Goodwill Industries of Tulsa

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa has provided services to those in need since 1927, and the number served continues to grow. In 2023, thousands of individuals used Goodwill's employment programs, job training and placement services, and financial resilience programs to better their lives.goodwill's three-year strategic plan is designed to position the organization for long-term growth. In 2023, Goodwill expanded community partnerships, fine-tuned operations, refined programs, and adopted new board practices. These meaningful changes make it possible for Goodwill to serve the community in new and better ways. Primary programs operated by Goodwill include the following:goodwill's employment programs for people with disabilities or other employment barriers encompass a wide variety of positions, including the following:- jobs related to collecting, processing, and selling goods donated by the public in our donated goods program.- jobs performed by supported workers with disabilities and a job coach in small groups at two local hospitals (providing paper shredding and light custodial services) and five Goodwill donation sites.- jobs related to packaging, collating, and assembly work for local companies, completed by Goodwill employees with disabilities in Goodwill's center-based contracts business.goodwill Industries of Tulsa employed more than 1,000 individuals with disabilities or other employment barriers in 2023. These individuals earned more than $12 million in wages in 2023. Goodwill's tulsaworks career academy (twca) offers training designed to lead to credentials and certifications that prepare graduates to fill in-demand jobs in the community, in fields that provide career pathways. In 2023 twca offered career training in computer skills, unarmed private security, and forklift operation, as well as google career certifications. Almost 500 individuals received services through twca in 2023, earning more than 1,000 credentials and certificates. All classes are available in person; many classes also are available virtually. Each twca participant is assigned a career navigator to assist with issues that affect their ability to attend or complete training, provide job placement assistance, and follow up after employment.goodwill's career center offers free career pathing and job search assistance, providing one-on-one help from trained staff. The career center guides individuals toward fulfilling and lasting careers while assisting businesses in finding the right talent. This process encompasses identifying personal interests and requirements, overcoming challenges in training or progression, skill enhancement, guidance in job seeking, establishing connections with potential employers, and performance assessment in new roles. Staff members help individuals recognize their talents and translate their experience onto a resume and into interviews. In addition, the career center hosts hiring events and career fairs to connect job seekers with local and remote employers that are actively hiring. Over 700 job seekers took advantage of this service in 2023.goodwill operates several training programs designed to serve individuals with disabilities, including the following:- Goodwill's transition work adjustment program helps high school students with disabilities strive for independence and learn positive work behaviors necessary to find and maintain employment within the community. Students spend half of the school day at their regular high schools and the remainder of the day at a Goodwill location learning about career opportunities, employer expectations, and positive work behaviors. Students also do job-sampling visits in the community and gain paid work experience in Goodwill's stores. Successful outcomes for the program include having the students continue furthering their education after graduating from high school, apply for admittance to a supported employment program for job placement, or be placed into a job in the community.goodwill's supported employment program for persons with disabilities consists of individual job placements in the community facilitated by a Goodwill employment consultant. Supported employment services provide integrated, competitive employment for individuals with significant intellectual disabilities for whom competitive employment has not traditionally occurred. An employment consultant assists the individual in job development, provides on-the-job training and support, and on-going support and reinforcement of job skills. Gradually the employment consultant fades and the individual works independently. Goodwill also offers programs to promote financial resilience:- volunteer income tax assistance (vita) serves low- and moderate-income taxpayers by providing free federal and state tax return preparation. In 2023, Goodwill Industries of Tulsa's vita volunteers and staff helped file over 4,000 tax returns, resulting in more than $5.5 million returning to the local economy.- Goodwill is the non-profit partner for Tulsa's financial empowerment center. This program, funded with public and private dollars, provides professional long-term financial counseling to tulsans at no cost to them. Financial counselors partner with clients individually to work on achieving financial goals. In 2023 this program provided 800 counseling sessions to 300 clients.- Goodwill launched a transformational employee development program, grow with Goodwill, in july 2023 to foster self-sufficiency and to promote career growth and personal development for Goodwill employees. One early step is to assess an employee's need for basic assistance through a self-sufficiency matrix and direct the employee to appropriate resources to meet those needs (e.g., food, emergency shelter, healthcare, mental health services). After 60 days of employment, Goodwill success coaches work with the employee to create and implement a personal development plan to focus on personal, career, and educational goals. Grow with Goodwill is designed to lead to one of two possible successful outcomes: continued advancement at Goodwill, or transition to community employment.