act, Goodwill knows that those individuals still face challenges to finding jobs and becoming independent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people with disabilities have a more than 14-percent unemployment rate, compared to 9.4 percent of people without disabilities.

“Goodwill commemorates the 20th anniversary of the signing of the ADA by continuing to help our friends and neighbors with disabilities build their careers and improve their lives,” said Brian Itzkowitz, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas. “We must look past a persons’ disability and remember that each person is an individual capable of making a positive contribution to his or her community.”
For its fiscal year July 1- June 30, 2010, in addition to providing education and training services to thousands of Arkansans, including those with disabilities, Goodwill placed 34 disabled Arkansans in jobs.

“Despite these circumstances, people with disabilities have unique skills and talents that add to the diversity and vitality of a workplace,” said Brian Itzkowitz, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas. “Many people with disabilities need little to no accommodation to do their jobs, and advances in technology are helping to increase productivity for all kinds of workers, including those with disabilities.”

Goodwill Industries International recently launched a new public awareness movement to emphasize the positive impact that donating clothing and other household goods can have on communities and the planet. Through its "Donate Movement," Goodwill is challenging people to rid their closets and homes of unwanted items and put them to good use by donating them.

As part of this effort, Goodwill International is unveiling a new "D" donation icon with the goal that it will become a universally recognized symbol stamped on donated items. Businesses — starting with jeans giant Levi Strauss & Co. — have partnered with Goodwill to show their support of the Donate Movement and impact positive social change and environmental sustainability in communities everywhere.

In our backyard alone, Goodwill Industries of Arkansas donors made over 186,000 donations in 2009 — and it is our organization's goal to reuse and repurpose as much of that material as possible in order to keep these items out of the landfills. Revenues generated by these donations helped serve over 4000 individuals through our programs and services last year!

When you are ready to give, please find out whether the organization receiving those gifts is a for-profit enterprise or a nonprofit organization committed to local needs. Goodwill provides job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based services to people with disabilities, those who lack education or job experience and others facing challenges to finding employment here in Arkansas.

Keep your eye out for the "D" donation icon. Remember, the Donate Movement starts with all of us — and each contribution of new or gently-used items helps Goodwill sustain and grow its mission.

To learn about Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, please visit www.goodwillar.org. For information about the Donate Movement, visit http://donate.goodwill.org.

Donations=Chances Video

What if Goodwill Industries of Arkansas earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations to Goodwill Industries of Arkansas add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 30 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting Goodwill!

And if you download the GoodSearch – Goodwill Industries - Arkansas toolbar, our cause will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if you forget to go to GoodShop or GoodSearch first! Add the Goodwill Industries - Arkansas toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/goodwill-industries-arkansas

So if you would like an easy way to support Goodwill, we encourage you to switch to GoodSearch for your internet searching needs and when you shop online. Visit GoodwillAR.org/goodsearch for more information.

Goodwill® has launched the  "Donate Movement" to encourage people to donate used clothing and other items to their local Goodwill. Through this initiative, we want to increase conscious donating by letting you know about the power of your donated goods.

It might sound surprising that we need to have initiatives like this, but seven out of 10 consumers admit that sometimes, they choose not to donate and simply discard their items. Not only that, but for every one article of clothing donated, people have at least 30 more articles of clothing that are ready to be donated. These statistics are astounding!

The way we at Goodwill look at it, we need to reach consumers and encourage them to always donate their used and unused goods. Why? The easy answer is to help others. The more compelling answer is with every 30 items that we receive, a person in our community receives job training and employment support. This could be a person in your community who doesn't have a job and is struggling to support a family.

By donating a working computer, you can give a person career counseling. This could be your neighbor who lost his job because an industry left your community.

Or, one bike, one coat, and one DVD provide on-the-job training for someone. This could be a senior in your community who needs learn new skills to remain in today's job sector.

So I challenge you to join the Donate Movement! Not only will you be able to help those in your community who face challenges in finding employment, but you will also reduce waste in your area's landfills.

With Goodwill's Donation Impact Calculator, you can find out just how much your donation can change lives. Visit donate.goodwill.org to learn more.

Goodwill Good Guides supports families in keeping youths who are at-risk on the right path, away from trouble and moving towards a better future. The effort is part of a national mentoring program known as Goodwill GoodGuides that helps young people finish school and transition into productive careers through the guidance of trusted adults.

The program targets youths between the ages of 12 and 17 who are at-risk for dropping out of school, facing legal troubles or area at risk for delinquency due to issues such as abuse, disability, drug or alcohol dependence or gang membership.

Youths ages 12 to 17 can apply or be referred to the program. Anyone 16 and older can apply to be a mentor. There will be screening and a background check on mentor applicants. Those who pass will be put in the program to be matched with a youth and asked to commit four hours of mentoring per month.

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer mentor and making a real difference in someone’s life or know of a youth who would benefit from this program, please call Angela Lewis at 501-372-5100, ext 133 or email at ALewis@GoodwillAR.org.

Visit http://www.goodwillar.org/become-a-goodguides-mentor_5085_ct.aspx for more information about becoming a mentor.

Download a brochure for more information GoodGuides Brochure.pdf (518.20 kb)

Click Here to download our Summer Newsletter

Would you like to be kept informed of all the good and exciting things Goodwill is doing in our community?  Then you'll want to become a member of the Goodwill community by registering for our monthly email newsletter, GoodWorks!  Just click the subscribe button below, complete the form, and you'll receive GoodWorks in your email the first week of every quarter.  You'll also be the first to hear about special events and other unique Goodwill opportunities and receive exclusive discounts at our retail stores. Subscribe today and stay in touch with Goodwill! 

Click here to subscribe to GoodWorks  

Goodwill Industries of Arkansas is participating in the Reconnect program, a program created by Goodwill Industries International and Dell that enables Arkansans to responsibly recycle their computers and computer equipment.  Goodwill Industries of Arkansas has recycled over 90,000 pounds of computer equipment to date through the Reconnect program.

While computers are safe to use, they do contain some environmentally sensitive materials. These materials can be safely removed or recycled, but only if the computers are kept out of landfills in the first place. 

"Our Reconnect program partners have guaranteed that no donated equipment will end up in a landfill,” said Brian Itzkowitz, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas.  “The program is a tremendous benefit to Arkansans in that it offers a free, convenient, and responsible opportunity to recycle computers and computer equipment.” 

"The program has also created Green Jobs here at Goodwill, which furthers our mission of creating employment opportunities for Arkansans,” said Itzkowitz.  “We are very proud to participate in the program and look forward to its continued success.”

Program goals are to divert used computers and computer equipment from area landfills; and provide consumer education on the importance of environmentally-responsible computer disposal. Reconnect can also help create job opportunities for individuals who have barriers to employment or independence.

There is no charge for dropping off a computer at Goodwill, and any brand of used computer equipment is accepted. Examples of computer equipment that can be recycled through the program are a computer monitor, CPU, keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, or other peripherals that attach to the computer. Goodwill will sort the donated computer equipment, which will be responsibly recycled through Dell’s product recycling programs.

Consumers are responsible for removing data from hard drives and other storage media before donating to Goodwill. Consumers can also request a Goodwill receipt at time of donation.

Arkansans can visit www.GoodwillAR.org to determine the most convenient drop-off location at any of the 17 participating Goodwill donation centers and stores and to find additional program information.

In cooperation with Microsoft and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, Goodwill Industries of Arkansas is pleased to offer free computer access for those who have received vouchers for Elevate America E-Learning courses. Goodwill Industries of Arkansas will also serve as a test site for those with vouchers to take the Microsoft certification exams. This service is offered free of charge.

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services is working with Microsoft to provide vouchers for free e-learning Microsoft software training and certification through Elevate America to provide thousands of Arkansans with the technological skills or certification necessary to succeed.

Vouchers for the self-paced e-learning courses are available to Arkansas residents online through the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services at www.elevateamerica.ar.gov. Vouchers are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.

Microsoft e-learning is delivered over the Web, so modules can be accessed easily from a computer with a high-speed Internet connection. People who do not have computer and Internet access at home may use computers at select Goodwill locations, including: 1110 W. 7th Street Little Rock and 6929 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, North Little Rock. Goodwill will also serve as a Testing Site for certification exams with proctors available free of charge. 

For any questions about the Microsoft® Elevate America in Arkansas initiative, please contact Gail Holmes at 501-372-5100 ext 131 or visit www.elevateamerica.ar.gov.

To learn more about the Elevate America initiative visit http://www.microsoft.com/elevateamerica