Updates
News
Gov. Sununu helps launch COVID-19 response AmeriCorps program in New Hampshire
July 10, 2020
Manchester and Nashua, NH – Sixteen founding members of NH COVID Community Care Corps were sworn in as AmeriCorps members to begin their eight-week service term on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. The members will serve in nonprofit organizations and city departments across Manchester and Nashua. They will help with New Hampshire’s COVID response. The AmeriCorps members were joined via Zoom…
News
Free virtual workshops for job hunters in July
June 29, 2020
Workforce Solutions is excited to offer the following free virtual career-readiness workshops and info sessions. Workshops are appropriate for individuals of all ages, education, and work experience who live in a coastal country in Maine (York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln). Details for reach workshop, including a link to register, can be found below. You will need a smartphone, tablet…
News
Saying “I do!” to a thrifty wedding: Decorating with style on a budget
June 26, 2020
Words and photos by Vermont Goodwill shopper Jennie Lutton We have always been a thrifty family. The treasure hunt of garage sales and thrift shops has always been a thrill for me. My kids learned the fun of the game of secondhand early on. Their favorite weekend activity was shopping for sales with a few dollars in their pockets to…
Success Stories
AmeriCorps member Maggie helps student fight effects of poverty at two rural Maine schools
June 26, 2020
“When I was thinking about my own elementary school experience and the things I remember that stuck with me, it was the special touches that educators around me did,” said Maggie Burgos, a member of Goodwill’s AmeriCorps Multilingual Leadership Corps. For the last two years, Maggie has served with the TREE (Transforming Rural Educational Experiences in Education) Program out of…
News
How to decorate and organize your home with thrifted finds
May 20, 2020
This article was originally posted on aragostamama.com and is used with permission: I’ve written before about how I like to organize and decorate. (I’ve also written about how cleaning can be a coping mechanism for me.) I like things with character and things that are different way more than something you might find at your average box stores. There’s something…
News, Success Stories
AmeriCorps member Olivia helps at-risk kids in New Hampshire during the Covid-19 pandemic
April 30, 2020
Back in February, Olivia mentored fourth-graders after school. She made sure they did their homework, ate nutritional snacks and worked on any behavioral issues. She helps children build skills so they can succeed at school and in life. It’s work she loves. But like all of our jobs, Olivia’s changed a lot in response to COVID-19. Olivia is a Goodwill AmeriCorps…
News, Success Stories
AmeriCorps member Grace helps feed children in Portland, Maine through this global pandemic
April 30, 2020
Grace Montgomery wants to give back to her community while getting hands-on knowledge about food systems after studying agriculture in college. As an AmeriCorps VISTA she began her service by writing grants and creating promotional materials for her host site, Food Fuels Learning, a community coalition focusing on feeding at-risk children. Then, six months into her year of service, the global Covid-19…
Success Stories
Randy got out of prison and found a career doing an essential service during the pandemic
April 28, 2020
Randy served 10 years in Maine State Prison. When he got out he had only the clothes on his back. Life is tough without a car or a place to call home — add in a criminal record and a disability and life gets exceptionally difficult. Randy connected with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), where he received vocational counseling…
Success Stories
Job Connection helped Naomi secure housing, keep working and get back on her feet
April 22, 2020
When Air Force veteran Naomi found Job Connection this winter, she needed support. She didn’t have a place of her own anymore, which led her to couch surfing in her adult children’s homes around New England. Family time is nice, of course, but she yearned for her own personal stability back. Like every participant in Job Connection, Naomi had several…
News, Success Stories
VR goggles help clients gain real-world skills at Goodwill NeuroRehab
March 18, 2020
It’s a typical trip to the grocery store: remembering what to buy, reaching around fellow shoppers for items on the shelf, pacing an aisle to find the baking soda. Except this shopper isn’t really at the grocery store. She’s at a Goodwill NeuroRehab Center, navigating a computerized produce department and cereal aisle, thanks to virtual reality (VR) technology. Virtual reality…
Success Stories
Goodwill NeuroRehab ‘brought my husband back’ after a tree branch fell on his head
March 3, 2020
Kevin Crowley was snowblowing his driveway when a tree branch above him snapped and fell on his head. He was rushed to the hospital, instantly unable to speak, walk or feed himself due to his brain injury. Once a World Champion-level swimmer, Kevin was suddenly unsure he’d ever be able to get in a pool again or return to his…
News
What is Goodwill Buy The Pound Outlet?
February 26, 2020
For a truly unique shopping experience – and bargains galore that come and go before your eyes – check out one of Goodwill NNE’s three Goodwill Buy The Pound Outlets. So what’s a Buy The Pound Outlet? Located in Williston, VT; Gorham, Maine; and Hudson, NH, these outlets are distinct from retail stores in a few important ways. For starters,…
News
Dept of Labor awards Goodwill NNE $1 million to help at-risk-youth with education and employment
February 7, 2020
The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded Goodwill Northern New England $1,227,101 to support and expand YouthBuild programs in Maine. YouthBuild provides at-risk youth, ages 16-24, with education and occupational skill development to obtain employment in construction and other in-demand industries. Program participants learn construction skills while building or rehabilitating affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their own…
Success Stories
At work and at home, Becky is ready to lend a hand
January 24, 2020
Whether she’s helping staff prepare dinner or organizing clothes, books, and DVDs at a Goodwill retail shop, Becky helps get the job done. “I love my job a lot,” she says. “Everything you ask me to do, I’ll do it.” A longtime resident of a Goodwill home, Becky also attends Goodwill Northern New England’s LifeWorks day programs and has a…
Success Stories
“I was at zero, now I’m at eight” – Francisca’s path from shelter to home through Job Connection
January 24, 2020
Francisca was homeless when she started working at Goodwill. After a fire in her apartment building, she ended up at a shelter. Her manager helped set her up with Goodwill’s Job Connection program, which offered her support and advice. She was promoted to supervisor while still living at the shelter. Now she’s living in her home in Scarborough, and Goodwill…