Goodwill of North Georgia raised more than $580,000 during its 100th Anniversary Gala at Flourish Atlanta.
The April 18 event honored Mayor Andre Dickens and three other individuals and organizations with the 100 Years of Impact Award. The honorees have strengthened Goodwill’s ability to create economic mobility opportunities for the people it serves.
During the gala, Goodwill of North Georgia highlighted its milestones and looked ahead to the next century of service.
“A century of service isn’t a finish line, but a launching pad,” said Keith Parker, president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia, in a statement. “… By 2030, we will serve 155,000 more job seekers, expand our stores, strengthen sustainability, and deepen our economic impact in North Georgia and beyond.”
Goodwill of North Georgia has 71 stores across a 45-county region. The nonprofit reports that it has served more than 835,000 job seekers and connected over 340,000 people to new jobs.
The $580,000 raised will fund free career training, job placement services, and workforce development programs at the organization’s 14 career centers.
“Every person we’ve served, every job we have helped someone find, and every family whose life is a little more stable because of what we do together, is what 100 years looks like,” Parker said. “And we are just getting started.”
The four honorees of the Impact Award have been key to advancing Goodwill’s mission.
Dickens, a member of the board of directors, was honored for co-creating the Goodwill of North Georgia Technology Careers Program. Graduates of the program earn an average starting wage of $19.49 per hour and have collectively earned more than $66 million in wages over the past six years, the statement said.
Wendy Stewart, president of Global Commercial Banking for Bank of America, accepted the award on behalf of the bank, which has advanced income equality and economic mobility in communities served by Goodwill of North Georgia.
Under Stewart’s leadership, the bank has presented financial literacy and credit-building workshops at the career centers. And according to Goodwill, more than 80,000 families in North Georgia have moved out of poverty through the partnership with the bank.
Ricky Smith, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, was honored for his leadership in the airport’s partnership with Goodwill of North Georgia. The nonprofit has placed more than 2,300 job seekers in and around the airport, generating $67.6 million in annual economic impact for the region, Goodwill reports.
Josh Carter accepted the award on behalf of the Carter family and The Carter Center. In 1971, then-Governor Jimmy Carter attended the opening of Goodwill of North Georgia’s inaugural career center. Since 1986, the Carter Center has contracted Goodwill for facility, janitorial, and grounds maintenance. Many employees performing the work have physical or mental disabilities and have built lasting, living-wage careers through the partnership, the statement said.
The evening also recognized the “Goodwill 100,” a group of leaders whose service and generosity have made a difference along Goodwill of North Georgia’s journey.
“One hundred years ago, civic-minded Atlantans believed in the transformative power of work. We have proven them right, and the best is yet to come,” Parker said.
