The Outlet is home to Goodwill's first bright and Spacious Re-sale Bookstore. It is also home to Fanshawe College's Employment Ontario Program, a retail store, and a drive-in donation centre.
Michelle Quintyn - Goodwill President and CEO
The new Goodwill location replaces an empty lot which had been vacant for nearly a decade since the gas station which had been on that location was torn down. A host of dignitaries including MP Glen Pearson, MPP Deb Matthews, Ward 4 Councillor Stephen Orser, MP Irene Mathyssen and many others were in attendance for the opening.
Ward 4 Councillor Stephen Orser remarked that he has answered many phone calls over the past few months from constituents regarding the new Goodwill Centre. They were pleased to see the new Centre being built. Orser stressed that the best way to support the new Goodwill Centre was to use it.
Make Donations! Purchase items there and let others in the neighbourhood know about it. He even showed a trench coat that he had purchased at a Goodwill store when he was a student. Most of us have purchas clothes or other goods at these stores. It's a good way to reuse and recycle and save money as well.
Residents in the area are encouraged to come in and visit the spacious, bright new store as well as the Job Connect offices which offer many free services to those looking for employment.
The site provides a vital connection for area residents to two of London's strongest agencies which specialize in employment, training and other vital needs.
This area of Northeast London will benefit greatly from the established links that Fanshawe and Goodwill have with service providers and agencies throughout London.
Goodwill creating jobs on a recycling platform
London, Ontario – Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes is growing, creating jobs, serving hundreds facing layoff and helping to sustain the environment byrecycling millions of pounds of donated goods.
The latest addition to Goodwill’s large network of Career Centres, Community Stores and Donation Centres is the newly built Goodwill Centre on Adelaide Streetin North London. (1044 Adelaide St. N.)
This abandoned former gas station has been redeveloped to aused Book Store; Employment Ontario in partnership with Fanshawe College; and aneighbourhood Donation Centre.
This initiative has created 10 new jobs, willservice more than 30,000 donors annually and will help thousands of jobseekers through Employment Ontario and also by generating revenue from the sale ofgoods to support Goodwill’s mission delivery framework.
Over 100 jobs have been newly created at Goodwill in the last 18 months.The job creation potential at Goodwill looks bright. Goodwill is creating employment despite a challenging economy on the basis of an increasingly relevant mission – serving and employing people who face employment barrierssuch as disability on a work platform which encourages reuse and recycling.
At the core of Goodwill’s success are the hundreds of thousands of donors who fuel the mission by donating clothing and household goods. Every time a donor gives to Goodwill they are creating jobs for those who need them most,generating revenue to support mission and diverting from landfill.
Every donor contribution to Goodwill generates one hour of sustainable work. Across Ontario Goodwill is transforming its approach to collecting donated goodsby introducing attended or staffed Donation Centres.
Research indicatesconsumers will increase their donations substantially if they have access toconveniently located, staffed, drop off sites with design standards in keeping withneighbourhoods. Staffing improves donor confidence and the quality of goodsand leads to more efficiency in processing and moving goods quickly to the retailfloor.
Un-attended, unsightly bins and boxes have been completely eliminated.Twelve new attended Donation Centres, including the latest on Adelaide Street,have opened in the Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stratford, Woodstock, St.Thomas and London regions.
Donation volume has risen by 40 percent year overyear, quality has improved dramatically and sales are up right across the region.The new Goodwill Centre on Adelaide also features Canada’s first GoodwillBookstore.
Modeled after successful concepts in Florida and Texas, the Bookstore will compliment the neighbourhood, provide access to affordablebooks and make good use of the high profile retail site. Donations from London’snorth areas should supply enough inventories to sustain the store making it aunique community exchange.2Goodwill creating jobs…
In partnership with Fanshawe College Employment, a third component of the Centre, will offer free employment services to the community including job search and resume help, subsidized job placements, apprenticeship opportunities, links to education and upgrading, free access to computers, fax and phone and alink to London’s vast continuum of support and training services.
“I applaud Goodwill for its successful and innovative model of employment services and for beingone of our community’s largest employers of persons with disabilities.
The Centre will createsustainable jobs and will help many others find work through the Job Connect program. This is agreat example of community collaboration.” said Deb Matthews, MPP London North Centre
The Adelaide project was only possible with support from many donors, volunteers, neighbours and projectparticipants. Major funders and sponsors include CIBC, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Fanshawe College, theCity of London, WIL Employment Connections through the Community Access Program, Spriet and Associates andADT Construction.
“The new Centre on Adelaide typifies Goodwill’s mission”, said Michelle Quintyn, Goodwill Presidentand CEO, “it’s about creating meaningful work; it’s enterprising and the concepts are sustainable”.
More about GoodwillSince the beginning of the last century Goodwill has existed to create work opportunities, skills development andsocial integration for people facing disabilities and other barriers to employment.
Today Goodwill is one of the largest operating charities in North America, the largest employer of persons facing disability and disadvantage and the largest non-profit provider of employment services.
This $3 billion socialenterprise has over 200 member Goodwills which last year collectively employed 88,000 people and served morethan one million individuals – placing someone in a job approximately every 53 seconds.
Goodwill employs and serves those hardest to employ with an emphasis on building and strengthening theabilities of persons challenged by physical, mental, developmental, sensory, learning, addictions and other disabilities; and also workers in transition, the chronically unemployed, youth at risk, the aged, Aboriginal people, and newcomers.
This is why I am so proud of working with Goodwill. I started as a volunteer and the Goodwill Mission is what brought me to Goodwill. We are about helping others improve on themselves and in doing so; we also have growth, personal and spiritual . Awesome write up ! :)
