The Importance of Volunteering
Pariss
The last day of class in fourth grade was a free day. We got to stay on the playground longer, play board games in class and watched a movie. The highlight of the day was when my mom brought Happy Meals for everyone in the class.
My mom always volunteered at my school. She chaperoned on field trips, made cupcakes, attended PTA meetings and even dressed up as Clifford for the Book Fairs. No one asked her to – she did it because she wanted to. She always found time to volunteer and shared that same value with me.
I started volunteering at fourteen. I’ve volunteered at the public library, art museums, performance theaters and food drives. I recently started volunteering at Goodwill.
I came in to discuss becoming a volunteer with the volunteer coordinator. Based on my resume and prior experience, I was given the opportunity to teach etiquette classes.
In college, I gave presentations about etiquette and how to dress for success. I was thrilled to be able to start again with Goodwill. We cover professional skills such as how to properly prepare, interview attire tips, and power greetings.
Volunteering with Goodwill has been a life-changing experience for me. Helping people learn skills that will help them in the workforce gives me a new purpose. It motivates me. When I wake up to volunteer, I make sure that I go in dressed professionally, with a smile and that I’m prepared to help in any way that I can. I love answering questions, interacting with people in the classes and learning from them as well.
There are tons of volunteer opportunities for people to lend a helping hand. Non-profit organizations, hospitals, shelters and more are in need of volunteers. It may take a couple hours of your time but it leaves a lasting impact.
Volunteering is inspiring and rewarding. Helping other people and seeing them smile because of it is a wonderful experience. My mom showed me the importance of volunteering at an early age. People always ask about my mom and talk to me about times where she came to the school and did something nice for us. It is my goal to have that same impact by volunteering and to encourage others to do the same.
- Pariss
Tray + paint = instant chic
Rachel
I’ll admit it: I am addicted to the Matters of Style home decor blog. With ties to Charlotte, and often featuring cities that I’ve visited in the Southeast, I’m positively inspired by Sarah Fisher’s sense of style.
MOS is what I blame for my wicked bamboo addiction (meaning any furniture or home accessories with a bamboo design — real or faux — becomes a must-have item) and more recently, for my scouring Goodwill stores for vintage silver pieces.
It was MOS-driven silver fever that inspired me to pick up the tarnished silver plated platter during a recent trip to Goodwill. It was dingy and in rough shape, but I figured for $4ish, how bad could it be? I could always paint it, right?
After cleaning with silver polish, the tray was a bit better, but no where near being presentable as-is. That’s when me and my pal green spray paint were reunited after quite a hiatus.
A few coats of paint and I had a perfectly swank bar tray that will work just fine until my husband Patrick and I can figure out exactly what we want the bar set up in the dining room to look like (I vote for bar cart, he says full bar. Not so much.).
What has paint saved/transformed for you?
- Rachel
DIY & Design: wooden bead watch band
Camille
I recently discovered these WeWOOD watches…
Goodwill Graduates: “It’s Our Time to Shine”
A Goodwill graduate celebrates with his family
This morning at the beautiful Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC, we were inspired by 42 of our Occupational Skills Training program students as they celebrated the completion of the program with a graduation ceremony.
Rev. Roderick Ewell, one of our career development specialists, offered words of encouragement and hope as the keynote speaker for the event. “You are someone’s role model, and whatever you do will affect someone else’s life,” Ewell said. “You have greatness inside of you, and your journey does not end today.”
Two graduates of our Banking & Customer Service Training program, including class representative Asha Toure.
Asha Toure, a graduate of our Banking & Customer Service Training program, was chosen to represent her class as a graduate speaker. Toure experienced a spinal cord injury after a car accident during her senior year of high school, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. “You can’t always control your circumstances, but you can control how you react to them,” she said. Her drive to push forward toward her goals had the room in tears. “Two days after the accident, I returned to school. I went to my prom, and I grabbed my walker and walked across that stage at graduation. It might have taken 5-10 minutes, but I did it.”
Friends and family gathered after the ceremony to enjoy refreshments and celebrate the accomplishments of our amazing graduates. “The best thing you can do is to tell others about Goodwill’s programs and how they can help!” said graduate Adolphus Hoggard, who represented the Construction Skills Training program. “Now, it is our time to shine. Let us shine by taking advantage of the opportunities we have!”
Click here for more photos from today’s ceremony.
If you or someone you know might be interested in one of our job training programs, be sure to check out opportunities on our website or call 704-372-3434.
Guest Post: What to do with old electronics
Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Burnham, organizer extraordinaire, to our little family! Jennifer is the owner of Pure & Simple Organizing, a home organizing company based Charlotte. “Our mission is to help families and individuals find calm within their home after clearing out the chaos,” she says. “Mounds of physical stuff weighs very heavy on our hearts and minds. Giving someone the opportunity to increase their quality of life by cleaning up and out is my passion!”
Jennifer says that “being organized” is a way of life, and it can drastically improve anyone’s quality of life. As part of the WOWGoodwill community, Jennifer will share tips on how to de-clutter your space and how to organize your home and your life. Questions for Jennifer? Leave a comment below! And now, without further ado….
Technology changes so quickly these days, and as a result we acquire new editions quicker than we dispose of the old ones. When you buy a new phone, computer, printer, or Blu-ray player, what do you do with the older versions? My guess is that you store them in the attic or garage. If you are unsure of what to do with them (trash it, donate it, keep it), then I highly recommend donating your unused and broken electronics to Goodwill.
What do they do with your old electronics? I toured the facility to find out!
All electronics are sorted at each Goodwill donation site. Once sorted, they are transported to the Goodwill electronics warehouse (on Freedom Drive). Each electronic is then further sorted into categories: televisions, monitors, printers, cables, cords, etc.
They will try to repair anything that is salvageable and worth selling. If they cannot repair it or sell it at the Computer Works store, then they recycle on your behalf. Your information will be safe as they crush all hard drives before recycling. (I have seen the crusher in action myself!)
The hard drive crusher!
What counts as recyclable?
- Cords
- Power adapters
- Computers
- Phones
- Chargers
- Tablets
- Printers
- Monitors
So, I want to know: what is keeping you from recycling your electronics?
- Jennifer
Goodwill Hunting: Summer Edition!
Happy Friday! Summer is officially here in the Carolinas. Temps are predicted to be over 100 for most of the weekend, so we’re spending our time indoors checking out some recent Goodwill finds from our Goodwill Hunting Flickr group!
Check out some of the finds below – everything from vintage clothing to art and accessories to Le Creuset pots. Take a moment to get inspired. Don’t forget, our stores open tomorrow at 9 a.m. See you there!
1. Lamps at GoodWill, 2. Vintage Sheerling Coat, 3. bow dress, 4. results of thrifting 2nd week of June/12, 5. Lenox Belleek/Watson Sterling Demitasse set of 6, 6. vintage sheets, 7. Longaberger Basket, 8. Homemade Terrarium, 9. unmarked drinking glasses., 10. Goodwill find: Tumi Alpha Deluxe Rolling Briefbag, 11. New duvet cover, 12. Invaders from Goodwill, 13. Nikon Action Touch (L35AW), 14. Better Homes and Gardens Blender Cook Book, 15. LeCreuset Soup Bowls, 16. IMG_1442
Wardrobe DIY: the Perfect Pants
Amanda
Finding the right fit on a pair of pants can be difficult even when shopping for something new, and when you’re secondhand shopping, it becomes even more unlikely. There’s nothing more disheartening than falling in love with a pair of oh-so-perfect jeans or slacks at Goodwill, then getting them in the dressing room to find they look just dreadful on.
Not to fear! As long as you have some extra fabric to work with (instead of needing more tacked on), then there’s hope for that pair of pants.
The internet is full of tutorials about how to tailor your trousers so that they fit like you want. If you have a sewing machine, you’re all set to get to work. If you don’t, find a friend who does!
Cotton & Curls’ tutorial for taking in your trousers will get you the skinny pants look that’s just right for your body. Maybe you love the color or print on a pair of pants from Goodwill, but they’re baggy or loose. Here’s a way to bring them up-to-date and on-trend. The trick is trying the pants on inside out so you can mark them for sewing.
For all of us vertically-challenged women out there, we know what it’s like to have to hem every pair of jeans we find. And if you want to keep that original, perfect, broken-in hem, then you’re going to fork up at least $20 at a tailoring shop. The Pie & Beer blog has an easy tutorial for doing this yourself. So next time, go ahead and get those long and leans from Goodwill and make them work for no more than the $4.99 you pay off the rack. (Love the Tim Gunn reference – “make it work!”)
The prices at Goodwill are so great that there’s no reason to turn down the perfect pattern, print, or color when it just happens to end up on something a little ill-fitting. I encourage you to take a risk, take it to the cash register, and then find a creative way to make it work when you get home. When you need some guidance, just hop online. I guarantee someone out there has already figured out a way to do it themselves.
- Amanda
