For many of us, Labor Day marks the end of summer, the official start of another school season and a good excuse to fire up the barbecue once again.
At Goodwill Central Coast, we are proud to celebrate Labor Day EVERY day, helping individuals facing barriers to employment find the training and opportunity needed to improve their lives.
GCC affects change on several fronts: removing obstacles to employment; supporting job seekers on every step of their journey; creating jobs within our own retail sector; guiding people on the road to financial self-sufficiency; and instituting a reuse-repurpose economy that helps to preserve the Earth’s resources.
Thanks to donations and the support of a generous community, GCC experienced positive growth in 2023. Out of 154 Goodwills worldwide, it ranked No. 6 in donations per household and No. 4 in sales per household.
GCC’s retail revenue rose 4.7 percent (to $37.5 million), its Mission Services helped 17,172 people (up 62 percent), and the highly successful Opportunity Platform expanded to all counties, helping 3,027 people (up from 289).
GCC’s local impact also includes the employment of 600 workers, providing countless local job services and contributing $14 million in local wages, taxes and benefits across three counties. Now that’s the power of work!
In 2023, employees underwent 3,149 hours of training, and the GCC Retail Training Academy opened in Santa Cruz. Also, the nonprofit invested nearly $4 million in employee benefits, while maintaining all starting wages above minimum wage.
Believing in the power of work
At GCC, we believe that everyone has the right to work. Jobs allow people to earn a living, gain independence and confidence, and contribute to our country’s economic health and vitality. But for many individuals the barriers to employment are too high to overcome alone.
These barriers include homelessness, military service, single parenting, incarceration, addiction, job displacement and more. These barriers should not define a person’s identity because they have so much more to offer.
Goodwill focuses on breaking down these obstacles to opportunity by providing job skills training, employment services, and support programs designed to help individuals obtain meaningful employment in their communities.
To deliver our services, we rely on partnerships with our communities’ federal and state workforce development agencies, as well as strong relationships with the local businesses that provide employment opportunities. Local community members also play an important role by donating ready-to-sell items for our stores and by choosing to shop at Goodwill.
Additionally, our Career Center provides free community employment services and computer usage. Patrons can receive assistance with job placement, and resume development, participate in mock interviews, get assistance with online applications, receive typing certifications, and inquire about completing community services by meeting with the Career Center Coordinator.
These jobs provide a paycheck and self-sufficiency, but also provide jolts of self-esteem and self-worth. Studies show that a high percentage of unemployed Americans suffer from depression. For those without a job for a long period of time (“long-term unemployment” is regarded as being without a job for 27 weeks or more), the rate of depression jumped significantly.
It’s all part of our mission to be more than a collection of thrift stores. More importantly, we are a leader in training and workforce development services. Through the sale of donated goods, we are able to fund programs that provide for people seeking personal development and economic opportunity.
The history of Labor Day
Celebrated on the first Monday of September (this year on Sept. 2), Labor Day began in 1894 as an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The federal holiday recognizes the many contributions workers have made to our country’s strength, prosperity and well-being.
This occurred about the same time that a Methodist minister named Edgar J. Helms began to plan for a social innovation designed around the idea of putting people to work. Founded in 1902, Goodwill grew into what Dr. Helms described as an “industrial program as well as a social service enterprise … a provider of employment, training and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted.”
That idea has evolved over the decades, but the belief in the power of work has never changed. The public’s donations and purchases help fuel GCC’s programs and help build lives and support families all across the Central Coast. And that’s something to celebrate long after the Labor Day burgers have been devoured.
