Hello Everyone and Happy Holidays!

It has been a long while since I wrote and I wanted to connect for just a minute.

It looks like the emergency temporary standard (ETS) order is going through – the one from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requiring employers with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines. We understand that the Supreme Court is likely to hear the case and make a final ruling by January 4 so there is still the possibility that it won’t hold, but we need to continue moving ahead as if it will. I am so grateful to the COVID Committee for their hard work preparing us for this possibility. Should it go through we will have an extra month to comply with the order, making February 9 the date that weekly testing must start for those electing not to be vaccinated. Remember that we are offering the weekly testing option – it is not a requirement of the ETS order – in an effort to accommodate those that can’t or don’t wish to get vaccinated. The order does require us to ensure that mask wearing is done consistently and correctly by those who are unvaccinated, so for those of you who plan to test weekly, make sure that you have a mask that is in compliance with the order in addition to a plan for your weekly COVID testing.

I think everyone has a feeling about this. Some will feel an immense amount of distress and some will feel a sense of relief. I talked to a friend of mine who is a doctor and they are preparing for another wave of infections given the contagiousness of the Omicron variant. They are exhausted, and health care workers are leaving their jobs in record numbers. I implore you to do what you can to not need their care. As we gather with family and friends, remember to wear your masks correctly and don’t take unnecessary risks that might infect you or a loved one. I want all of you and your families to be healthy as we enter 2022.

We are leaving behind what for many has been a harder year than 2020. By this time most of us know someone who will not be at our holiday gatherings because of COVID. The crisis has moved from acute to chronic – we have been at this for more than 21 months. It’s exhausting and requires new ways of coping, especially when there is no easy solution in sight. The level of stress we are under can feel crippling. So do what you can. Here are a few ideas. Maybe one or two will work for you:

• Focus on something positive, remember what you love – express even a small amount of gratitude. It can be something small – as I sit here I notice that my hands are warm in spite of how cold it is in my office, and I am grateful for my heavy sweater.

• Do something every day that you can impact for the good– so much is out of our control and that increases our stress level – make the bed, write someone a kind note, turn Fremont into a million dollar store! (see?! It can be big or small, congrats to Fremont on making this happen)

• Identify the small things that bring you comfort and do them more – its why so many of us craved Christmas lights early – little things matter.

• When you experience negative feelings about another person, in your mind send them a blessing instead (this can be so hard!), and then give yourself one. I have seen so much grace between people here at Goodwill, even when we don’t agree.

• Take a deep breath in and a long breath out and think of that moment as a re-set for anything you are feeling or thinking. Each moment is new and doesn’t have to be dictated by anything that has come before.

• Do something kind for someone else. Sometimes it helps to get out of our own spiraling negativity to take care of another. Last Friday the IS and WD teams had a little celebration for our Ignite participant who graduated from the 10-week program. Kind words, a congratulations banner, a fancy cupcake, and lots of applause made her feel special and accomplished. And I personally felt GREAT having taken 5 minutes to celebrate someone else.

• Turn off your media and go play a game with your kids, take your dog for a walk, read a book. The 24 hour news cycle does a form of violence to our well-being.

We have so much to be hopeful about in the coming year and so many accomplishments from 2021 to celebrate. Remember that here at Goodwill you are part of something bigger than yourselves – a force for good in the world that makes people’s lives better. I am grateful for all of you.

I hope that every one of you is able to find some joy and peace in the coming days. My best as you celebrate the season.

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

I began writing this Tuesday on the date our Governor and MIOSHA have said that no one, vaccinated or not, need wear a mask. COVID is still a danger, but it seems that we are coming out on the other side of this global pandemic, and I am grateful to those of you who have chosen to be vaccinated as this has been a critical effort in getting us this far. Due to this progress and our financial recovery, in the last two weeks we:

·       Met in person for our first retail managers meeting.

·       Ended the enhanced cash flow analysis and operational updates that were shared with the board on a monthly basis in order to maintain a close eye on the financial impact of COVID.

·       Re-opened our Career Center and our store dressing rooms.

·       Brought the remainder of our staff back to a minimum of working three days in the office.

·       Took down mask-related signage in all our locations.

·       Began to hold huddles both at the ROC and in the Career Center.

There are a whole bunch of things we still need to make decisions about, but we have begun to unravel all the actions we took in response to COVID. I will not be sending these letters as frequently, although they will continue to be a way to communicate as needed. As we rejoice in getting back to our lives as we knew them, let us also take a moment to grieve for the lives lost to this virus. Our losses are heavy even as we look to the future.

Vitally important to our future are a number of announcements I am enthusiastic about making. Whenever we have openings, particularly with executive leadership, it gives us an opportunity to evaluate our structure. As a result of this evaluation there are a couple of changes in positions and organizational framework:

·       Kristin Garris is being promoted to Chief Workforce Officer beginning July 1. She will oversee Workforce Development, GoodTemps, and Human Resources in addition to her roles in guiding strategy and continuous quality improvement for the organization. She has acted as my right hand since she came on board, caring for our most important asset – our people. Our desire is that we provide at least as many opportunities for our staff as we do for our clients, and aligning her with all of our people services makes sense. In addition, this title clarifies the role she has always had in championing our forward momentum in strategic planning, KPI identification, quality improvement, and cultural transformation across the entirety of GIWM.

·       Pattie Piekarski is being promoted to Human Resources Manager and will oversee daily operations of HR as well as provide direct supervision for benefits, recruitment, and employee engagement/retention.

·       We will not re-hire the Workforce Development Director position at this time. Matt Cashbaugh is being promoted to lead our services to people with disabilities and will be our new Program Manager for that population. He will oversee the Holland ETC staff and operations, and Job Coaches in Muskegon.

·       Asset Protection and Safety will move to Ryan Risley’s purview, and he will bring great value in assisting newly appointed Asset Protection and Safety Manager Shelly Schmid to develop and lead those efforts.

·       Nick Carlson will be joining us July 12 as our new Business Development Director. He will lead Industrial Services, Janitorial Services, and Sustainability and comes to us from Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids. He started his Goodwill career with us, however, so this is a bit of a homecoming for him. He brings tremendous experience and connections in sustainability, is data driven, detail oriented, and also visionary. Most importantly, he is eager to be part of our team, sharing our value of caring deeply about people, families, and community.

We will send a new organizational chart shortly so that you can get a visual on these changes.

Exciting things continue in all departments -

·       Welcome to Christie Tice, our new Resource Navigator for our Justice-Involved Services!

·       EXIT participants are now learning in the Carlson Classroom on Monday afternoons.

·       The trial period on our VR headset is complete and ready to be utilized with clients.

·       Our Ferrysburg Donation Center is processing textiles to help keep our Apple store fresh and full.

·       Janitorial Occupational Training is successfully running through great partnerships with Blue Lake and Fricano’s.

·       We are up over 13% in same store sales over 2019.

·       A new textile process is being implemented to support our new certification opportunity.

·       Our first load of baled cardboard is ready to go out.

·       The Y Learning Center is open and taking children in for care.

·       GoodTemps has three new contracts.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Be well, all of you. I am so proud of what we have accomplished and the ways we continue to serve.

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

The ground has been shifting beneath us in the last two weeks as a result of the CDC and MDHHS guidance that for the public, people who have been vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask. As such, we changed our rules for our customers, and generally our staff was very happy to not have to monitor for appropriate mask usage. Now MIOSHA has lined up with that same guidance for staff, and as Kristin’s latest email announced, they require us to verify vaccination for those employees choosing not to wear a mask. Based on MIOSHA rules, you have three choices: provide proof of vaccination and go without a mask, choose not to get a vaccine and wear a mask, or choose not to disclose your vaccination status and wear a mask. The choice is yours.

That being said, I am strongly encouraging you to get your vaccine. It is free and readily available at Walmart, Meijer’s, Walgreen’s, etc. Your health is in your own hands, but not getting a vaccine can also have an impact beyond you. For example, there is no vaccine currently approved for children 12 and younger and they are susceptible to contracting the disease and have no option for protection. Severe illness in children happens more frequently than originally thought.

Because the vaccine is readily available, our COVID pay plan is ending June 1. To date, we have paid more than $51,000 in wages for staff who have been out because of COVID illness or exposure. You are still encouraged to stay home when sick, as has always been the case, and until MIOSHA changes their rules, no attendance points will be accrued for COVID absences if you are out of ETO.

We are also launching our first Annual Review “season” when all performance reviews will be done at the same time of year. Part of the process now includes a self-evaluation, which you can expect to be given by your supervisor for you to complete within the next week or two. Managers and supervisors will then be hard at work to complete them all by June 25, with increases reflected in your July 9 paycheck.

Those who can work from home have been required to do so by the state until just this week. We have scheduled that all of us will return to the office on June 7, with required office days on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Further guidance will be out on this soon.

Many things continue to be in motion – the new South Holland store plans are waiting on the City of Holland for approval, the Allendale reset is a little delayed because we are waiting for fixtures, the second plastics granulator is now operational for the Ignite program, and the VITA season wrapped up and we served approximately 1,100 households.

Stay well, all of you, and enjoy the warm weather –

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

As always, there are so many great things going on at Goodwill:

·       Help me welcome Joe Gordon as our new Ignite Case Manager and Ashley Cooke as our new Job Coach! Also beginning next week is our new Tri-Share Hub Manager, Catrina Rule. We are so fortunate to have some great people joining our team.

·       We are busy planning a reset for our Allendale store coinciding with our newly signed lease for that location.

·       We also signed the lease on our new SOUTH HOLLAND STORE! Finally, we will be in a location and store that is consistent with our brand and good for our employees and customers. Renovations will begin soon at the new site.

·       The YMCA/Goodwill Learning Center will open to serve children on June 1! Families can begin enrolling soon!

·       One of our GoodWorks clients was placed in a position at Lowe’s which is where he wanted to work when he came to us! This program works – tell your friends.

·       We completed our Year Two United Way presentations for Newaygo, Muskegon, and Oceana on our VITA program results. Carl, Kiesha, and Mikaela did a great job.

·       Our CARF accreditation site visit is this week, and although it will be held remotely, it is still a lot of work for HR, workforce development, Ron B., and more. Please keep them in your thoughts!

·       The Leadership Team finished our first quarter review of the annual plan and our key performance indicators. We are on track to have a great year, and we keep getting better at managing to data, understanding what we do well, and moving forward in achieving our strategic pillars through annual planning.

·       We finished the taping of our Achievers of the Year 2019-2020 awards and it is now available online for you to view. Congratulations to our own Kawan Payne!

·       Textile Job Certification for retail staff is in pilot testing. Thanks to all of you who are helping us trial this new process.

·       E-commerce is expanding into the old electronics disassembly room at the ROC, as our sales continue to increase.

·       Our second plastics granulator was delivered last week which will expand our sustainability efforts and training opportunities.

The news is overwhelmingly positive and full of opportunity, growth, and community impact. Keep up the great work.

COVID numbers continue to be alarming, although they are coming down a little from the most recent peak. Stay strong and wear your masks, wash your hands, keep your distance, and GET A VACCINE. We are all craving the time when this is not a threat to our collective health and well-being and at this time, the vaccine is our best chance to achieve this. If there is any barrier you have to getting one that Goodwill can help eliminate, we would love to! Let us know how we can help by calling Jamie Barmes in Human Resources. 

Be well, all of you –

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

Our Leadership Team performed the first-quarter review of our annual plan and key performance indicators (KPIs). The process we established is working in so many ways to move us forward on achieving our goals:

·       We identified challenges and did some problem solving to move us forward;

·       Knowing the review is coming made things happen and keeps our eye on our goals;

·       We shared best practice so that it can be replicated;

·       Celebrating wins already achieved in Q1 inspires us to keep moving;

·       We are reminded of our strategic pillars and what we are driving toward;

·       Leadership has the opportunity to see the amount of work we are engaged in across the organization; and

·       It reminds us of the exciting things still coming this year.

I hope all of you were engaged with your leadership team members in updating goals and KPIs for your department, but if you haven’t seen them, ASK! We want everyone to be involved in recognizing the good we are doing and in solving the challenges we face.

There are several things of note:

·       I mentioned this in my last letter, but it is worth saying again - retail hit over $15,000 in RoundUp last month. A record! Well done, all of you – it makes such a huge difference in the services we are able to provide.

·       Placement of clients in retail locations is increasing; a goal of both workforce development and retail.

·       The Tri-Share Child Care Hub is getting up and running. This is a grant from the state to pilot a new way to make child care more affordable by having the cost shared equally between an employer, the state, and the employee.

·       Welcome to Aneke Sain, Placement Specialist for GoodTemps. We are glad you are here!

We continue to talk about systemic racism because it is a barrier to achieving our vision that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work and it impacts all of us, most especially the people of color we love and work with. This last week provided powerful evidence of the need for every one of us to continue taking action.

While it was a relief that Dereck Chauvin was convicted of all three counts in the murder of George Floyd, in the days that followed people of color continued to be shot and killed by police officers in Columbus, Chicago, and Minneapolis. There is evidence coming out of a way forward – the Newark, NJ police department has been under a federal consent decree to undergo intense reform since 2014, and did not fire a single shot in 2020. It is a remarkable turnaround and indicator that there are things we can do to make a difference. We will continue on our own path at Goodwill where all of us need to be engaged daily in living into our value that every person is respected and valued.

Michigan is THE hotspot for new COVID cases and the number of staff members we have out reflects this. As Kristin reported, however, not a single case has been contracted at work when we are following safety protocols. Keep it up and stay safe! In our stores, people who don’t want to wear masks are again on the increase, but masks work! Stay the course and get your vaccine. The sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we will be able to be together safely and without masks!

Hope you all have a great week!

My best –

Jeanette

Hello Everyone –

There is a COVID-19 surge here in Michigan. The new variant, B.1.1.7, is 50-70% more contagious than previous strains and Michigan has one of the highest rates of this strain. It is more easily transmitted by children, and the people sick in this surge are much younger than previously. The good news is that all three vaccines are effective against this strain, so I urge you to get a vaccine. We also know that correct mask usage, washing hands frequently, and keeping your distance WORKS. Because of the surge, we are delaying our return-to-work date to June 1. It will be a little longer before we are all together in person again, but we know how to get there so let’s all do our part – get a vaccine, practice safety precautions – we can do this!

I want to honor the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and to give you a preview of what is to come. Over the last couple of years, we have put in place some foundational components of this work that we did not have before:

1.    Mission, vision, values – we went through a robust process to rewrite and reimagine our purpose and intent and worked hard to include within our vision, the mandate that we address barriers that include systemic issues like racism, discrimination, generational poverty, and other social inequities and social injustices.

2.    DEI objectives are now part of the strategic plan – we have annual goals that we are holding ourselves accountable to.

3.    Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – we have identified data points that will help us know whether or not we are making progress.

4.    A comprehensive DEI statement – one that not only outlines what we believe and who we will continually strive to be, but one that gives us descriptions of actions that offer both a roadmap and a measuring tool for our efforts.

These four components give us the foundation from which to move forward. Other steps we have enacted, include:

·       The approval of MLK Day as a paid holiday.

·       Restroom signs being non-gendered when they are single stalls.

·       Support of and participation in DEI related community events.

·       The addition of awareness opportunities each month in our corporate calendar.

·       The use of diverse interview hiring teams.

·       The addition of DEI questions in interviews to help applicants know who we are and what we value to ensure that they are a good fit for our culture.

·       Specific training for various team members.

·       Participation in external DEI teams – GII, Talent 2025, West Michigan Sustainability Forum, and Muskegon Rotary.

·       Expanded coverage in our benefits package for mental health, substance abuse, transgender, and gender specific needs.

The foundation has been set, and this year we will be establishing ongoing training for all team members, with opportunities for continued conversations. Additionally, we will implement an annual staff “temperature” survey with communication of our results and any attending actions that we take. Part of training will include an official introduction to the DEI Statement which you can find easily on our website.

We are in an interesting space where for some of us, this feels like a lot of change in a short period of time. Usually people who feel this way are white, as they may be having uncomfortable conversations about race and other diversity issues for the first time. At the same time, there are also people who feel that we are not moving fast enough or that we have made no progress at all. Most often these are people of color, for whom all the things I mentioned make very little impact on the reality of their lives now. The feeling that there has been a lot of change and the feeling that there has been none or very little are both real and can exist at the same time. It is within this challenging context that we will continue our movement toward the goal that everyone feels a sense of belonging. One notable example of how we have done this is in the difference between how we used to engage with our clients returning from prison and jail and how we do so now, including a marked increase in hiring.

We have had some great things happen since my last update at the same time that we struggle with staffing issues in nearly all areas. While there are 36 positions open, it is still amazing what we can do!

·       Retail hit more than $15,000 in RoundUp in March! This is an all-time record. Excellent work!

·       Industrial Services has a new piece of equipment called a granulator that will recycle plastic trays that currently end up in landfill. Marsha Bailey, Amy Cumings, and Chad Kuipers all had intensive training on using the machine from Padnos.  This will provide work opportunities for our Ignite program participants.

·       We have our first graduate of the Ignite program, Dionte, who has done an amazing job learning to drive our new stand-up fork truck, among other things. Congratulations!

·       SpartanNash Earth Week is April 23-25. Bring in a donation for Goodwill to any SpartanNash location and get a $10 off a $25 purchase.  It’s a great partnership and a great deal!

·       VITA will wrap up on May 17. Carl Lewis and his team are working hard to get as many returns done as they possibly can.

·       Project Overcome is the new name for the interview tutorial opportunity using virtual reality with people returning from prison or jail. We are looking for opportunities to test it out, so if you have ideas, contact Dina Butler.

·       We have several new staff members and also some internal promotions: Terri Edwards is our new District Manager in retail, and Katti Brooks will be taking on an additional role in retail training. Congratulations to both of them! LaTonya Burks began as our new Career Coach.  Our new janitorial supervisor is Adam Bell. We welcome them both!

·       E-commerce began training with Upright Labs, a contract partner that will help us to increase efficiency and sales.

·       The new Electronics Room is off to a great start, bringing in $1,200-$1,500 per week! We are also grateful for the load of computers that came in from Whitehall Schools.

Take good care of yourselves!

Jeanette

Hi All -

I started writing this last Monday when I wanted to address the mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people, the majority of whom were Asian women. I wanted to say for all of us that we are rightfully appalled by these hate crimes, and that we stand with the Asian American community in their grief. I wrote that while we wish comfort to those who have lost loved ones, our compassion is not enough. We at Goodwill will continue to stand against racism, discrimination, hate, or violence toward any member of our community. We will actively work against systemic challenges that include racism, discrimination, and other long-term social injustices.

And then another mass shooting happened before I could get this out. I haven’t yet read that we understand motive, but it made me pause again before sending.

Discrimination toward Asian Americans is not new, but our country has seen a disturbing increase in violence against Asian Americans in the last year. The murders in Atlanta are the latest and worst of a rising tide of hatred that is another result of white supremacy in this country. I can’t yet speak to the murders in Boulder.

I have been told that by calling out racism and using terms like white supremacy, I have made some of you uncomfortable. I think this is pretty normal, especially if you haven’t ever had easy dialogue about the realities people of color face in the U.S. For many of us, the term white supremacy conjures up images of white hoods and burning crosses, and we may think that because this is now relatively rare, that white supremacy no longer exists. That image is really just the most obvious manifestation of the reality that our society is deeply and unequally divided by race and that white people are the beneficiaries of that inequality. It is startling and disturbing to begin to realize that our friends, neighbors and colleagues of color don’t experience the world as we do. Because we benefit from the injustice in the system, white people generally don’t experience much racial stress, and because we don’t experience that stress, we then also feel like we are deserving of the advantage that society gives us as a result of racial inequality. This advantage doesn’t mean your life has been easy. It just means that race hasn’t been a thing that has made it harder. When someone raises the issue of racial inequity, it challenges the way we may see the world, disrupting everything we think about ourselves and the way things are. We may get defensive and may want to do everything we can to deny that racism exists so that we can go back to feeling safe and like we know how things are. As white people, we don’t have much tolerance for the discomfort of having our experience of reality challenged, and this is what has been termed “white fragility.”

An example of that fragility can be that we feel worried that there is no longer a place for us in an environment that is working to correct inequities. Responding in ways that are indicative of this fragility – by being defensive, avoidant, or by removing ourselves entirely – additionally creates a barrier to understanding inequality. But this focus on being anti-racist doesn’t make people who are white less than they were, it just attempts to eliminate bias that hasn’t made the playing field level for people of color. Your value in the world isn’t diminished when someone else’s is raised.

Some of you may also be feeling anxiety you haven’t felt before, the anxiety of being afraid of saying the wrong thing and that it could cost you in some way.  Perhaps you are concerned you might actually say or do something racist, even if unintentionally. The likelihood that each of us will is pretty good, not because we are a bad people, but because we grew up here breathing the air that instills this bias. We all have to actively work against it because in many cases we don’t consciously know we have bias. Making a mistake and recognizing our underlying biases creates an opportunity to learn and to grow and to be better, and if that is truly your desire and you actively take steps to do so, then there will always be a place for you here at Goodwill. Always. We are here to help people to be the best that they can be so that in their lives they will experience self-sufficiency, pride, and joy in what they can accomplish. It is no different for any of the rest of us. We are the embodiment of our vision, mission, and values.

We are on this journey together. It has to be remarkably difficult sometimes for people of color to have any patience with our learning curve, because damage continues to be done while we are figuring it out. It’s untenable, and yet we still have to do the work as well and as quickly as we can. Our support of each other is critical.

My best to every one of you, with special love today for those of you in the Asian American community. We see your pain and stand with you in solidarity.

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

The leadership team met last Thursday and the tone was celebratory! Here, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of shuttering our stores, it is delightful to hear so much enthusiasm and optimism on our current state of affairs. Sales are up, as new programs and innovations are coming to fruition.  

The themes that kept coming up were our appreciation for each other and our ability to accomplish great things when we work together across departments and business lines. Here are a few highlights:

·       Our first Ignite participant was forklift certified! Transportation, Industrial Services, and Workforce Development came together to make it happen.

·       GoodTemps was awarded the Muskegon County temporary staffing contract which involved a lot of advocacy on our part.  Also, some of our GoodTemps employer partners are raising their wages which helps us in recruitment and is great for our workers.

·       Retail has made a huge leap forward in RoundUp. Some stores have increased their percentages by double digits! It isn’t always easy for our cashiers to ask our customers, but it makes an enormous difference in the impact on funding for programming! We all appreciate your efforts.

·       We received our first load of electronics from Padnos to sell in our Electronics Room at the Apple store and through e-commerce. This partnership will provide additional revenue, keep product out of landfill, and offer much needed and desired equipment to our shoppers. In addition, the Electronics Room made $3,100 in its first week!

·       We collaborated with Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids to lower our waste hauling expense through a joint contract.

·       Three participants in our Janitorial Occupational Training (JOT) graduated with a wonderful celebration thrown by Fricano’s. Two of those graduates have been hired into Goodwill! It’s a good thing, because Janitorial is already winning expansions to the Ottawa County contract.

·       VITA passed its IRS audit at our new location in Fremont with flying colors!

·       GoodWorks has two new participants starting today. It’s a great opportunity for people who come for help in finding a job to get prepared through classroom and on-the-job experience.

·       Our new Oculus virtual reality headset is ready to use with a helpful interview tutorial. Safety protocols are in place for keeping it clean and safe to use.

·       Many policies and procedures are being updated so that they are relevant and helpful to all of you.

Our ability to do great things is dependent on our working powerfully together, and this means everyone. Our vision that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work means that we need to remove barriers that include systemic challenges like racism, discrimination, educational and economic inequities, and other long-term social injustices. This means standing up for what is right when others make comments or exhibit behaviors that are racist, whether they are our co-workers or elected officials. We must hold one another accountable to being our best selves – people who care deeply about other people, families, and our community.

My best –

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

It has almost been a year since we closed down everything to protect ourselves from this unknown threat called the novel coronavirus. We thought that those of us who could would work from home for a couple of weeks, that the layoffs would be about that long, and that we would handle the crisis and be back together quickly. It is a YEAR LATER. Janitorial and Industrial never lost a beat, Retail paused for a few months, and Workforce Development and GoodTemps learned to provide services remotely. Each of us has a story to tell about our experiences of this time and I would love to hear yours. Give me a call or shoot me an email. I want to know how it has been for you.

The Governor’s order for office workers to work from home if they are able ends April 13 and until that changes, we are planning to be back to work in the office on the 14th. Then, as is safe, we can start scheduling huddles again, we can meet in person, and we can have lunch together in a break room. It is so good to look forward to these things! We will be wearing masks for the foreseeable future, but we will be able to do it with more of us together. Thank you for your diligence in observing safety protocols. We are once again down to no new cases of COVID-19.

A few updates:

·       The Electronics Room is open at the ROC! I am sure that as I am writing this it has already been emptied out, and I suspect it will be hard to keep full as the word gets out. People are so excited about it!

·       A new Oculus headset that is programmed with a job interview tutorial is now available at the Career Center. A mini grant from GII helped to purchase the headset for work with those who have been involved with the criminal justice system.

·       New LED lights at the ROC and Ellis will save us a combined $2,000 per year in electricity. Not only will be saving hard earned money, but we will be benefitting the environment at the same time.

·       Our new donated van to assist justice-involved individuals got its new graphics and soon you will see it out on the road providing rides to work.

·       Sales per square foot at Ellis and Fremont were over $200 in January! Congrats – this is a remarkable accomplishment.

·       GoodTemps filled four positions for Community enCompass, one of our new contract partners. GoodTemps continues to get new job orders, so refer those you know who are looking for work. We have something available!

·       And finally, please refer those you know who have been touched by the criminal justice system and who are between the ages of 18 and 24 to our new Ignite program. We are ready to go with great training opportunities.

Hope you all have a great week!

Jeanette

Hi Everyone - it’s the middle of Black History Month.

I imagine the day when Black history is just a part of truthfully told American history, but this is not yet the case. We need to celebrate Black history specifically because we have yet to recover from the white supremacy upon which this country was founded. We have barely begun to make real and meaningful challenges to it as a country, and so bringing awareness is the least we can do. What we choose to do starts with discovering why racial injustice either matters to each one of us or doesn’t, and so I have been thinking about why I personally care so deeply about social justice and equality.

My parents taught me that I am not better than anyone else. My dad in particular went to some lengths to keep me humble while at the same time letting me know that I was loved. They also taught me that the world is bigger than me – that my experience isn’t how it is for everyone, and that it is up to us to learn. They taught me early to go in search of answers. They were a teacher and a nurse, and taught me to care about other people.

While I grew up in this country and soaked up racism through something like osmosis, I was fortunate to not have it reinforced by my parents.

As I look at my past, I can see that these are my earliest foundations, but it is the people I love who teach me what it is really like to be a Black person in America.  I watched how our daughter, Azeezah, was treated in retail stores and by law enforcement. My friend Keisha shows me the difference between being Black and born in America and being Black and an immigrant to America. Friends Llena and Dereck teach me how it matters whether one is lighter or darker skinned, male or female. My niece Isa teaches me how difficult it is to grow up looking different than the majority of your community. The people I love and the reality of their experiences makes the fact of racial injustice matter deeply to me.

Their experiences are not unique. Our country has embedded discrimination based on race so deeply into our systems and existence that many white people don’t even recognize that it continues to profoundly impact the daily lives of those who are Black. That in itself, is by design. As long as we as white people don’t see it, we will do nothing to solve it, and it is indeed ours to end and to heal.

At Goodwill, we need to do the work of being anti-racist because if we don’t, we will never be able to achieve our vision that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work. Systemic racism is a major barrier to achieving our vision. Transformational change will only happen, however, as a result of the relationships we experience and that starts with your relationship with yourself. I invite you to each take a look at why racial equality matters or does not matter to you and why.

As always, there are a few operational updates I want you to know about:

Industrial services continues to get new equipment for the Ignite program including 2 balers and a banding chopper. Our first program participants started last Monday! IS offers such great on-the-job training opportunities to so many of our workforce development programs. We have people working from EXIT, Ignite, Offender Success, and GoodWorks programs.
Janitorial began work for our new Ottawa County contract and floor care is picking up again. Our Janitorial Occupational Training (JOT) will go nearly year round this year with sessions at Fricano’s Pizza, Blue Lake, and the Frauenthal.
Retail had a great January and sales were over budget and over last year. The retail outlet was up 31% over 2020!
GoodTemps has a new account with Community Encompass and continues to have openings with the Health Department and Muskegon County.

We do such amazing work here at Goodwill. Thanks for all of your efforts.

I will leave you with a remembrance of the great Hank Aaron who passed away a couple of weeks ago. My thanks to Lyne at our Ellis store for reminding me that in addition to his baseball success, he “was a civil rights leader, when it was life threatening to speak up and out!” And while the threat to life and livelihood still exists, it seems to me that we can be at least as brave as he was by never hesitating to speak up against injustice, and to work determinedly to end white supremacy.

My best –

Jeanette

Hello Everyone –

Here are a few updates from the last two weeks:

·       We received a new van from some local donors to provide work transportation to our Offender Success clients.

·       Our first GoodWorks participant successfully completed the program.

·       The VITA tax season kicks off this week at our corporate location, and the Gerber Federal Credit Union is our new VITA intake site in Newaygo.

·       The Ignite program is now set to begin on February 8.  Equipment is being ordered and will soon be installed in Industrial Services to support the work experience portion of Ignite.

·       Congratulations are in order for Janitorial Services, as they won the bid for the Ottawa County contract.

·       Pedestrian aisles have been taped off at the ROC in order to improve safety.

·       The floors at our Roosevelt Park store are being refinished. Work began yesterday but the store will remain open.

·       More orders are rolling into Industrial Services and they are gearing up for the additional work.

·       Another wave of Greenlight light bulbs will be arriving in our stores mid-February.

·       Janitorial Occupational Training (JOT) at Fricano’s Place is going strong.

·       We have begun sharing success stories with the board on a monthly basis again after nearly a year off due to COVID. They were thrilled to hear about Taylor’s success and for the opportunity to celebrate her accomplishments.

Please be very attentive to SAFETY – we have had a rough start to the year and in January alone have logged over half of the total maximum recordables we plan to have for the entire year. Any suggestions for improving safety are welcome.

COVID numbers spiked up a little after the holidays, so here is the ever present reminder to be diligent about wearing your mask over nose and mouth and washing or sanitizing your hands regularly.

Some of you have been interested in our efforts to support community child care since I began talking about it several years ago, and I am pleased to let you know that our first joint learning center with the Y is well on its way to completion. Instead of being housed on our corporate footprint, which would have cost dramatically more to renovate, we are leasing space at Covenant Academy which is right down the road. There will be room for up to 72 children and the Y is taking point on this project. We hope to have it open by spring!

And finally, we all miss seeing each other so much - the loss of huddles and all staff meetings in order to maintain safe practices is hard. I am hopeful that we can resume these sometime in the spring, but until then, information you ordinarily would have received in these meetings will be coming soon to your email box or a bulletin board near you! We will be sharing things like anniversaries, promotions, key performance indicators, and organizational financial position. Let me know if there is anything else you would love to see.

My best –

Jeanette

Hello Everyone –
It is a pleasure for me to share with you a bit of news from Goodwill:
• Industrial Services and Workforce Development are ramping up for the start of our Ignite program. We begin January 25, and if you know anyone who has simply encountered the criminal justice system and is a Muskegon County resident who would benefit from job preparation and training, refer them to Ignite! Call Dina at (231) 722-7871, ext. 1074.
• We are selling a portion of our abundance of donations (unsorted hard lines) to the Goodwill of Northern Michigan (Traverse City). The first shipment went out last week giving us partial relief from our storage crunch.
• Our Outlet and salvage sales across the board are strong.
• Our first GoodWorks participant in Workforce Development has been enrolled and the program has officially launched!
• Dani Bunda has been promoted to assistant manager in E-commerce where they are keeping pace with budget. We say goodbye to Casie and wish the best.
• VITA season has begun. We will be very busy this year with reduced in-person services, but our team is saving Fridays for our staff! We also welcome our new Americore member, Mikayla.
• Our Roosevelt Park store’s floors will be refinished in early February, while the store will remain open.
• The partnership between our North Holland store and Workforce Development has strengthened, providing retail skills training and experience for our program participants.
• GoodTemps is finishing the RFP for Muskegon County and has a new account with Muskegon Charter Township.
• LED lighting has been installed at the corporate office and we will begin to see a return on our investment after only four months.
• Electronics recycling is busy sorting product from new partners like Ottawa County and Lighthouse Insurance Group.
• Business is expanding for Janitorial Services with a new contract with Ottawa County.
• All of retail continues to increase their ability to drive their businesses through the use of data and so far this month are surpassing budget.

In addition, you are all doing a wonderful job of keeping yourselves and each other safe and healthy. Congratulations on keeping COVID infections almost nonexistent! The honoring last night at the Lincoln Memorial of the more than 400,000 Americans who have died from the pandemic was a powerful reminder of what is at stake as we work tirelessly to control infections.
And as I write you this note, we now have the first woman vice president in the history of our nation. Not only is she the first female, but also the first Black American and first Asian-American to serve in that role. By any measure, and specifically through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is a joyful moment. If you have a chance, I also recommend to you Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, who performed her poem “The Hill We Climb” today at the inauguration. She captured today’s moment in time perfectly.
My best -

Jeanette

Happy New Year! Whew. We all made it to 2021.

In celebration, you will all be receiving a Goodwill Industries of West Michigan mask sometime in the next week or two, because although we have entered a new year, we still need to be vigilant in our fight against COVID-19. We managed to get through most of December with no new cases, and then in the last week spiked with four positive cases and a bunch of people out because they had close contact with someone who was COVID-19 positive.

COVID-19 has killed more than 350,000 Americans, including my uncle and my father-in-law. I think about all of you and those you have lost – no one is alone in that. We are living through one of the greatest catastrophes in American history, and for as crushing as it is, I am so proud of the way we have responded at Goodwill. NO ONE has contracted the virus at work. Wearing masks over nose and mouth, washing and sanitizing hands, and maintaining 12 feet of distance all matter and it shows in how healthy we have been. Keep it up! While we can see an end in sight because of the availability of a vaccine, it will be many months before we can let down our guard.

The winter months are predicted to be some of the most challenging because we will likely struggle to maintain safety precautions as more people are vaccinated. In addition, we now need to contend with a new strain of the virus that seems to be even more contagious. Given those realities and the mitigating factor of my confidence in our commitment to safety precautions, we are targeting a return-to-work date for all employees who are currently working from home for April 1, 2021. Details of the return-to-work plan will be outlined in the coming weeks for those impacted. We can start looking forward to being together in person again!

Take good care of yourselves!

Jeanette

Hi All –

What a year it has been! I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on all that 2020 has been and I am astounded at what we have managed to accomplish together in spite of unprecedented stress, uncertainty, and change.

Last week the leadership team started reviewing our top accomplishments for 2020 and the list quickly reached more than 50.

·       Many of us pivoted to working remotely in March, and the backbone of our organization, those who support and provide all of our basic business functions – our HR, IT, finance, maintenance, and marketing teams – never missed a beat. Incredible care was given to all of us by HR, IT got us operating differently without any added expense, finance never missed a payroll, maintenance built Plexiglas shields and tended to our facilities, and marketing made sure all of our customers had the latest information.

·       Workforce development not only began providing services remotely using phone and internet, but they revamped processes and grew programming. We have a new website for VITA, a new program for young adults who have interacted with law enforcement through Ignite, and a new opportunity to get job-ready through GoodWorks.

·       Retail was open, then closed, then open with limited customers, then with more customers, then with fewer, and through all of it, have been understaffed! This year they have redesigned their model to be data driven, changing the way they manage their business. We collected a record number of donations. E-commerce began to sell clothing and matched 2019 revenue. All this and we still gave back! We collected and delivered PPE to local health systems and collected and donated scrubs for organizations who provide housing to people with disabilities to use when caring for residents with COVID.

·       Our business-to-business lines – Industrial, Janitorial, Sustainability, and GoodTemps – stayed operational through it all, adjusting constantly to the changing environment. They managed huge swings in demand for services, growing their business when it was needed, shrinking it when the circumstances required it. Through it all, important metrics improved and we are finishing the year stronger than we started.

·       Many departments reported that their workplace relationships were strengthened, their teams had grown stronger, and that their staff exhibited incredible resilience despite the strain.

The full list of accomplishments will be out next month, and all of us have so much to be proud of as we wrap up this most difficult of years.

In addition, and most importantly, many of us woke up differently this year to the reality of racial inequality in our country. The murders of black and brown people, although present throughout our history, were visible to us in a way that inspired outrage and action. Our attention must stay firmly on solving disparities created by systemic racism, discrimination, and abuse, and our plan for 2021 includes funding and objectives to forward our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

The rest of our plan for 2021 is also solid and inspiring. We will be better for accomplishing the goals we have set forward and I am excited to see what we continue to do together!

I wish you all peace and comfort as you navigate the holiday season, and I hope you find unexpected joy and laughter –

 Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

I sure would love a little snow to brighten things up a bit. The bleakness of the landscape reflects our feelings of uncertainty and exhaustion as the pandemic continues to take its toll. But here is something to celebrate in this moment – we have not had a single case of COVID at Goodwill in December – a whole week! Congratulations to all of you for being vigilant about your own safety and well-being, as well as that of your co-workers. We have to look out for one another, and you are doing that admirably.

Your leadership team has begun determining key performance indicators (KPIs) and annual goals for 2021. We met this past Thursday and will finish up this week. Our optimism and commitment for the coming year is inspiring, as is the progress we have made in understanding this process and making it work for us so that we may continually improve. We measure things like response times on tickets, reductions in safety recordables and expense, increases in persons served and sales, decreases in recidivism, and increases in job placement. If you don’t know what your KPIs are – for your location or department – ask your supervisor. Take action to find out what we are measuring and why. It matters because it keeps our eye on the ball and all of us moving forward.

We have added two KPIs this year to the things that HR is tracking: % minority representation in our workforce and % minority promotions. Historically, unintentional bias and the impact of systemic racism have resulted in fewer of both than one would expect given the makeup of our communities population. Measuring these two things helps to ensure that we are keeping our eye on our processes and procedures so that we can eliminate unintentional bias and unfairness at Goodwill. I applaud HR for adding these to their list of KPIs and I look forward to watching us move toward greater equity.

In case you haven’t heard, we have two exciting new employment and training offerings underway: GoodWorks, a work-experience program; and Ignite, a new re-entry program serving young adults. You will continue to hear more about these in the coming months. It has also been a long time since I have talked to you about our childcare initiative, and I am very happy to let you know that we are moving forward in partnership with the YMCA to open a new child care facility at Covenant Academy. We may still have one someday on our corporate footprint, but for now we needed a less expensive option that we could have up and running more quickly. We are looking to early spring to be able to provide additional excellent child care in the Muskegon community so that we can continue to remove barriers to employment.

Continue to be safe and vigilant! I am grateful, as ever, for your efforts –

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

A happy Thanksgiving to all of you – I hope that for each of you the day is filled with all those people and things for which you are most grateful, even as we spend this holiday protecting our lives and the lives of those we love by physically distancing. Thanksgiving is a complex holiday – for many Native Americans, it is a day of mourning as it marks the arrival of settlers in North America and the centuries of oppression and genocide that followed after. I ask that you think about both sides to our Thanksgiving story this year, and honor both the gratitude and grief inherent to our history. It is a good time to be reminded that the land we live on was the land of the Pottawatomi and Ottawa indigenous people.

COVID-19 continues to be top of mind as hospitals fill with those who are sick. Mercy Hospital performed 4,000 tests last week and 25% of those tested were positive (remember that a 3% positivity rate indicates that we are managing it well). In spite of health department workers being overwhelmed in their contract tracing efforts, our magnificent HR team is not, and they perform our own contact tracing efficiently and thoroughly. You can rest assured that if you have been in close contact with someone at work who has tested positive, you will receive a call from the HR team. We are absolutely doing everything right and have from the beginning. Our efforts in using all safety precautions consistently and well means that no staff member has contracted the disease at work. We can feel proud of our efforts at work, and use those efforts as a guide for what to do to keep ourselves safe when we are away from work.

Benefits enrollment has begun. You have been sent an email giving you instructions at either your work or home email. Once again, our HR team extraordinaire will be in contact with you if you have neither of these options. For those eligible, you must choose your benefit options – it will not default to your previous selections. We are self-funding this year in an effort to reduce costs in a way that will allow us to provide better and more affordable insurance to more of our Goodwill team members.

Annual planning for 2021 is underway and the 2021 budget is nearing completion. As is always the case, this work gives us the opportunity to look back at the year and take stock of our accomplishments and experience. What a year! We have all dealt with an enormous amount of change, grief, and adversity that will all continue for the foreseeable future. We are all tired and probably more than a little stunned by the reality we find ourselves in. Find ways to safely care for yourself in the days to come. Take heart in our resilience and in one another.

My best –

Jeanette

Hello Everyone -

Michigan continues to set new, one-day records for coronavirus cases – infections have skyrocketed in the last two weeks, with Michigan surpassing 200,000 cases on Friday. The best way forward is STRICT adherence to all safety measures: wearing a mask correctly covering nose and mouth, washing your hands frequently, and keeping a safe physical distance.  I hope all of you are understanding the shifts we have made in precautions to keep all of us safe: cloth masks must be worn at all times unless you can reliably maintain 12 feet of distance between you and any other person or there is a barrier between you (ie. plexiglass or wall), and face shields can only be used instead of a mask for HR approved medical reasons. Stay safe!

GoodWorks is a new program offering that will prepare candidates for employment that couples classroom and work-based learning. Our Workforce Development department would like to start our first session on 11/16/2020 and is looking for participants. If you know someone who might benefit, please make your referrals to Trinell Payne or Jessica Flores.

E-commerce, the outlet, and salvage all had a strong September, while collectively our stores continue to struggle with hiring new staff, shortened hours for some, and storage of the continued strong donation stream. We have secured new leased warehouse space that will help relieve that pressure, and will allow us to empty the trailers we have been renting over that last six months.

We continue to increase our IT resources so that we can work effectively during this time. All stores now have webcams and everyone who has them should use them as often as possible. Using the camera reduces feelings of isolation, makes you more engaged, and moves meetings along because facial expressions help deepen understanding. Using cameras help us to continue to function more like a team, so please turn them on! Plus we get to see dogs. And babies. And cats. The joy in this can’t be underestimated.

Last week many of us participated in a pre-CARF event with a consultant from Goodwill Industries International. We reviewed all of our business practices and four CARF accredited services that we offer through Workforce Development. CARF is the organization that accredits us and they will be coming in the spring. Thanks to Ron Baugh and to GII for getting us prepared!

Our country had a free and fair election since last I wrote. Free and fair elections are the most fundamental principle of every healthy democracy, to ensure that government authority comes from the will of the people. More than 74 million Americans cast their vote for Joe Biden, and he and Kamala Harris are now the President and Vice-President Elect. In Kamala Harris we have many firsts – the first female VP, the first Black woman, the first Asian American, and the first bi-racial person to hold the second highest position in the country. Her voice will matter in every decision put forth by this administration, and therefore the voice of more of us will be heard. Representation matters. The election was close, however, and the work we have ahead of us to heal our national and societal ills like systemic racism is daunting. Today I have faith that we are up to the challenge.

My best –

Jeanette

COVID-19 is surging in West Michigan! 

Hi all,

I got a fierce wake-up call this week and I need to share it with you. But this isn’t simply about me:  I want this to be your story. Think of someone, someone close to you. Think of a dear friend, a daughter, a father, a grandparent. Got the person in mind? What’s their name? Say it. Then say it again. Got it? My friend’s (fake for the sake of anonymity) name is Lisa.  And this is Lisa’s story. 

Lisa is a healthy mother of four. The youngest is 6. Lisa is 42 years old, works out regularly, eats right, and is in good health. Her kids are involved in sports and she is active in their extra-curricular activities. Lisa is a teacher at a local school.

Two weeks ago, Lisa got a stuffy nose and a little cough. She also noticed a slight change in her sense of smell (“I couldn’t smell the coffee”). She hesitated going for COVID testing because she didn’t feel crummy and wondered if she was just being paranoid. TOTALLY YES, get tested girl. So she did. Positive. Later that day, she went for a three-mile walk outside and felt fine.

Six days in, she started feeling worse. Shortness of breath, chest pressure, high fever. She was admitted to the hospital and she is still there on oxygen. She cannot have any visitors. She cannot see her kids or hug them or make them Mickey Mouse pancakes Saturday morning. Total isolation. In a hospital. 

Who is your Lisa? You pick a name. Make it personal again. This is not about Trump or Biden. This is about you and your family and your dearest friends and keeping them safe. 

In West Michigan we are seeing positive COVID-19 numbers MORE THAN WE HAVE SINCE THIS STARTED. A whopping 21% of total cases have been seen in the past two weeks and that trend is not getting better. That COVID mess that was happening in Detroit earlier this summer? It’s here now. At Goodwill, we have had 350 hours of “COVID” leave time in October. Our previous highest month was July with 275 hours. 

If you are reading this, know that I DO NOT want you to be the next case I hear about. Every. Single. Day the HR team is talking to team members who are sick, exposed, awaiting test results, or receiving test results. Every time we have a positive case, we make more calls to find out who the person was around without a mask and closer than 6 feet. (Side note: The distance between driver and passenger seats is not 6 feet.) Please don’t let this be you! Don’t let it be your friends. Don’t let it be your friend, daughter, father, or grandparent. 

We cannot get complacent. I’m tired. I know you are tired. But this WILL END. And it will end in fewer deaths, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer positive cases if we mask up, wash our hands, and keep our distance.

Be well,
Kristin  

Hi Everyone –

Only two things today - I am going to keep it short because these are so important. 

First, thanks to all of you who consistently wear your masks correctly (over nose and mouth) and physically distance from others. Your actions demonstrate your care for yourself and others as well as your understanding of the seriousness of the situation in which we find ourselves.

We are only as strong as our weakest link, however, and so we need the rest of you to join in: any time you are around anyone with whom you do not live with, wear a mask correctly and maintain 6 feet of distance. Cases are ramping up again and will likely only get worse over the coming 12 weeks. Your safety is so important that this week we will begin a no exceptions policy for our customers regarding mask wearing, and your safety needs to be at least as important to you. Many of us have lost people to COVID. Please do not be one of them – don’t take unnecessary risks with your health or someone else’s. I know we are tired – tired of being separated from those we love, of the additional challenge this threat adds to already tough lives, of nothing being how we knew it to be. You all can add your own things to the list, the least of which might be the discomfort of masks. I know. But please. Use safety precautions without fail. 

Second, VOTE! We are only days away from the election. If you are voting absentee, drop off your ballot off as soon as possible instead of putting them in the mail. They will not be counted unless they are received on or before Election Day. If you’re not sure where to drop your ballot, or where to go if you are voting in person, visit www.michigan.gov/vote. 

That’s it for today.  Actively protect your health and ensure your voice is heard through your vote. 

As ever, my best to all of you -
Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day! We celebrate the people who first called this land home. In Muskegon, we live on the land of the Potawatomi and Ottawa tribes. We remember the tragedies and violence they endured, and we honor their place in the shared story of America.

The Governor’s Executive Orders have been replaced with a Department of Health and Human Services Epidemic Order in regards to mask wearing. Already our retail team is experiencing a resurgence in push back from people who don’t want to wear them, but the mandate to wear them is still in place and will continue. The Epidemic Order also requires us to wear a mask when meeting in person, even if we are 6 feet apart. This is primarily a change for how we have been operating in our administrative office.

In addition to the difficulty in dealing with mask requirements, retail is also suffering from lack of staff, with 29 positions open including many in management. We are shortening the hours of some stores temporarily until additional staff are hired and trained, and putting forth a menu of other actions in an effort to help this very difficult situation. Our stores are doing well in spite of the challenges, e-commerce is pacing to be on budget, and efforts to increase sales, like managing to data and re-setting the Coopersville store, continue.

We have received $200,000 from the State of Michigan to purchase equipment for our recycling training and employment project with PADNOS, Industrial Services, and Workforce Development’s Ignite grant. A big congratulations to Dan Broersma, Workforce Development, and all those involved in securing this grant!

Industrial Services is working hard to relaunch our work with Hot Logic and like retail, is in need of staff. The demand for our contract services seems to only be increasing.

Workforce Development is getting people placed nearly as fast as they are walking in or calling for assistance, and on the other side of this, GoodTemps continues to secure more contracts for work.  In addition, strategic goals are being set for the Holland ETC, Michigan Rehabilitation Services has approved our rates for next year, and we are making plans to consolidate VITA sites to concentrate our resources.

Janitorial Services and Workforce Development are working together to establish a work training enclave with Trinity Health at Sanctuary of the Oaks senior community in Muskegon. These partnerships continue to be one of the best ways we can serve our clients with disabilities in preparing them for work.

Please help me welcome our new Accounting Manager, Angie Conklin! She begins training with Lois next Monday. Her arrival is perfectly timed for training on the budget process which is in full swing for 2021. 

Make a plan to vote if you haven’t already. I will personally assist you if you want help. Just call 231-780-7198. Our staff at the Career Center are also there to help. Do you need transportation on Election Day? Let us know! Would you like to walk through the ballot so that you know what one looks like? Give us a call! We are all here to help. Your vote is your voice! Make sure you are heard. 

Cases of COVID-19 are back on the rise in Michigan and every one of us needs to take every precaution. Wear your masks (or shields) correctly, wash your hands, and keep your physical distance. These safety measures will also protect you from the flu and colds as we enter into colder weather. As a reminder, flu shots are being strongly recommended this year and are being offered free at the ROC from 2:00 -4:00pm on Wednesday, October 14.  Keep yourselves safe, please. We continue to be in this for the long haul and are continuing to make changes to accommodate this reality. One example is that our boardroom is now configured for video conferencing thanks to IT.

There is nothing easy about the time we are living through. If it is getting to you, if you find yourself depressed and anxious, we have resources to help. Don’t forget about our Employee Assistance Fund. Call Shannon Judson in our Career Center or our HR department for referral and help. Both can be reached at 231-722-7871.

My best to all of you –

Jeanette

Hello Everyone –

Our country surpassed 200,000 deaths due to COVID-19 since I wrote two weeks ago. We have been fortunate in our state, because Michigan is at the top of lists reporting excellent handling of the pandemic, including those reporting economic recovery. Our governor has done well. We may not stay at the top if those wishing to strip her of the executive powers she has used to manage the pandemic are successful in their efforts. Wearing masks covering nose and mouth, social distancing, washing hands, and not touching your face – all of these will protect you from an illness that we still don’t know much about, as well against the flu. Speaking of the flu…

Goodwill is holding a Flu Shot Clinic on October 14 from 2-4pm at the ROC. Mark your calendars now and bring ID. Getting the flu shot has never been more important. See you there!

Our voter registration initiative is under way and today we took it to the ROC (apparently this is where all cool things are happening…). I registered a brand new 18-year-old voter! Dina told the story last week of someone in the waiting room who thought he couldn’t vote because he had a felony, and we registered him to vote!  We will continue to hold these events until the middle of October, and then after that in Michigan you can still register in person even on the day of the election. Your vote is your voice, so get ready and be heard. Call the Career Center if you have any questions about your registration.

We have been taking a deep dive into retail metrics to improve performance over the last couple of weeks. By understanding that how much we produce directly impacts our revenue numbers, and managing to this on a daily basis, we can completely impact our earnings. This continues to make everything we do possible and I am so grateful for the work of the retail team. We are back to regular hours at all locations and have recently reopened our jewelry cases to also increase revenue. We have plenty of donations stored to help us in the effort to get us back on track with budget.

Workforce Development is revamping programming for CMH clients to be in accordance with new Medicaid guidelines and we NEED employers in Ottawa County who would be willing to work with us. If you know anyone at a company who might be willing to provide work opportunities for our clients, contact Matt at the Holland Employment and Training Center.

GoodTemps has three new corporate accounts – great news for our staffing business and for any of our clients who need a job. We are starting to grow our opportunities for people just as walk-ins are increasing at the Career Center. Perfect timing! Trinell told me this morning that someone she referred to work through GoodTemps has just been hired in, so be sure to refer any of your friends and family who are in need of employment to our Career Center and GoodTemps. We are making a difference for those we serve.

Mid Michigan Community Action will be sharing our Career Center space as of October 1. They have access to CARES Act funding to help those who are struggling financially as a result of the pandemic. It is a great opportunity for Goodwill clients and staff to easily access their services, and the same is true for their clients to access our services.

The VITA website improvements are almost done and all of our volunteers want to come back to assist next year with taxes. This gives us a great start to having a strong year getting tax refunds into the hands of people who need it.

We announced that there would be no attendance bonus this year – it seemed a strange thing to offer when 80% of our staff did not need to be in attendance for more than a quarter of the year. We are feeling incredibly grateful for those who never stopped working and for those of you who keep showing up every day in spite of the challenges we all face. As we begin the budgeting process for 2021, we recognize the need to be conservative in light of our losses this year and the uncertainty that faces us in 2021.

Our weekly D&I moment emails continue to be impactful and I am grateful for those of you who reach out with thoughts and reactions. Thanks for your willingness to learn and to be part of our work to be better in the space of equity and inclusion. Our efforts have begun to pay off – we have improved our percentage of minority hires by 3% over the last few months!

I am disheartened, as many were, by the fact that no charges were brought against the officers in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, and it happened 65 years to the day that the murderers of Emmitt Till were acquitted. It felt to many of us like nothing has changed in those years, and white people continue to not be held accountable for violence against Black people. This is the reason for the protests and the work we are morally compelled to do – we need to continue to root out systemic racism wherever it exists.

We also lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg since I last wrote. If you are a woman with a bank account, mortgage, or credit card in your own name without a man’s co-signature – you can thank Ms. Ginsburg. She fought for equal pay for women, pushed to protect pregnant women in the workplace, and she was a key vote in granting same-sex marriages. She was an inspiration to many of us and we add her to the list of people we are so sorry to have lost this year.

My best to all of you –

Jeanette

Hi Everyone –

I have been largely disconnected from work for the last two weeks camping in the Upper Peninsula. The waterfalls, hiking, and campfires were rejuvenating – nature is one way that I recharge so that I can be up for the next challenge. The work of Goodwill went on seamlessly without me, a good sign of strong executive and leadership teams. For as grateful as I am for the ability and resources to take a vacation, I am incredibly happy to be back. I love the work we do, and I am proud of who we continue to become, of our commitment to constant improvement and innovation, and of our dedication to being part of creating a just and equitable world.

The Leadership Team reviewed every one of our 2020 goals last week, celebrating the accomplishment of some, revising others still slated for accomplishment this year, moving some forward to 2021, and eliminating others all together because they are no longer relevant in light of the unexpected impact of COVID-19. Many thanks to that team for keeping their eyes on our goals in spite of the challenges this year has brought. This week marks six months since we closed the stores and much of our programming in response to the pandemic. Many of you were furloughed and all of us from that moment, whether were still working or laid off, began to grapple daily with what the ever-changing information meant for our futures, and for our health and safety. We are not out of the woods, and over the next few months will need to dig even deeper to get through the next phase of this new world in which we find ourselves. We are in the messy middle of this crisis, but as Brene Brown says, the messy middle of any process is what creates all the discomfort we need for learning. It’s dark, we don’t know how long we will be in it, and we have no choice but to move forward, but on the other side, we are determined to be better for what we have learned.

Running away from something for long doesn’t serve us very well. After the initial escape, we spend all of our time looking backwards, and fretting the thing that we are running away from. Instead, we need to discover what we are running towards. This can be what we discover in the messy, dark middle – where do we want to arrive at the end of our anxiety, struggle, and worry? What are we learning right now, in the middle of this challenging space, that can offer us a vision of what we desire to run towards?

Certainly there are things the pandemic has prompted that we will run towards – flexible work schedules, a revised dress code, increased safety measures, a simpler performance evaluation that prompts ongoing conversations.

But we are not only in the dark middle of this pandemic, but also in the dark middle of our country’s history of violent, crushing racism. Too often on this topic, we lead from the place of assuming it can’t be solved – that it is too big, too ingrained, too impossible. We work by fighting against our racist past, thoughts, and beliefs instead of moving toward what we really want to achieve which is ending racism and in fact, ending it in our lifetimes. Justin Michael Williams states: “If we want to have a breakthrough in ending racism, then we need to realize that it’s not going to happen unless we agree on a timeline for ending it. Saying it’s going to end ‘someday’ is not a commitment. But if we put a stake in the ground and say we are going to end it in our generation, possibilities open up. A new reality emerges. Because if we believe it can, we shift the context of the world.” Check out the rest of his blog here: https://www.justinmichaelwilliams.com/blog/

Moving towards something shifts our focus, our intention, and our work, and makes what seemed impossible, possible. We do this all the time and we know it works: we set a goal, we lay out the measures by which we will determine our success, and we set a timeline. In the messy, dark middle, with the things that matter most, we need to set our eyes on the vision of our preferred future and take aim.

My best to all of you –

Jeanette

This week’s letter is penned by Workforce Development Director Kiesha Guy who is filling for Jeanette who is on vacation this week.

Photo: Kiesha with her eldest son Christian.

Hello —

As we approach fall, I look back at the “imposed quarantine” we were all faced with. As we try to look past COVID and get ready for flu season, it seems as though we always need to be worried about something. 

During the time in isolation, a lot of people were set back; I think about the homeless, and children forced to be home without adequate basic needs. I realized during this time how important our work is. Goodwill Workforce Development is here to help and is gearing up for the future. We want to be proactive in our approach, starting with an assessment of needs and ending with a job and a grasp of finances. Understanding how to handle these new earnings is important as each person we serve navigates through this time and continues their success into the future. I appreciate the Workforce Development team and all of their work trying to move us forward, as well as the retail department for all of their efforts. It is times like this that we need to be more appreciative and thankful for where we are as we work to build up our lives and the people we serve. 

Last week I watched a video from Doc Rivers, who coaches basketball for the Los Angeles clippers. I usually don’t watch basketball (don’t tell my husband, because he is a basketball coach), but I happened upon the press conference at the end of the game. He spoke about how hard it is as a black person; how hard it is to know that this is how people always see us. I think about that too — there is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of who I am and how I fit into the world. More importantly, I think about my two boys who must also be very careful in so many ways. Change needs to come and we need it NOW. No matter your age, race, or gender, it starts with us. If we know better we must do better, treating each other and the people we serve with dignity and respect. Let’s resolve our conflicts and address our issues, because only then can we move forward and do the great work we were tasked with.  

Change will also come when we all exercise our right to vote. If you need assistance with voting or getting registered please contact our Career Center. We have staff available to help. Every life has value — understand your value and what you bring to Goodwill. Success is around the corner as we stay focused on our goals. 

Stay safe everyone.

Kiesha Guy
Workforce Development Director

Hi Everyone –

There is so much to report about what is happening with Goodwill!

Janitorial Services is growing again, with two new contracts. We are also grateful that we have finally been able to hire a floor care supervisor which will enable us to offer more of these services.

Industrial Services is humming along. We have the right staffing for the work we are doing, and many of our existing contracts are coming back on line.

Workforce Development is busy adjusting to the new work of the Ignite program (serving young adults 18-24 who have been in contact with the justice system and funded by a Department of Labor grant through GII). Our community partners are all on board now, and we are experiencing a lot of enthusiasm from the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement. This could make a real difference in people’s lives. Some staff members are taking on new responsibilities, and we are grateful for everyone’s flexibility and commitment to serve our staff and community members.

Shannon Judson is your new contact for the Employee Assistance Fund. This is a good opportunity to remind you all of its existence. If you or any of your coworkers are suffering a financial hardship, there are resources that we can help you access in addition to our own fund set up by our board of directors.

We have begun looking for additional employers in Muskegon and Holland to partner with us for work enclave opportunities. This means that we are looking for companies who are willing to provide paid onsite work for our program participants with disabilities, in which we come in with a small group of workers and provide job coaching and training. The ultimate goal is for us to find new work opportunities for our participants, so if you know of a business or organization that might be interested in hearing about this opportunity, contact Kiesha in Workforce Development.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is working on the launch of a get out the vote effort for all of our staff – stay tuned for more information, and if you have any ideas about how Goodwill could best help you, let me know. We had a great suggestion from Sue in Industrial Services, who thought that we should have voter education and registration be part of the services we offer to those who are returning from prison and jail, because they might not know that they are eligible to vote once they have served their sentences. We already help people get their driver’s licenses and IDs, so this is an easy thing to add to what we offer. Great idea! In the meantime, if you need to register, would like to vote by mail, are not sure of your registration status, or have ANY other questions about voting this Nov. 3, visit www.michigan.gov/vote or call their hotline at 1 (833) 648-6837 and talk to a real person!

We have a huge influx of furniture hitting our stores and outlet as a result of donations from Spectrum Health. Halloween goods will also be on our shelves soon, and if you are in our stores, check out the LED light bulbs that we are selling at a remarkably low cost through a partnership with Consumers Energy and Greenlite. Retail continues to have open positions, so refer anyone you know to human resources.

E-commerce has dramatically ramped up the sale of clothing in the last six months, increasing the number of pieces sold by nearly 2,000%! This is not a typo – we went from 432 pieces last year to 8,091 already this year. Thanks to everyone in retail for making this possible. Laptops are also in high demand right now, so e-commerce is paying particular attention to getting these donated items ready for sale in our Apple Ave. store and online.

Everything is moving and changing more quickly than pre-pandemic, and that is saying something. We at Goodwill also need to get faster at taking a look at our data, analyzing it to determine what might be impacting performance, trying new things to increase performance, and evaluating the impact of our efforts so that we can either keep the changes we make or devise new things to try. We are starting with retail, putting processes in place to help us impact all of our results. There is so much we can’t control right now, so anything we put in place that allows us to see the impact of our efforts, helps us in more ways than simply improving our bottom line.

The threat of COVID-19 continues unabated. The U.S. has lost more than 180,000 of its citizens to this pandemic. Work hard to keep up your safety protocols – wash your hands, don’t touch your face, wear your mask correctly over nose and mouth, and maintain social distancing. We need to care for one another more than ever and this is a critically important way that we do it.

My best to all of you – 

Jeanette

 August 24, 2020

Hi Everyone –

These letters began as a way to keep everyone informed about what was happening at Goodwill during a time when all of our routines, ways of communicating, and opportunities to be with one another were upended by the pandemic. They are still valuable for that purpose, but I will be moving them to every other week after next Monday, to match up to the weeks when our full leadership team meets to give updates and to talk about successes and challenges.

As part of our Diversity and Inclusion efforts, I will begin sending an email on Friday with a brief video or article to help expand perceptions and to increase our understanding of one another and the realities of the world we live in. This week, the City of Holland approved a non-discrimination ordinance that protects everyone from discrimination based on age, race, national origin, color, disability, education, familial status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, height, marital status, religion, source of income, or weight. The vote to approve came after hours of impassioned public comment, particularly around the rights of LGBTQ residents. Congratulations to Holland! As the mayor said, “We should protect the rights of all of the people equally. Why wouldn’t we?”

While Holland had success in promoting and advocating for the rights of all people, other news reminds us that even though protests demanding equal justice under the law for Black Americans have diminished across the country, the need for this work is still vitally important. Today our prayers and thoughts for healing go out to Jacob Blake, a Black man shot in the back seven times by police in Kenosha Wisconsin yesterday. He is fighting for his life, for himself, and for his four young children. We must continue the work to be part of the solution to systemic racism, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because our vision at Goodwill demands it.

Make a plan now for VOTING! www.michigan.gov/vote has all the information you need to register to vote, check that you are registered, and to vote by mail. It will also help you to find Election Day drop off and polling locations. This is one of your most important rights – make sure your voice is heard!

My best –

Jeanette

August 17, 2020

Hello Everyone –

This week resumed regular hours in our retail stores and we are planning to see an uptick in sales due to the more than 300 hours a week we will be adding. As long as we can keep product on the shelves, this can help our bottom line significantly. We are still in need of additional staff at some of our retail locations. If you know anyone with a great work ethic who wants to work for an employer like Goodwill to be part of making a difference in our communities, please make the referral! We would love to meet your friends and would welcome them into our Goodwill family.

We have a new partnership with Consumers Energy that will begin soon. We will be selling LED lightbulbs in our stores, starting with 700 bulbs per store! Consumers is interested in getting these bulbs out into the community and our retail stores are a perfect way to make it happen. They will be offered at a very good price point.

Workforce Development has some positive news to report as well.  Recently we were awarded the Region 4 Offender Success program’s Resource Navigator contract for Muskegon County. This is a renewal of the work for us, and our continued success is in large part because of the great work done by Sharlisa, our Resource Navigator, during the last five months. The Holland Employment and Training Center (ETC) is up and running within the North Holland store, and this past week the ETC secured a new enclave with Pangea! Enclave work has also resumed with Dutch Treat Foods – great news in our effort to increase competitive and integrated employment opportunities for our clients. We also began promoting our new five-week program to assist special education students to define goals beyond high school with a presentation to the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District.

This past week, Industrial Services achieved recertification for ISO with zero findings and zero non-conformances! Achievement at this level is extremely difficult, and I commend Chad, Amy, and their team for this achievement, as well as Ron for his leadership in the process. In addition, phase II in bringing clients back to the Muskegon IS work center is complete, and we now have 10-12 clients working every day.

MIOSHA recently launched unannounced inspections at retail establishments to ensure executive order mandates are being followed. The goal is to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread, and if major deficiencies are found, penalties of up to $7,000 may be issued. This month our South Holland retail location was inspected without warning and there were no findings! The inspector was “pleasantly surprised” as he did not expect such a small and remote store to have so many good systems implemented. Congratulations to Les and his team, and to HR and the safety committee for their work in making sure we have great safety plans that are implemented in all of our locations.

Reopening is such good news, but our financial position continues to be significantly stressed as we are spending much more than we are earning. This is not something we can continue indefinitely, and as the pandemic is likely to stretch deep into 2021, we must address the discrepancy quickly. As mentioned above, we are taking action to increase revenue in retail, but we must also contain costs. Please do everything in your power to assist in this effort.

I am grateful for all of you, so as always – wear your masks correctly, maintain distancing, wash your hands, and be kind to one another –

Jeanette

August 10, 2020

Hi Everyone –

Many of us have hit another wall this week as we struggle to deal with the pandemic and the reality that there is no end in sight for the near term. The loss of life and devastation to health is horrifying and the economic damage in the trillions will take us years or decades from which to recover. Some of the most helpful news I heard this week was from an interview with Bill Gates, who has been warning us about our lack of readiness for a global pandemic since at least 2015. Since then, he and his foundation have made huge investments in vaccines, treatments, and testing, and as a result of his work in this space, is a credible source for me. When Steven Levy of Wired.com asked him if he was optimistic, he said yes that “the innovation pipeline on scaling up diagnostics, on new therapeutics, on vaccines is actually quite impressive. And that makes me feel like, for the rich world, we should largely be able to end this thing by the end of 2021, and for the world at large by the end of 2022. That is only because of the scale of innovation that’s taking place.” Your version of optimism may be different than his, but it confirmed my thoughts that we were likely in this for the next year or two.

The impact to our health and well-being, both physical and mental, of living in crisis and under threat for this long can’t be underestimated. Finding peace is critical for our long-term survival and I asked our leadership team to describe the things they do right now to find peace, knowing that we all need all the ideas we can get right now. I thought I would share their answers with you, so that you would also have a longer list to go to when you are feeling overwhelmed.

·       Going to the beach, watching a sunset, getting outside, sitting on the deck or porch

·       Reading, listening to podcasts or books

·       Walking the dog, running, mountain biking, spending time in the woods

·       Cooking, photography, looking through old photo albums, music

·       Prayer, devotionals first thing in the morning, meditation and yoga

·       Spending time with children, talking with friends, taking care of others

The team reported finding peace in specific things, like riding in an old classic car or “hanging up our worries” when we walk in the door or stop working for the day. Any taste of “normal” we can find while being safety conscious helps us feel so much better. We need these moments more than ever as we worry about how to safely get our children cared for and educated this fall, as we worry about those who are unemployed and may lose their homes, as we worry about the health and lives of those we love, and as we worry about the well-being of those among us who suffer racism.

This past week, Governor Whitmer joined the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Emergency Physicians in declaring institutional racism a public health crisis.  The order takes beginning steps to positively impact the negative effects of racism in the state by calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to make health equity a major goal and by requiring data documenting differences in health outcomes among racial and ethnic groups in Michigan to be collected, analyzed, and made publicly available.  In addition, she has created the Black Leadership Advisory Council, which will develop, review, and recommend policies and actions designed to eradicate and prevent discrimination and racial inequity in Michigan. Governor Whitmer said, “we must confront systemic racism head on so we can create a more equitable and just Michigan. This is not about one party or person. I hope we can continue to work towards building a more inclusive and unbiased state that works for everyone.” We are fortunate to have a leader in our state committed to this work, to help guide the way for all of us as we work to eliminate institutional racism and its devastating effects.

Take good care of yourselves!
Jeanette

August 3, 2020

Hi Everyone –

Walk-in traffic at the Career Center has been light, but we still placed four people in jobs last week and referred another nine to GoodTemps! Job orders for GoodTemps are increasing and so are applicants, which is also great news. Kristin and Lori have been busy working with web designers to redesign the GoodTemps online application process to make it user-friendly and easy to apply. Job applicants won’t need nearly as much help from Amanda K. in filling out the application, and should be able to do it on their own which ultimately means that we will find more people great jobs!

The second wave of HealthWest clients are coming back to work this week, and we welcome their return.  VITA services are still available to those who had appointments before the shutdown, as we work to serve those who proactively sought our assistance. There is promising new work in Workforce Development to develop virtual college preparation programming for referrals from Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS). And finally, we are working hard on the new programming for our new young adult reentry grant through GII called IGNITE.

Retail extends our open hours to 8:00 p.m. today in spite of continued staffing challenges in some of our stores. Thank you to all of you, our retail managers, for making this happen. Every hour open means increased revenue. You also made it possible for Ecommerce to have a best every month! Congrats to Ecommerce for bettering their budget for July by more than $10,000! As the world continues to shift toward online shopping, Ecommerce becomes more and more important to our retail business as a whole.

Kristin sent a reminder last week about the seriousness of working our safety protocols, not only for the safety of ourselves and one another (which is the only really important thing), but because violation can result in fines up to $7,000. If you see any protocol not being followed, say something! To your coworker, your supervisor, and to Human Resources – make sure we know so that we can help keep everyone safe. Masks need to be worn over your mouth AND nose, shields need to be worn across the forehead so that they cover your mouth sufficiently, masks need to be removed and adjusted by the straps, and hand sanitizer needs to be used before you put on a mask. Cleaning protocols and wellness checks are critical to our success. We have yet to have a staff member contract the virus at work and we want to keep it that way! Now is the time to increase your commitment to safety in every moment and not to let down your guard.

And finally, if you haven’t had a chance to watch the funeral held last week for John Lewis, take some time to do so. I hope it will break your heart to witness and understand the loss this country has sustained as a result of his passing. I hope it will also inspire you to do everything in your power to protect our democracy. In his eulogy to Mr. Lewis, President Obama reminded us that “It is in our power to remake this country that we love until it more closely aligns with our highest ideals.” He was referring to all of us – regular, everyday American citizens, in whom John Lewis believed “there exists the capacity for great courage; that in all of us there is a longing to do what’s right.” Whether we are talking about the challenges in front of us related to a terrifying pandemic, or about the fight for Black Americans to receive equal treatment, we can be encouraged by Mr. Lewis’s example of perseverance and his belief in the best of who we are.

My best to all of you –

Jeanette

Hi Everyone – 

The news from Goodwill is light today, so I thought I would take the opportunity to talk a little about what is known as the school to prison pipeline. We serve and employ many people who are returning from prison or jail, providing services and employment after incarceration. My hope is that we continue to do more primary prevention, which means that we work to solve the problem before it starts. In order to do that, we need to understand how children, and especially children of color, are being moved into the corrections system at a young age. 

Although juvenile detention rates have fallen since the 1990’s, school suspension and discipline rates have increased. The reasons for this are many, but the fact that we began putting law enforcement officers in schools and began outsourcing school discipline to the juvenile justice system is one of the biggest. Initially and for most schools, these officers were put in place to protect students and staff from gun violence. But just as in our communities, law enforcement officers in schools have become responsible for addressing issues they were not intended to address. With officers in schools, children are arrested and referred to the juvenile justice system far more frequently than when schools are handling their own behavior issues, and by some studies, Black children are arrested or referred to the juvenile justice system at a rate five times higher than children who are White. Data shows that any engagement with the criminal justice system before graduating high school increases the chances of incarceration as an adult. By treating our children like criminals for subjective offenses like “insubordination” or “willful defiance” in the school system, we are contributing to the school to prison pipeline. As a child (some children are being arrested as young as 6 or 7) who is at school to learn, our role must be to teach rather than suspend or incarcerate. 

I am not sure what Goodwill’s role is in ending the school to prison pipeline, but we need to be aware of the problem if we have any hope of being part of the solution. Dr. Ibram Kendi says that “the heartbeat of racism is denial.” We have to acknowledge the problem and its impact in order to make a positive difference. We recognize that inequities in education is a barrier to our agency vision that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work, and like all barriers, whether personal or systemic, our work is in removing the obstacles people face. Any ideas are welcome, so email me if you have a thought that could impact this concern. 

In COVID-19 news, an NPR story this week helped me realize that wearing masks is helpful beyond protecting others from an illness you may have. Masks also help the wearer, because the severity of a disease caused by a virus is sometimes determined by the viral load. Viral load is a measure of virus particles. With most viruses, higher viral loads lead to worse outcomes. There is so much we don’t know yet about the coronavirus, but if it follows what is true for many other viruses, then wearing a mask can limit your initial exposure and viral load. Even if you get sick, your illness will be less severe and you are less likely to die. This is another great reason to mask up! Do what you can to protect yourself, the people in your community, and those you love most. 

Even though these are some of the most difficult times we will collectively live to see, have hope. Senator Cory Booker said, “Hope right now in America is bloodied and battered, but this is the kind of hope that is successful. It is hope that has lost its naiveté.” 

My best to all of you – 
Jeanette 

Hi Everyone – 

You all know how hard we are working to make sure you are safe from contracting the coronavirus while at Goodwill. We have safety protocols that when followed, will make being infected at work improbable. But all of us are also hearing and seeing the stories of people who are not practicing safety guidelines when they are not at work. As an example, my neighbors had a graduation party this weekend for their son and when I drove by I could see that no one was wearing a mask and they were not social distancing. The virus gets passed along in settings like this one. Marlene told a story from a week ago about when she went to Wesco to grab a gallon of milk. She started to walk in and then saw that the store was crowded and that only a couple of customers had masks on. She made the decision to turn around and head back to her car. Her husband asked her what was wrong and she told him “it isn’t safe in there…let’s go someplace else.” It is hard in the face of peer pressure and our own exhaustion with this pandemic to maintain safety protocols when others are not, but I implore you to do so anyway. 

We must be diligent in all circumstances if we are to protect one another from COVID-19, and this task might take even more effort when you are not at work. Please don’t forget your safety protocols when you leave Goodwill for the day. Our collective safety is dependent on what each one of us decides to do when we are not at work. 

Fortunately, the mask mandate seems to be working, and our retail stores are seeing an increase in people wearing masks when they come to shop. We are also seeing an increase in customer counts because of the requirement that masks be worn. People feel safer shopping. This does increase our challenge keeping shelves full (because we are understaffed), but we continue to work on finding the new team members we need. 

We lost a hero in John Lewis this weekend. He worked tirelessly to end racial segregation in the United States, and this loss seems extra hard in the face of news from Portland, Oregon that unidentifiable federal troops are violently pulling protesters for racial justice off the street and detaining them unlawfully. We need, more than ever, defenders of our democracy like Mr. Lewis. He served in the House of Representatives for 17 terms as a legislator from Georgia, and was one of the 13 original Freedom Riders – a group of seven white and six black people who in 1961 set out to ride together from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans. Their act of defiance was in riding together – a violation of rules in the south that black and white people could not sit next to each other on public transportation. Their peaceful protest was met with violence: they were beaten repeatedly, arrested, and taken to jail. He knew what it was like to experience violence and hatred in the face of non-violent protest, a practice he was committed to for his entire life. When asked in June by reporter Jonathan Capehart what he would say to people who feel as though they have already been giving it their all, but nothing seems to change, Mr. Lewis replied: 

“You must be able and prepared to give until you cannot give any more. We must use our time and our space on this little planet that we call Earth to make a lasting contribution, to leave it a little better than we found it, and now that need is greater than ever before.” 

The challenges we face are daunting, but Mr. Lewis also said nearly a year ago: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” 

As we move forward in this time of great uncertainty and loss, take his words to heart. Be hopeful and optimistic, and speak up to defend those who need your voice! Get into the good kind of trouble that will shape our future together for the better. 

My best to all of you – 
Jeanette 

Hi Everyone –

There has been so much happening this week! We are one of four Goodwills to receive the Young Adult Reentry Partnership grant which will allow us to serve young people involved with the criminal justice system age 18 to 24 with job training and placement with a special focus on recycling technology. Some of our program participants came back to work last week and we are happy to have them and their contagious positive energy back at Goodwill, and our new GoodWorks Certification Program began today, which helps walk-in clients work toward a certification from us in work readiness.

Some of the best news this week was that Friday Governor Whitmer made wearing masks mandatory. This is simply the best way we collectively have at this time of controlling the spread of a contagious and deadly disease and still have our economy operational. The Governor’s Order says that if you are out in public and inside, a mask must be worn. If you are outside and it is crowded, a mask also must be worn. There is a $500 fine and a misdemeanor charge possible for people who do not follow the order, and businesses can lose their licenses to operate if they allow people to be in their establishments without them. We have mandated masks all along, but one of our retail staff’s biggest concerns about returning to work was fear of dealing with a customer who was violently opposed to mask wearing. In the moment of dealing with such a customer, our staff members needed to have enough options to be able to do what they can to ensure their immediate safety, so we gave stores leeway on how they handled individual customers and allowed some customers to shop without a mask. This order takes away that option, but our shoppers should be ready to wear a mask everywhere they shop and I am hopeful that enforcement will be easier going forward. This action protects all of us.

In addition to the challenge of some customers not wanting to wear masks, retail has been challenged to keep store shelves full due to being understaffed, and we are beginning to deal with a country-wide shortage of coins. In spite of the challenges, we have gotten back into our bale rotation and stores are doing a great job of sending things to shopgoodwill where we have a record number of items listed for sale! I want to offer a special thanks to our staff at the North Holland store for welcoming back the Holland Employment and Training Center. They have made our staff and clients feel good about returning to this location and I am grateful for that during this stressful but positive transition.

And finally, I believe we are at a very special point in history, and I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to participate in positively moving the needle on racism. There is a different level of understanding about racism’s reality among white people than ever before, and we need to take advantage of this moment to very intentionally work towards the elimination of systemic racism.  The reason we talk about Black lives mattering is because theirs are the lives most at risk. That the life of every one of you matters — regardless of race, gender, religion, orientation, or ability — is presumed. Saying Black lives matter does not make your life matter less. We say it as a reminder that people who are Black are at highest risk of police violence, of death from COVID-19 because of systemic racism in the health system, of poor education outcomes because of systemic racism in the schools, and of poverty because of systemic racism in housing, employment, urban planning, and banking. There is data to support all of this. Our agenda in this space is tied to our vision: that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work. In order to achieve this vision, we must remove individual and systemic barriers. One of the most devastating barriers to economic success and to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is systemic racism. We will do our own work to alleviate systemic racism at Goodwill even as we work more broadly in the community to remove this barrier. We will be consistent in our advocacy and commitment. 

If you find yourself chaffing against this very intentional effort, you may decide that Goodwill is not the right organization for you. If this is true, we will wish you Godspeed. But for all of you who are willing to learn, to understand the world from a perspective that is different than your own, and who want to be an active part of making this world a better place for every one of us to live and thrive, we have powerful work to do right now. We will absolutely make mistakes as we move forward, individually and collectively, but we will greet our mistakes as an opportunity to learn — to understand the harm caused and to make amends. As a result, we will grow together to better change lives through the power of work.

Have a great week!
Jeanette

Hello from Your HR Team 

Our hope with this week’s newsletter is that you are finding coolness and shade during these warm days of summer! Stay cool. Stay kind. And wash your hands. 

TEMPERATURE CHECKS at CORPORATE! 

Please note that on-site temperature checks have been added to the wellness questions AT CORPORATE effective Monday, July 6th. Employees, clients, volunteers, contractors, the public and well…everyone…will all be required to successfully answer the wellness questions AND be confirmed for a temperature of 100.5 or below. The call-ins will no longer be an acceptable means of completing these checks as a physical temperature must be taken. 

Everyone MUST enter through the main reception area OR Door 11 (employee entrance) and report to the receptionist/front lobby immediately upon entering the building. 

Holland ETC has moved! 

The Holland ETC has now moved and is operational in the North Holland retail store building located at 393 East Lakewood Boulevard. This space is located in the back of the building in what was previously utilized as a Career Center. 

COVID Testing 

Here is a link to check for COVID testing sites: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-99891_99912---,00.html 

REINSTATED: Attendance Policy 

The attendance points policy was re-instated, effective Monday, July 6. However, in an effort to continue supporting people with their decision to stay home due to COVID-19 symptoms, attendance points will be waived for anyone who stays home to avoid potential COVID-19 contamination of co-workers. Please note that an employee who has these symptoms normally (i.e., allergies, migraines, known medical conditions, etc.) will be expected to utilize ETO or receive attendance points per the policy. If it is determined that an employee is taking advantage of this hybrid attendance points policy, disciplinary action could be taken. The following symptoms are consistent with COVID-19 symptoms: 

• Fever or chills 
• Cough 
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 
• New loss of taste or smell 
• Sore throat 
• Congestion or runny nose 
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Diarrhea 

So…basically if a person would fail a Daily Wellness Check, they will be excused from attendance points. HR will be following up on all situations where employees have COVID-19 symptoms or who are seeking COVID-19 testing. 

ALSO NOTE: Managers – Daily wellness checks should be submitted daily via the help desk so that we may follow our process protocol for follow-up. 

HR Team Contacts: Phone (231) 722-7871 

Pattie Piekarski: x1035 

Jamie Barmes: x1036 

Kristin Garris: x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: x1037 

Amber Freeman: x1038 

Hi Everyone –

I am reflecting back on the long weekend we just had that celebrates the birth of this nation and its independence from Great Britain. We celebrated freedom on the 4th, 244 years after the original promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness but only 40 days after witnessing the brutal murder of George Floyd. Many of us reflected on the words of Frederick Douglass over the weekend, a man who escaped slavery and became a prominent activist, author, and public speaker before and during the Civil War. His 1852 speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” provides a challenge that is distressingly relevant today. He poses a particularly poignant question: “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?” He very clearly calls out the question of our country’s hypocrisy, for even as we declared ourselves the champions of freedom, we were enslaving an entire race of people, stolen from their homes to build the wealth of a new nation at the cost of their lives and the lives of their children and future generations. We declared ourselves champions of freedom even as we massacred native people and forcibly removed them from the land upon which we were now declaring ourselves free. 

The Declaration of Independence does provide hope, however, in its intent, regardless of how well we have achieved it. Our desire to create a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, with liberty and justice for all, is the very thing that encourages us to stand up against the inequality that is embedded in all sectors of our society including criminal justice, housing, health care, and education.

At GIWM, we are standing up against inequity. In June, the board approved our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) statement. For the entire document, please follow this link: bit.ly/GIWM_DEI

I am grateful for the board’s leadership and their willingness to listen to and embrace the work of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee. At GIWM, we will work endlessly to ensure that each member of our organization and of our community can live their lives and contribute to their communities to their fullest potential, and we insist upon treating all people with dignity, sensitivity, and respect. We are actively engaged in creating an organization where every person feels welcomed, seen, and important to the work of the whole. This DE&I statement outlines a vision that requires relentless focus and practice to achieve, and toward which we will continually work to improve. 

We have been busy over the last week, and I am happy to report that the Holland Employment and Training Center has been successfully moved to its new location at our North Holland store on Lakewood. We look forward to providing many years of excellent job training and employment opportunities to the community from this facility.

Let me also take this opportunity to remind you that today begins the day that we are taking the temperatures of every person entering the corporate facility. Everyone is to proceed to the front desk immediately upon entering the building for your wellness check. For further information, please see the email sent by Kristin last Thursday. 

Enjoy the week! Stay healthy, joyful, and hopeful -
Jeanette 

Hi Everyone – 

Industrial Services (IS) at our Muskegon facility is ready and able to again employ walk-ins! IS is collaborating with Workforce Development to get walk-in clients working in our Industrial Services/ Employment Training Center. Clients will spend part of the time working in the center and learning the elements of a production operation, and part of the time in a classroom environment learning financial literacy, job search strategies, and other soft skills to prepare for long term employment in the community. It is a great way to use one of our strengths – running businesses – with the business we are really in – teaching employability skills and finding people meaningful and sustaining work. 

Our VITA free tax service has over 60 appointments scheduled. Our volunteer pool has shrunk as a result of the pandemic, but Carl and his team are hard at work serving those who still need to get their taxes done this year. 

In retail, we had some concern that there would be an uptick in merchandise returns because our dressing rooms have been closed, but so far, we have not seen that! This is great news as we look at our daily revenue numbers. 

One of our biggest challenges continues to be around confrontation of customers regarding wearing a mask while shopping. I really dislike that we seem to have to choose between threats – the threat of a hostile customer and the threat of COVID-19. I am beyond angry that one of our staff members in Manistee was verbally assaulted by a customer who didn’t want to wear a mask, and this problem seems to be increasing. Our goal is ALWAYS the safety of all of you as we determine the best response that also takes your primary concerns into account. We will provide resources and scripting, but in the end, only those on the frontline will know the best course of action in any given moment. 

Although it is to be expected, I have been disheartened this week to find out that it is not only our customers, but some of our staff who reject mask wearing. One of our employees went so far as to encourage another staff member not to wear hers because “it doesn’t do any good.” My hope is that we can convince our staff otherwise – because it will keep all of us safer everywhere we go and not just at work. If this is not possible, then it simply must be made clear that our safety procedures are to be followed. This is non-negotiable. We wear them for one another because when we do, it limits the spread of a deadly disease. 

A story that captured my attention this week was about Althea Bernstein, age 18 and a young woman of color, who was driving her car this past week in Madison, Wisconsin. Her driver-side window was down when four white men pulled up next to her and started yelling racial slurs at her. They sprayed lighter fluid at her and threw a flaming lighter into her car. Her neck caught fire and she is now recovering from second- and third-degree burns. Like COVID-19, racism is a deadly disease that we need to educate one another about and work to eliminate. Incidents like this one seem to be on the rise right now as the fight to end systemic racism gains traction, and yet some people don’t think there is a problem. Worse, some are committed to maintaining the inequities that advantage white people and disadvantage black and brown people, putting their very lives at risk. Our commitment to equity is also non-negotiable. Black lives matter. Our humanity, and our vision for every single person, demands that we do better. This week we will identify organization-wide and department-specific goals and related metrics targeted to end discrimination and achieve equity at Goodwill. If you want your voice heard as we develop these goals, call me. My number is 231-780-7198. I will listen to your experiences and give voice to your ideas as we write the next chapter of our lives together as Goodwill. 

My best to every one of you – 
Jeanette 

GREETINGS from Your HR Team 

We hope this week’s newsletter finds you well and enjoying summer! As you begin engaging in normal activities like HAIRCUTS (whew!) and eating out, think about your friends and family who might still be staying in. Check in with them and ask how you can help. They may enjoy some carry out from your favorite restaurant! All kindness matters! 

Send Home or Not to Send Home 

There have been many questions around the third question on the daily wellness check. 

Daily Wellness Check Question: “Have you had close contact with anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 or been instructed to self-quarantine within the last 14 days?” 

Clarification: The CDC defines direct or close contact as “less than 6 feet for a prolonged period of time (15 or more minutes)” 

If you answer “YES” to this question and have been sent home, before returning to work, you must do one of the following: provide a negative test result or self-quarantine for a period of 14 days whichever comes first. 

Remember that GIWM offers 5 additional days of ETO for doctor mandated quarantine or a positive COVID-19 result. Medical proof is required to receive this additional time off. Talk to HR with any additional questions. 

Joke of the Week: 

Q: What do you call a factory that sells good products? 

A: A satisfactory 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Provides Digital Mental Health Services to All Members 

In response to the need to broad mental health and resiliency services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BCBSM partnered with Livongo to empower our members to live better, healthier lives. This partnership includes resources for managing heightened stress and uncertainty brought on by the current COVID-19 threat. The new COVID-19 and Mental Wellness resources are available through December 31, 2020, at no cost. 

Extension of No-Cost Covid-19 Treatment Through 2020 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will provide their members no-cost treatment for COVID-19 disease through Dec. 31, 2020. Members have not had to pay cost sharing for treatment – in the form of copays, deductibles and coinsurance – since March and now will have the security of no-cost treatment through the end of the year. The cost share waivers apply to members in fully insured commercial PPO and HMO (this is Goodwill) plans, as well as individuals in fully insured Medicare Advantage plans. 

HR Team Contacts: Phone (231) 722-7871 

Pattie Piekarski: x1035 

Jamie Barmes: x1036 

Kristin Garris: x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: x1037 

Amber Freeman: x1038 

Hi Everyone – 

I walked into the office today and it was so good to see the Career Center operating with all of the safety protocols in place. Our sneeze guards look great, everyone is wearing their masks in public spaces, Autumn did a great job with my wellness check, and disinfecting supplies are in all the right places. Amanda K said she still feels like she is in “The Twilight Zone,” which probably sums it up for all of us, but we are doing the best that can be done in what seems like an out-of-this-world experience. Our safe operating procedures are out of this world (but in a good way!) and all of you are doing a great job with them. Do not take your eye off of the ball – the safety ball. We may want to be done with COVID-19 but COVID-19 is not done with us. Both at work and in the rest of the spaces you are in – stay vigilant. This is what will keep us all healthy and safe and allow us to move into the fall without fearing a second wave. Do your part. 

While we are knocking it out of the park in terms of our safety protocols, we are struggling with a few other challenges. We have about 50 job openings that need to be filled and this is causing retail, janitorial, and industrial services some difficulty. For example in retail, our stores were full of fresh product as we reopened, but keeping shelves stocked has been challenging in some of our locations. In janitorial, we are getting requests for additional work, but don’t have the staff to jump into new opportunities. We are also running out of space to store donations! Not only have we been blessed by so many people donating the things that they have sorted out during this time at home, but because we are quarantining product and have a “touchless” donation process, our cardboard gaylords are not packed as compactly as we usually make them. These are challenges we are addressing, making changes to processes as we need to. We have become masters at adjusting to the circumstances in front of us as well as working hard to get the job done, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t experience the pain along the way. 

There were some great success last week in workforce development. We served five people on the first day the Career Center was open who walked in needing assistance, GoodTemps found employment for four more people, and the scan-and-go VITA service option starts today to help get people’s taxes filed. The workforce development team has developed a new training protocol for people who walk in for services in order to help them be ready for employment. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this new job readiness programming! 

This week I shared a short video with the executive team from a woman named Libra who made an analogy between the experience all of us have had with the pandemic to the experience of racism. At first, with the coronavirus, we are afraid for ourselves and our loved ones. Afraid that we or they, might lose their lives, might die at the hands of this unseen thing. Then we have had basic rights restricted — the right to go anywhere, anytime safely. We have had to stay home to be safe, and we have needed to be conscious of everything we do when we do go out, like what we touch, who we talk to, how far apart we are standing, and whether or not we are wearing a mask. And lastly, we have not been able to connect with others freely. There are restrictions about who we can talk to, see in person, and hug. When white people talk about the desire to get back to “normal” these are the things we are desperate to get away from. We want to go back to our normal of not being afraid for our safety and the safety of our friends and family. We want to go wherever we want whenever we want safely. We want to connect with anyone, anytime safely. For Black Americans, back to “normal” means none of these things. Being afraid for the safety of their loved ones is a daily experience. Having to be conscious of every action in public spaces, also a daily experience. Not being able to connect freely, mostly because there are so many people who won’t connect with someone who is different than they are – another daily experience. “Normal” at some point in the future post-coronavirus means white people regain freedoms and peace of mind, but Black people never had them. So do your part to end racism. If you don’t know what you can do, call me. My cell phone is 231-780-7198. I will personally help you think through your next steps. We all have something to contribute to the cause of racial justice. 

“Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” — John F. Kennedy 

My best to every one of you – 
Jeanette 

HELLO from Your HR Team 

Summer is in full swing and so are our stores! As Jeanette mentioned in her letter earlier this week – CONGRATULATIONS! It was a huge milestone to open. Take a minute, reflect on the good in your life and remember – Be KIND and wash your HANDS! 

Juneteenth Day is June 19th! 

Juneteenth day is an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, but recent events might make celebrating feel hard. Join in the activities and let your voice be heard. This year you can engage in Juneteenth Day in any of the following ways: 

The Great Reset – Muskegon Juneteenth 

Where: Hackley Park, Muskegon 
When: 2:00 – 3:30pm, June 19th 
Hot dogs and chips will be provided.

Celebrating Freedom through Dance, the Zumba Takeover 

Where: Heritage Landing 
When: 7:00pm, June 19th 

Career Center Now Open 

As of June 17, the Career Center is open to the public and employees! The hours are Monday – Friday; 10:00am to 3:00pm, preferably by appointment. A screening process and designated appointment rooms with sneeze guards have been put in place for the safety of all staff and clients. 

We are eager to resume full operations with all of our clients, but for now, we are thrilled to welcome back our walk-in and offender success program participants. HealthWest and Community Mental Health clients continue to receive services remotely through phone and video. 

Please note that our Workforce Development staff is practicing safe distancing and is on staggered shifts to limit the number of people in the office. 

Joke Thursday in Honor of Cleanliness: 

What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the utility closet? SUPPLIES!!  (Note: You’re welcome Joey) 

Continued Food Assistance 

Most structured school learning has ceased for the summer but that doesn’t mean that the Food Assistance has ended. Check with your local school as most schools are continuing their food programs through the summer months. 

HR Team Contacts: Phone (231) 722-7871 

Pattie Piekarski: x1035 

Jamie Barmes: x1036 

Kristin Garris: x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: x1037 

Amber Freeman: x1038 

Hi Everyone – 

Today is the day that we are officially reopening! As of today, all of our stores are reopened, as is our corporate office. The Career Center will be open to the public, preferably by appointment, starting Wednesday. We are excited to be back and it has been a remarkable three months. Every day during that time has brought new information and changes to the environment in which we were operating. We effectively pivoted every step of the way to address those changes as we kept our staff safe throughout. In the past three months we have created an unprecedented amount of policy and procedure (donation handling, wellness checks, call-back procedures, PPE acquisition and disbursement, cleaning checklists, and safe operating procedures, to name a few). In addition, we developed an hour-long safety training that every staff member attended. We have procured the IT resources needed for many to work from home, and built and installed sneeze guards in all of our stores and at our Career Center and corporate location. We have communicated with staff regularly whether they continued to work or had been temporarily laid off through supervisor contacts, these weekly letters, weekly newsletters, the new texting platform, and increased meeting schedules by phone and video. In addition, we helped our community by collecting PPE for two hospital systems, and looked through our stores to collect and donate scrubs to assist our colleagues caring for people with disabilities who have COVID-19. We maintained service to our contract organizations in janitorial and industrial services. We continued to operate GoodTemps and serve those who were still employed. We stayed in contact with our clients, devised new ways to get taxes done, and created new forms and process flow for serving those needing career services. 

So congratulations! We have reached a milestone today. I am so grateful today for all of you, but I want to say a special thank you to all of you who continued to work throughout this time. You stayed focused and committed in the face of an enormous challenge. 

Several other things of note this past week include that our Offender Success Program clients began coming back to work last week. We also participated in the Community Foundation’s Match Day and were successful in assisting to raise nearly $4,000 for Goodwill. And finally, as part of our sustainability efforts we are working with five other Goodwills in Michigan to find an electronics recycling vendor. 

At the same time that we have much to celebrate at Goodwill today, there is much to despair as we look out across our country. 

Over the weekend, another black man was shot twice in the back and killed by a police officer in Atlanta. This is why the protests continue; this is why significant and meaningful change must happen. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently said: 

“Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible – even if you are choking on it – until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air. Police put a gun to my head at 12. Tired of reading about racism? I am tired of living it.” 

This coming Friday is Juneteenth or Freedom Day, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery. It marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Texas were told they were free, a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them. Making the Emancipation Proclamation a reality did not happen until after the Civil War when the Confederacy was defeated, and Texas was the most remote of the confederate states. Let us all find a way to celebrate the end of slavery this Friday. Nothing is more American than celebrating a day that brought us closer to our founding ideals: that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

My best – 
Jeanette 

Happy Thursday from Your HR Team 

Hello! We have certainly been feeling some energy the last few weeks as we open our operations back up. We open our last two stores on June 15, and those that opened in prior weeks are bustling with business. Thank you to your hard work in preparing for re-open — it takes a village. Make it a great day — Smile and say HELLO to a stranger! See you soon. 

Friendly REMINDERS 

As our state opens back up and we begin to return to places outside of our homes – let us not forget our healthy hygiene and safety practices. We don’t want to be in a situation where we are moving one step forward to take two steps back. We want to be conscientious of our efforts over the last 3 months. 

• Remember to wash your hands often. Use hand sanitizer when you don’t have access to wash your hands. 
• Wear a mask while walking and moving around in public spaces and when you are NOT able to social distance. 
• Social distance and keep your 6 feet 
• Wipe down your communal areas when done. 
• Stay home if you are sick or not feeling well. 

TESTING IS IMPORTANT 

Muskegon County will offer free COVID-19 testing this weekend to any Muskegon County resident. This is a diagnostic test to detect the presence of the virus. 

The walk-up and drive-through testing services will be available on Friday, June 12, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Oakridge Middle School, 251 S. Wolf Lake Rd, Muskegon. Testing site entrance is near the corner of S. Wolf Lake Rd. and Hall Rd. 

The tests will be administered by the state agencies and are free to county residents. No appointment is needed. To speed up your registration, print and complete your testing consent form at www.muskegonhealth.net. 

“Testing is important to our efforts to protect public health and save lives,” said Muskegon County Health Officer Kathy Moore. “The community is eager to get back to normal. To do that, we need to test individuals and ensure that we continue to take prevention efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.” 

Benefits Premium Update 

As we begin to recall individuals back to work, missed premium deductions for all medical and ala carte coverages will need to be caught up as they were not collected during your COVID layoff. 

There will be a couple of options for repayment. HR is working on this and will be in contact with all covered employees soon. 

HR Team Contacts: Phone (231) 722-7871 

Pattie Piekarski: x1035 

Jamie Barmes: x1036 

Kristin Garris: x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: x1037 

Amber Freeman: x1038 

Hi Everyone –

We have the opportunity to shift again, as Gov. Whitmer has lifted the Safer at Home Order. Manistee moves to phase 5 of the Michigan Safe Plan which allows for the opening of theaters and salons on June 10. The governor predicts that the rest of Michigan will be moving to phase 5 by June 15. This is great news in that it means we will have successfully reduced cases of and deaths from COVID-19, that our health system capacity is strong, and that we have established robust testing, contact tracing, and containment protocols. Our intent under phase 5 is to reopen the corporate office on June 15 with staggered starts and the rotation of employees at the office. Work that can be done from home still should be done from home under the new rules and we will adhere to those requirements.  As we enter enthusiastically into a time of more freedom of movement, please do not relax your efforts to combat the virus. We are only moving to Phase 5 because of the strength of our response in using the safety precautions of physical distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing. Our ability to continue to stay safe and open is dependent on everyone doing their part to make sure it does not spread.

I had the opportunity to be at our Coopersville store location for our opening day yesterday and it was a joy to see the enthusiasm of our staff and customers about being back together. It was very clear that our staff was ready to manage the new routines and rhythms around safety protocols, and our customers were overwhelmingly willing to do what they could to protect the health of all while experiencing the joy of retail therapy! Working together we can continue to beat this pandemic here at home.

As we continue to move through this Coronavirus crisis and create new normals, as a country we find ourselves in a battle against the centuries-old crisis of racism. This time, we cannot be lulled into complacency by incremental progress, and we need to be relentless in our fight for justice and equality. If we become complacent, we at Goodwill will never see our vision that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work become reality. Dismantling systems that promote inequality is a critical effort to our success and is simply the right thing to do.

When I reflect on Goodwill, both ours in West Michigan and internationally, it is clear that we have to start with addressing our own past that is steeped in racial inequality. While we have made progress over the last few years, it is not enough, and I understand the frustration felt by those who have been waiting generations for equity, who have spent a lifetime peacefully working for change, and who for years have calmly asked to be heard. We will not give up, we will not become complacent, and we will not stop listening as we endlessly examine ourselves and continue to devise better ways forward. 

June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ community, and celebrates the dignity, equality, and contributions of LGBTQ people. June was chosen as the month to celebrate in order to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred in June of 1969. At the time, patrons of LGBTQ establishments were regularly beaten, arrested, and locked up by police. It was illegal to be gay. These violent protests erupted as a response to horrific and unjust treatment of LGBTQ people, and the Stonewall riots are considered by many to be the start of the gay rights movement. This is very timely and instructive history for this moment because it reminds us that people do not riot because they are merely upset. They riot because they are desperate and terrified and because they have been abused instead of protected by the entities that we presume are there to protect everyone. This rebellion helped to end the sanctioned abuse by police of LGBTQ people. It did not end discrimination, but it did matter. As we celebrate Pride Month, I hope you will join me in envisioning a future world where this type of protest is not needed or warranted, a future that values and promotes the health, safety, and success of all. 

My best to you all –
Jeanette

Thursday Greetings from Your HR Team 

Hello there! As we continue to re-engage operations, retail stores, workforce development, and many other departments are coming alive with activity. Safe operating procedures have been set and re-opening plans are well underway. We cannot wait to see everyone again with clean hands and open hearts. 

Workforce Development Update 

Career Coaching: Workforce Development Career Coaches are currently supporting call-in clients and returning citizen clients through virtual services. The team has created videos for job search and financial coaching, and are working through the help of technology to support our community in getting back to work. They are tentatively expected to open for walk-ins on July 17. Safety continues to be a priority as we resume services with sneeze guards, social distancing, and other cleaning precautions. 

VITA: VITA Drop and Go services will begin June 22nd through 2-1-1 appointments. On-site tax appointments are scheduled to begin July 1 and continue through the revised tax deadline of July 15. Carl and his crew are ready to support those last minute filers! 

D&I Update 

As the world watches peaceful protests amid looting and violence following the police killing of George Floyd, unrest continues. As an organization with strong values around diversity, equity, and inclusion, we must continue to find ways to lean into hard conversations around race, and keep an open mind about things we might not fully understand. 

As a D&I Team, we are meeting today to listen to one another, find perspective, and learn how to both support and challenge our organization to be better in our fight against racism. As a D&I team, we often paraphrase the words of Maya Angelou who said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Let’s all commit to do better. 

Retail Update 

Retail Stores: Manistee and N. Holland are officially up and running with retail customers. N. Holland has been supporting customers with appointments in compliance with the Executive Order, whereas Manistee is operating under occupancy guidelines. Effective today, however, the “by appointment only” order has been lifted and N. Holland is officially operating under occupancy guidelines. Ellis, Ludington, and Roosevelt Park stores open today with similar occupancy restrictions. Our customers are SO HAPPY to have us back and have been great about honoring mask and social distancing guidelines. Donations continue to be fast and furious as quarantine brought about all kinds of closet cleanouts! 

The remaining retail opening and training schedule (subject to change) is as follows: 

Open Date | Training Date | Store 

6/7/2020 | 6/3/2020 | Grand Haven 

6/7/2020 | 6/5/2020 | Allendale 

6/7/2020 | 6/5/2020 | Coopersville 

6/8/2020 | 6/5/2020 | Outlet & Apple 

6/10/2020 | 6/9/2020 | Newaygo 

6/10/2020 | 6/8/2020 | Sherman 

6/10/2020 | 6/9/2020 | Whitehall 

6/12/2020 | 6/10/2020 | Cedar Springs 

6/12/2020 | 6/11/2020 | South Holland 

6/12/2020 | 6/11/2020 | Zeeland 

6/15/2020 | 6/12/2020 | N. Muskegon 

6/15/2020 | 6/12/2020 | Fremont 

Thanks to our front line retail employees who are so critical to supporting our mission! 

HR Team Contacts: Phone (231) 722-7871 

Pattie Piekarski: x1035 

Jamie Barmes:  x1036 

Kristin Garris: x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: x1037 

Amber Freeman: x1038 

Hi Everyone –

We need to talk about the protests that are happening in our country and the underlying issue of racism. I write this because it is my responsibility to promote the vision and values of our organization. Our vision is that everyone has a pathway to meaningful and sustaining work, and all are included in this when both individual and systemic challenges have been overcome. Personal challenges include having a disability, illness, criminal background, or other disadvantaging condition. Systemic challenges include generational poverty, racism, discrimination, educational and economic inequities, and other long-term social injustices. In addition, two of our values are that 1) Every person is respected and valued and 2) Caring deeply about people, families, and communities is what motivates us. These are the things that are fundamental to Goodwill.

My strongest desire with this letter is to move hearts and minds to be open to better realization of our vision and values. Silence about race reinforces racism and so we have to speak. We need to talk about the white supremacy and racism that this country was founded upon and that continues with such abandon today. 

To our co-workers of color, I want you to know that you are seen. The pain and frustration and fear and anger, I acknowledge. To those of us who are white: we do have the privilege of not experiencing racism. For more on this, Brene Brown’s description of white privilege is one of the best I have heard. Click To Read Story >  Also know that this is not about guilt or shame. Guilt and shame ignite rationalization and defensiveness, and are not effective in changing anything. If you notice either of these feelings, let them pass through you, and then join in to do something to change things for the better. Because it is up to us, the white people, to change the reality of racism. 

I have a friend whose husband died a number of years ago when their daughter was very young. That young girl is now 9 years old, and has been through a lot. The protesting is happening close to their home in a city in Michigan. Here is the conversation this 9-year-old girl had with her mom about the protesting as she was being tucked into bed:

Girl: You know I am sad for our city but I get being mad like that.

Mom: Oh you do?

Girl: Remember when daddy died and I broke all of those toys that day?

Mom: Yes.

Girl: I just had so much sad mad I didn’t know how to get it out. It was the only thing I could think of.

Mom: (remains quiet)

Girl: I bet it’s like that for them but way worse because they have been sad mad for so long.

Mom: I bet you’re exactly right…

“Sad mad” is great language for understanding that being mad can be a secondary feeling to grief, and this young, white child has used her experience to try to understand the experience of people who do not look like her. She has done a masterful job. My request is that you dig into your personal experience to do the same if you are not someone who experiences racism on a daily basis. Let’s take the wisdom and ability of a child to heart. We often reject the experiences of the other because we think we can’t relate, but if we look far enough, we can find the emotions and experiences to help us do just that.

Young black men are 20 times more likely to be hurt and killed by police than young white men. Anger about this is justified, and now for decades, we have failed at reforming police practices and our criminal justice system.

Violence is happening for so many reasons and perspective is important in understanding why. Trevor Noah does a great job of describing what happens when societal contracts break down, when people in power don’t uphold their end of the contract. He asks the question: “why should citizens uphold the law when the law enforcers themselves don’t?” Click To Watch Video >  If that was all there was to it, we could understand the domino effect he talks about. But there are also times when the police have not handled the protesting well, and they have responded with violence against peaceful protestors. There are many accounts from reporters of police assaulting peaceful demonstrators. There are also accounts of white supremacists taking advantage of the protests to bring violence to black and brown people. Regardless of the genesis of violence in any particular protest, when we focus on “looting” and “rioting,” we distract from the actual issue of the systemic racism that poisons our country. Let me also suggest that we go forward not using the terms looting and rioting, because in many cases, the protesters and looters are not the same people, and rioting implies a meaningless eruption of violence. The protesters demonstrations are the opposite of meaningless. They are more of a call to action against the current conditions for people of color in our country.

So what can we do at Goodwill? We need to double down on our diversity and inclusion efforts. This means more resources, more measurements of progress, more conversations about race, more openness to understanding the experience of our colleagues as they navigate life under this reality. I know some of you might respond with, “but we should do this for everyone, everyone’s experience is important to understand.” Let me talk for a minute about all lives mattering.

When we respond with “all lives matter” to “black lives matter” we are missing the point. Saying black lives matter is not saying that others do not. It is reminding us that they do matter in an environment that seems to be demonstrating every day that they do not. We minimize the experience of racism when we respond with “all lives matter,” and imply that all lives are equally at risk, and they are not.  A great example to understand this was given today in our executive meeting: if there are two people in the emergency room and one is having a heart attack and one has a broken toe, who should be taken care of first? Both people are experiencing pain, both need to be treated. In that way they are equal and if we leave it at that, I guess we flip a coin for who is treated first. But only one is at risk of death. The person with the heart attack could lose their life if something isn’t done. Black lives are at risk differently because of systemic racism — It is evident in the number of unarmed black people who die at the hands of police, it was demonstrated in the weaponizing of race by Amy Cooper (the white woman in Central Park who called the police on a black man who requested she leash her dog), and it is brutally apparent in the disparate impact of the novel coronavirus on people of color.

There are so many things that we can do personally to impact racism. The first is understanding and believing the experiences of people of color. Sensitize yourself to the human experience of our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers who suffer the impacts of racism every day. Find a way to care deeply about all people and not only the ones who look most like you and who share a similar experience. Together, we can be better.

There is no way to shift from this topic easily, and so I very quickly want to offer my gratitude to all of our staff who made the opening of our Manistee and North Holland stores so successful this past week. We were well-prepared and our staff did an excellent job managing new processes and procedures, as well as the occasional disgruntled employee. You all have set the stage well for our continued reopening and I thank you.

My best to you all –
Jeanette

THURSDAY GREETINGS… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Hello! We come to you this week with exciting news — our FIRST store re-opens today — MANISTEE! And… ALL of our locations are now open for drive thru donations with more stores opening soon (by appointment only). All of the planning and “Good to Go” training sessions have prepared us for safe re-openings. It is so exciting to have some normalcy back in our days. Stay well and see you soon! 

FRESH PRODUCE – FOOD SECURITY 

Most West Michigan Farmers’ Markets accept Bridge cards to be used for fresh fruit and vegetables as well as additional food programs. 

Double Up Food Bucks program will match Bridge Card sales up to $20 a day a family shops at participating farmers markets in FREE Michigan Fruits and vegetables. For Double-Up Food Bucks Markets www.westmichiganfarmmarkets.org. 

For 35 area farms and orchards most offering the U-Pick value and a family farm and educational experience www.fruitridgemarket.com. 

The State of Michigan has received authorization to provide all students who receive free or reduced meals at schools to receive Bridge Card/SNAP food benefits from March through June as they are not receiving nourishing meals at school. 

Each eligible student should receive $193.80 for March and April and $182.40 for May and June for a total of $376 per student. With the additional great value of using Double-Up Food Bucks, families will be able to afford up to $752 healthy food for each eligible students. 

For every 1,000 eligible students, that would mean at least $376,000 in food benefits and up to $752,000 in healthy food if all was spent through a Double-Up Food Bucks farmers market. 

Local Coordinator for Double-Up Food Bucks in West Michigan: Gordie Moeller - (616) 293-4727 

HEADS UP - Unemployment scam may lead to payment disruptions for Michigan residents 

Michiganders who are receiving unemployment benefits may run into a new problem thanks to a scam that could pause their benefits from being issued until more proof of a legitimate claim is provided. 

According to the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA), criminals are using stolen personal information to file false unemployment claims for people across the U.S. As a result, the UIA has instituted “additional fraud protections, including additional requirements to verify identity and authenticate claim eligibility,” according to the press release from the state. 

“There is a rise in unlawful unemployment claims across the nation and unfortunately criminals are taking advantage of this global pandemic. Michiganders who suspect an imposter claim has been filed in their name should contact the UIA immediately,” said UIA Director Steve Gray. 

The scam works by using stolen information to create an unemployment claim in the state where the real person lives. Thanks to the increased federal benefits from the CARES Act — which adds $600 weekly to the state’s granted amount — there has been a rise in false or fraudulent claims. 

To combat the scam, the UIA developed additional fraud protections which may cause more problems for those who are legitimately applying for or already receiving benefits. 

Some existing claimants may have received ‘Stop Payment’ notices on their accounts and have been sent instructions on how to submit the additional information. Some financial institutions may also place a hold on a customer’s account if it believes there is suspicious activity. Customers should contact their institution directly if this occurs. 

In Michigan, anyone who files a claim for benefits will receive a letter with their monetary determination. If you receive one of those letters, but have not applied for unemployment benefits or the name on the letter is not yours, you should contact the UIA immediately as your information may have been stolen. 

HR Team Contacts: Phone (231) 722-7871 

Pattie Piekarski: x1035 

Jamie Barmes:  x1036 

Kristin Garris: x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: x1037 

Amber Freeman: x1038 

Hi Everyone –

We are days away from reopening our first store in Manistee. Per the Governor’s orders, we could have done it last Friday as it is located within the two northern regions where the “Stay Safer at Home” order was lifted, but we are taking our time so that people can be fully trained in new safety protocols and all the needed protective equipment is in place. The latest order allows us to open the rest of our stores immediately by appointment only, but again, we are taking our time. We have a schedule to open all of our stores over the next few weeks and we are planning to stick with that schedule, to make sure our staff and customers stay as safe as possible.

We will be dealing with this virus for a long period, and as you have heard me say multiple times, we will open because we can do it safely, not because there isn’t a threat. My focus on safety comes from both a deep concern for all of you, and from personal experience. I know to take it seriously. My spouse had it and we battled it for seven weeks. Seven weeks of thinking it was improving, only to have the fever and debilitating exhaustion back. My biggest fear was that she would end up in the hospital and die alone, as so many have. We got lucky that the worst did not happen. I am blessed that my cousin and her six-year-old daughter have recovered, as has my sister-in-law. But a few weeks ago my uncle died of COVID-19, so there isn’t always recovery. 

I know many of you know people who have been sick and who have died, especially those in our communities of color where it has hit hardest. I feel your grief and also your concern as we head back to do our best to serve the community in all of the ways we do it so well. I tell my personal story almost more to those who don’t know anyone yet who has been sick — for those who may doubt that mask wearing, physical distancing, hand washing, and staying home when sick is vitally important. For those who have not seen this virus in action in your personal lives yet, please take it from me: you do not want those you love to suffer the worst this disease has to offer. Still, this is not about fear. It is about wanting to protect and serve our community. This is who we are at Goodwill. We do not leave people behind in employment, and we certainly won’t leave those of us who are most vulnerable to this disease behind because we don’t want to follow safety protocols. We have always had each other’s backs. Now it is more important than ever that we act with each other’s well-being in mind. 

To that end, our “COVID Safe Operating Procedure” plan is in place. It includes safety controls for workplace, scheduling and wellness, cleaning, personal safety, and communication. We are open for virtual business in the Career Center and can serve people who need help with employment over the phone. Training and planning will continue this week as we prepare to reopen our stores. Community members can’t wait to see our retail associates again! They have missed the sense of place that our staff and stores offer. They have missed the good work we do through the money they generate donating and shopping. 

As I write this it is the evening of Memorial Day. It is with gratitude and humility that I have been thinking about those who have lost their lives protecting and serving this country. My belief is that we honor their legacy by choosing to protect and serve each other and the communities we live in.

My best –
Jeanette

COVID-19 Return to Work: Frequently Asked Questions 

Why are we opening? 

GIWM will continue to protect its employees, customers, clients, volunteers, and visitors enacting the guidelines below that are in agreement with federal, state, local regulations and best practices. We will continue to monitor all government updates, and follow CDC guidelines for safe practices. “Changing Lives through the Power of Work,” continues to be the focus of our organization and your safety is our top priority. 

What is GIWM doing to make sure I’m safe? 

GIWM has put several new policies in place to protect employees, customers, clients, volunteers, and visitors. The measures that GIWM is taking to stop the spread of communicable diseases such as COVID-19 are: 

OPERATING POLICIES 

• GIWM has modified its policy to require all personnel and customers to wear Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) as a preventative action. When we open, we hope to have a small supply of masks for customers and/or clients who enter without a mask, but no one will be allowed entry into any Goodwill facility without one. 
• GIWM will provide all facilities with occupancy numbers to support social distancing guidelines. A designated employee is to count the number of customers to support occupancy standards. Currently GIWM is using the standard of 5 shoppers per 1000 square feet of sales space. 
• GIWM has closed all fitting rooms and water fountains to limit exposure. Restrooms will continue to be open. 
• GIWM will monitor employee health through a Daily Wellness Check as they arrive for their scheduled work hours. 

SOCIAL DISTANCING & AWARENESS 

• Floor markers that support social distancing guidelines will be placed in our stores and in our career center. Directional arrows and applicable aisles marked with social distancing guidelines at regular intervals. Floor markers to be explained on the overhead audio as well as on signage displayed throughout the store. 
• In-building communication via print, audible announcements, and employee interaction. 

CLEANING PROCEDURES 

• All surfaces throughout the store will be disinfected with cleaner, paying special attention to high traffic areas or frequent touchpoints. 
• Employees will be responsible for performing hourly cleaning of surfaces and equipment in work stations, including offices or common areas. 
• Employees will be expected to clean break areas before and after meals. 
• Shopping carts will be disinfected with a disinfectant after each use. 
  Plexiglass guards will be installed at each cash register and are to be cleaned twice a day using a microfiber cloth. 
• All employees conducting cleaning duties will wear the appropriate PPE of gloves and mask. Gloves will be changed after each bathroom break, rest period or lunch. Mask will be cleaned or changed as necessary. 
• All employees performing cleaning duties must adhere to the 6 ft. social distance rules. 
• Management will be responsible for enforcing all cleaning standards in their store. Any employee found not following expectations will be subject to progressive disciplinary measures. 

What is expected of me as an employee? 

Employee Social Distancing: Employees will be required to adhere to social distancing expectations while working at Goodwill. For the protection of everyone, GIWM will have a zero tolerance approach to this expectation. Six feet is the minimum. 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Employees are expected to wear all required PPE including when interacting with co-workers, customers, clients, and volunteers. This includes break rooms, community rooms, and all other areas of the facility. These protocols will be enforced. 

Daily Health Check Reminder: All employees are expected to answer three questions in regards to COVID-19 exposure. The questionnaire will be administered by a member of management daily before entering the facility. 

Daily Health Check questions are as follows: 

1. Do you feel ill? 
2. Have you had a fever without the use of medication in the last 24 hours? 
3. Have you had any direct contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19? 

If an employee answers yes to any of these questions, they will be sent home. Employees may use ETO or request unpaid time off. 

COVID-19 Safety Policy and Procedures Training: All employees will complete an acknowledgement of additional training and safety expectations prior to starting any work. 

What should I do if I have COVID-19 symptoms or if I feel sick? 

Employees should stay at home if they have any COVID-19 related symptoms (specifically shortness of breath, cough or fever). Employees may use ETO or request unpaid time off. Any concerned employee should also visit the CDC’s website for more information on what to do if you are sick. 

What should I do if I, or someone I live with, has tested positive for COVID-19? 

All employees are required to communicate immediately to their direct supervisor and/or HR if they have tested positive for COVID-19. If an employee is personally affected by COVID-19 (medical confirmation must be provided), both full-time and part-time employees who work an average of 16 hours or more per week may be granted up to a maximum of 5 days of leave at 100% pay. Before any employee on pandemic leave may return to work, they must be fever and/or symptom free for 72 hours. 

If an employee is caring for someone who has been affected by COVID-19 (medical confirmation must be provided), cannot work from home, both full and part time employees who work an average of 16 hours or more per week may be granted up to a maximum of 5 days of leave at 60% pay. 

As a company we will not disclose the medical status of any of our employees with the rest of the workforce. We will require maintaining the respect and anonymity of employees through this. 

What can I do to help decrease fear & promote inclusivity related to COVID-19? 

There is a lot of misinformation circulating about COVID-19 on social media that is not based on the facts. Stay informed and obtain information from trusted sources like your city’s Health Department, the CDC, and the WHO. 

Through our own language and conduct, we must demonstrate that health and inclusivity are compatible values. GIWM does not tolerate discrimination or harassment, including discrimination or harassment due to health reasons. As an organization, we strive to ensure that all staff are able to work in an environment that is healthy, safe, and free from bias or discrimination. 

If you have concerns that any type of discrimination is taking place at your work site, please talk to your supervisor or Human Resources. 

Hi Everyone –

This letter is about gratitude. Although our staff who have been consistently at work over the last two months are constantly on my mind, I have not expressed my thanks nearly enough. While we have had to temporarily lay off many people during this crisis, we have also had many who continued to work in order to keep Goodwill of West Michigan operational and moving toward our future. 

Our HR team has been amazing, from start to finish. Their primary concern is all of you, and they have shown that in the way they have thought through all of new rules and regulations, in the production of the weekly newsletter, and in the way they have walked through the unemployment process with so many. I know that they have worked exceptionally hard during this time, and that they carry the hardships and grief that all of you have felt along the way with them.

Workforce Development staff members have continued contact with our clients with disabilities throughout the last two months. They have worked to develop remote service options, continued the work of VITA with a mobile application, served our employees through access to the employee assistance fund, and continued to help those returning from prison and jail. Sharlisa has been out in the community with these folks to help them find housing, employment, and to fill basic needs.

The finance team has kept all of our systems running exceptionally well from home. They are some of the first people we safeguarded, as we needed them to be able to continue the work seamlessly. They have done so with what looks like ease, but we know it only looks that way because they are so good at what they do.

Our IT staff has had to carry us into this new remote work, in addition to all of the other projects they have continued and fires they have put out. Somehow they managed to get those of us who needed laptops, cameras, or phones the equipment needed to continue working, at a time when everyone needed more equipment and things were sometimes hard to come by. Our data and systems have remained safe because of their work. 

Harold has been single-handedly performing all of our maintenance needs over the last six weeks. While keeping an eye on our corporate office he has been able to do a number of things including re-hanging the photographs taken down during the flip at corporate. He was also instrumental in designing our new sneeze guards and installing them at the cash stands in our stores.

Store managers and retail leadership were the very first to embrace the use of PPE and social distancing to continue to bring in donations safely as people left them when they were not supposed to. Having them available allowed us to say yes to collecting PPE for Spectrum and Mercy, to pull scrubs off our floor to donate to Pioneer Resources, to quickly and safely open back up for Goodwill donations, and to get product flowing to e-commerce so that we could begin bringing in some revenue.

Transportation has been the other leg to the work we have done in retail. Keeping a truck moving has allowed us to get PPE donations deployed, provided staff members working from home with some of the things they have needed, and the stores able to continue taking in donations.

Janitorial has continued to work to keep everyone safe, both on-site at Goodwill and with all of our corporate contacts. They have been keeping up with and enhancing our cleaning protocols. Kathy created new safety kits for sites and people as they come back to work, has looked toward our future in providing our own rug and window service, and has made sure that any new product we need we have on hand.

Industrial has continued their work with contracts for businesses considered essential. They have ended up being the test site for lots of processes as we have continued to develop and enhance safety protocols. Industrial has also helped us think through everything related to staff during this time, and we are so grateful for the flexibility and level of change they have endured in the last months.

Our continued work in sustainability means that our partnerships have strengthened during this time, and our grant writing capacity has ensured that funding requests and program development have continued.

There is so much work that has continued, and I am endlessly grateful. I intentionally only mentioned a few names as there are more than 100 people who have continued to work! Know that I am aware of what all of you are doing – your supervisors let me know – and our collective gratitude goes out to each of you. 

The Governor just announced that two regions in Michigan will be able to open with restrictions starting Friday. The upper peninsula and the counties at the tip of lower Michigan have met the requirements of Phase 4 of the Governor’s plan that I outlined last week.  My hope is that West Michigan will follow suit, and that the rest of our business will be operational soon. Our work is so important and will continue to be even more so. When we are successful, not only can we continue to employ more people, but we support all of the workforce development efforts for our community. Our retail efforts allow us to realize our mission to change the lives through the power of work and ensures that everyone has a pathway to sustainable and meaningful work. 

My best –
Jeanette

THINKING THURSDAY… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Our hope is this week’s newsletter brings brighter days and more hope. During these unprecedented times, you have likely had LOTS of idle time to think – and lots of good can come out of thinking! However, sometimes too much thinking can be tricky, as our minds, during idle times, wander in spaces we don’t often like to think about. Hopefully some of the content in this newsletter will be helpful to help alleviate or minimize those anxious feelings and help you re-center your attention into positive energy and focusing on what you can control. 

REMEMBER, if you know of someone in our Goodwill family that is not connected to our communications, please pass this along. Reach out and check on a co-worker you haven’t talked with in a while – it feels good to talk to familiar voices. 

Stay healthy and be well. 

FEELING STRESSED or ANXIOUS? 

Have you heard of aromatherapy? 

Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit. It enhances both physical and emotional health. 

Experts are not sure how aromatherapy works exactly. Chemicals in essential oils might trigger smell receptors in your nose that send messages to the part of your brain that controls your mood, suggests the Mayo Clinic. 

Aromatherapy is the use of organic compounds to improve your mood, mental state, or health. Those organic compounds are called essential oils. They are made from various plant parts, such as roots, seeds, leaves, and blossoms. 

They can be used alone or blended to create different combinations. You can diffuse essential oils into the air, dissolve them in a bath, apply them during a massage, or use other methods to spread their aroma. 

Using aromatherapy alongside other treatments may help boost your mood and relieve stress during these uncertain times of COVID-19. 

UNEMPLOYMENT and TAXES! 

Billions of federal coronavirus relief dollars are flowing directly into Americans' pockets, but you may have to send some of that money back to Uncle Sam come tax time! 

The good news: Your stimulus payment is all yours! 

The bad news: If you're out of work, you will owe federal -- and possibly state and local -- taxes on any unemployment benefits you collect, including the temporary $600 weekly boost approved by Congress as part of its economic rescue package. 

All the federal and state unemployment payments you receive are subject to federal income tax and potentially state and local income taxes, depending on where you live. The extra $600 could provide nearly $10,000 in income if you receive it for the full four months -- and that's before you factor in state benefits. 

You can opt to withhold taxes from your weekly benefit through your state unemployment agency, pay estimated taxes quarterly, or wait until you file your return. If requested, states typically withhold 10% for federal taxes and an additional amount to cover their levy, if applicable. Please note that will receive a Form 1099-G showing the amount of unemployment compensation you received for the year and any income tax withheld. 

When to pay the taxes owed depends on your financial situation. Some experts suggest you have the money taken out weekly so you aren't stuck with a big tax bill later, while others say it might be better to get the full benefit now and pay the taxes later when you may have a job and more income. 

If you are unsure if you elected for taxes to be taken out of your state and federal unemployment benefits, no worries! You can log into your MiWAM online account, go to “claimant services”, then click on “update withholding” to make the changes. 

Good Afternoon —

On Friday, the Governor extended the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order through May 28, but modified it to be “Stay Safer at Home.” It allows for nonessential manufacturing and construction to open as long as it can be done safely – maintaining six feet of distance between people, using face shields and masks when six feet cannot be maintained, and performing daily health screenings with all staff, to name a few of the requirements. These are all things that we have already been preparing for and putting into play as parts of our business open. As the time arrives for each part of Goodwill to re-engage, we are well-equipped to proceed safely. We have developed a detailed Reopen Timeline and Checklist to ensure that we are moving forward intentionally and with great respect for everyone impacted along the way. 

The Governor also released the MI Start Safe Plan that details six phases to the pandemic, starting with Phase 1: Uncontrolled Growth and moving through to Phase 6: Post Pandemic. It describes each phase and gives the factors that will determine whether or not we can progress to the next phase. Michigan is currently in Phase 3: Flattening. This phase is defined as when COVID-19 case growth is gradually declining. Non-essential retail and offices can open in Phase 4: Improving. We will know that we can move to that phase when:

• Cases and deaths decline more sharply,
• Percent of positive tests is decreasing,
• The healthcare system capacity continues to strengthen, and
• Robust testing, contact tracing, and containment protocols are in place.

The things in the last bullet what our governor and health officials are working on now, so that we can move into the next phase. We hope that Michigan will be ready by the end of May. It is possible, however, to go backwards in the phases if the risk increases because we are not adhering to safe practices. So please! Keep up all the safety protocols that are possible for you. 

Our donation doors have been doing a brisk business. On Saturday in Grand Haven alone, we had 182 donor visits and filled more than 40 containers! The good news is that we will have product to sell when the stores open again, and we can funnel items to sell through ShopGoodwill immediately. The challenge is storing all those donations until we can reopen, but this is a challenge we are very willing to manage.

The ten Goodwill CEOs in Michigan have agreed upon a common marketing message that will let everyone know the safety measures that our stores will adhere to when opening.  Agreeing on a marketing message is not something we have ever been able to do before, so this is a really big deal. We will be able to let people know that regardless of which Goodwill store they go to, they will be able to expect protocols designed to ensure the health and safety of our customers and staff.

If you had an appointment with VITA to get your taxes done before the shutdown, please know that we now have a mobile option to get them done, and Carl and his team will be in contact with you. Workforce Development (Mission Services) continues to work toward providing our other services remotely.

Have a great week!

Jeanette

THANKFUL THURSDAY… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Summer and Sunshine are beginning to bless us! It seems impossible another week has passed, all while, we continue to learn new ways to cope during COVID-19. We hope that this newsletter finds you safe and healthy this week. REMEMBER, if you know of someone in our Goodwill family that is not connected to our communications, please pass this along. Stay well. 

RECALLS and READINESS! 

Our teams have worked hard to put policies and procedures in place for the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers as we prepare to return to work. To learn more about these policies/procedures, staff will be required to attend a mandatory COVID-19 Safety orientation before returning to work. 

The orientation will be facilitated by Heather DeNio-Carskadon, Training Coordinator. Your orientation time and location will be communicated through your direct supervisor. 

Please note that employees MUST be ready and available to be recalled back to work. When you return, you will be expected to wear a mask for your safety and the safety of others. We have surgical masks for you to wear or you may bring your own. Should you have a medical concern regarding wearing a mask, please speak to a member of HR. 

Now Accepting Donations! 

We have 8 locations accepting drive-thru donations! More donation sites will be added in the coming weeks. RETAIL STORES REMAINED CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. 

HOURS: Tuesday – Saturday 11am-5pm 

• Fremont 
• Grand Haven 
• North Holland 
• Ludington 
• North Muskegon 
• Sherman 
• Ellis 
• Roosevelt Park 

Plant a VICTORY GARDEN! 

What is a victory garden? Victory gardens came about as food shortages during World Wars I and II provoked a heroic response by Americans –planting vegetable gardens at their homes or in public places, such as parks. The purpose was to ease the burden of farmers growing for domestic and foreign consumption, and boost morale by giving people a sense of working for the common good. Americans responded. By the end of World War I, more than five million victory gardens had sprouted. 

Right now- we are engaged in a very different war. People and families are quarantined at home and passing the time by posting on social media, playing games, puzzles and cooking. 

Why not take cues from past generations and plant victory gardens? They do not have to be big – actually, they can be a few containers on your deck or porch. Nevertheless, they can improve your family’s diet and/or mental health by getting outside and taking positive action, no matter how ambitious or modest it is. Sunshine, fresh air, and rediscovering your creative side beats dwelling over 24-hours news about our nation’s pandemic crisis. 

Though we live in uncertain times, remember – spare time is one thing many of us do have now. Let us spend our time contributing to our existence and nurturing these plants and seedlings for the good of our souls. Things will turn around. As that famous Southern philosopher, Scarlett O’Hara, reminded us, “After all, tomorrow is a new day.” Cited by: 

https://www.southernliving.com/garden/edible/what-is-a-victory-garden 

HR Team Contacts: 

Pattie Piekarski: (231) 722-7871 x1035 

Jamie Barmes: (231) 722-7871 x1036 

Kristin Garris: (231) 722-7871 x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: (231) 722-7871 x1037 

Hello Everyone and Happy May!

After review of the Governor’s orders from last Friday, we agreed that we could open a couple of spaces that we can operate safely, including limited donation doors and e-commerce. Effective this week, we are happy to be able to collect donations at the stores where we have been collecting personal protective equipment donations for Spectrum and Mercy: Fremont, Grand Haven, Ludington, Holland, North Muskegon, Sherman, and Ellis. Because we also are able to process these donations after a 72-hour quarantine period and to pull items for Shopgoodwill, we will be re-opening e-commerce beginning next week. We are fortunate that maintaining six feet of distance is very possible in the new e-commerce space.

Janitorial services are back up to five days a week and industrial orders continue to come in. As we re-open and begin to expand and bring people back to work, of greatest concern is safety.

In preparing for this, we have determined that one of the most important things we can do to protect the health and safety of all of us is to require the use of masks by staff, clients, and customers. Masks protect everyone else more than they protect the person wearing them, and so we do it for one another. Right now, it is the best way you can show that you care about other people – the people you serve, your customers, your co-workers, your neighbors in the grocery store. If we are going to be out, the best protection happens when everyone is wearing a mask. You are welcome to use your own, but if you don’t have one, we will make sure to give you one. If we can secure enough masks, we will also give them to our customers and clients for at least the first few weeks after opening. It is that important. I know that they are sometimes uncomfortable, but wearing a mask is a discomfort that will actually save lives. We will make sure that we design “mask breaks” into our work days, as the environment and the experience of work will need to change given the presence of the virus, in ways we can predict and in ways we can’t. This needs to be something we can do for one another.

Another requirement before starting work again will be participation in a mandatory safety orientation. Even if you have been working, you will need to participate in training. Education about best practice and an understanding of the seriousness of safety measures will also be key in making sure we can keep ourselves safe. If we adhere to safety precautions, we will never have a situation at work where someone has been in “close contact” with someone who becomes ill with COVID-19. Close contact, according to the CDC, means that someone has been within six feet of someone who is infected for a prolonged period of time or has come into contact with the infected person’s bodily fluids. Our safety measures should protect us from this. 

Mask usage and safety orientation are two things that are part of new protocol currently being created. We are also busy making environmental changes, like Plexiglas sneeze guards installed at cash stands, and we continue to explore where it might be helpful in the organization to expand their use. In every area, we are talking about how best to design safety into our processes. 

As always, my greatest hope is that this finds you and your families healthy and well –

Jeanette

HAPPY WEDNESDAY… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Good day colleagues! Another week in the books of treading this different work style. Our hope is that this newsletter finds you safe and healthy this week. Feel free to use the continued facts and tidbits of information in this weekly newsletter – during the different times of COVID-19. REMEMBER, if you know of someone in our Goodwill family that is not connected to our communications, please pass this along. We are anxious to get back and see all those familiar faces! Stay well. 

Blue Cross

For those enrolled in medical benefits, Blue Cross hopes to continue to ease the strain on doctors’ offices and hospital emergency rooms due to COVID-19 pandemic by supporting the use of ‘virtual’ visits for patients with milder symptoms, while keeping the health and safety of members at the forefront.

UNEMPLOYMENT 

Individuals that were initially denied UIA benefits, will need to file a PUA application for benefits. This can be done by logging into your MiWAM account online and once in your account, under ALERTS, there should be an option for ‘File a PUA application’. Michigan Unemployment began processing these applications on April 20th. 

Follow the link for a tutorial on how to apply for Pandemic Unemployment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nyM03i1H7w&list=PLcPPZAWezX74MaMSac3l900E2KE8ph3_2&index=2 

NOTE: It is important to log in and view your MiWAM account to make sure there are no requests for additional information and to make sure you are recertifying to continue to receive benefits while off on temporary layoff. 

Return to Work

We are busy making plans to return to work, and should have some of our stores open (with limited staff) to accepting donations very soon! Your health is our top priority and our plans include robust efforts to ensure your safety during this challenging time. Please note that when your department/store re-opens, you will receive a formal recall letter detailing your return to work date and information about a mandatory COVID-19 safety orientation. 

Senior Food Assistance 

Last week we focused our food resources on families with school aged children. We acknowledge those families aren’t the only ones in need or with lack of food access right now, and we wanted to share a resource for Seniors. 

AgeWell Services of West Michigan and Grand Rapids YMCA’s Veggie Van are working together to provide meals to seniors aged 60 and over in Muskegon and Ottawa counties. 

TELEWORK – Don’t forget to GET UP AND STRETCH! 

For those that are on week six working from home… this is for you. You are likely in a different office setting, sitting in a different chair, and working on some intense subject matter, ALL taking a toll on our bodies. That’s why it is important to make sure you are stretching and keeping up with your exercises. Here is a simple easy desk yoga that might help –TRY IT! Link to more yoga and stretching: https://www.verywellfit.com/yoga-stretches-at-your-desk-3567200

HR Team Contacts: 

Pattie Piekarski: (231) 722-7871 x1035 

Jamie Barmes: (231) 722-7871 x1036 

Kristin Garris: (231) 722-7871 x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: (231) 722-7871 x1037 

Hello Everyone –

It has been a remarkable week! Even as people who have been temporarily laid off have begun to receive unemployment and federal stimulus funds, we have started to recall some folks to work. Both are reasons to celebrate. It is wonderful that people are finally receiving their unemployment checks and can catch up on some bills, and we have been able to bring a few people back to work in several areas. Our janitorial contracts have begun to pick up and we received new contract orders in industrial services from TGW for essential work. We have also brought back a couple of team members from workforce development in order to continue planning and preparing for when we can reopen for service. 

Our planned re-opening date has once again been postponed as Governor Whitmer extended the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order through May 15 this morning, and so our stores and most of our services will remain shuttered until then. We are reviewing the order and understand that we may have the opportunity to begin accepting donations if the work can be done safely through strict adherence to safety measures and precautions. We have been doing this already in order to clear illegally dropped donations and to collect personal protective equipment, and so we are well-prepared should this be allowable under the order or through a granted exception. Decisions about this will be made next week.

This week the IRS approved our VITA mobile plan so that we can prepare taxes through an online process, and we are hoping to implement this new process by May 1. We are also preparing to resume our “scan and go” service in which tax documents are dropped off for preparation by June 1. We know that a major unmet need right now if for tax preparation, and we are well on our way to offering a variety of ways through which to get them done safely.

I know that generally our people are feeling one of two ways: there are those who cannot wait to get back to work, and there are those who are fearful of that eventuality for a variety of reasons. Some of us can have both of those feelings at the same time! Regardless of where you fall, those feelings are the reasons that we are working exceptionally hard right now to get all of our safety measures in place. When you have the opportunity to come back to the important work you do at Goodwill, it will be because we have done what we need to do to ensure that we can work together as safely as possible.

Although requests to the Employee Assistance Fund have decreased because people have been getting unemployment checks, please remember that if you still have any immediate need, we want to hear from you. Call Kristen Wilson at (231) 557-1685.

My best to all of you –

Jeanette

GOOD DAY… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Happy Wednesday! Our hope is that this newsletter finds you safe and healthy this week. The continued facts and tidbits of information in this weekly newsletter – we hope you are finding helpful during the different times of COVID-19. REMEMBER, If you know of someone in our Goodwill family that is not connected to our communications, please pass this along. Looking forward to seeing you all soon! Stay well. 

UNEMPLOYMENT 

From a trusted source… 

If you need help filing for unemployment in Michigan, email the address below, requesting a call back and they will call and help you file or answer your questions! 

You will receive an email first, but then a phone call to likely follow within 24-48 hours. 

Email: LEO-UIAC-Info@michigan.gov  

WORKING FROM HOME 

• Keep your routine – go to bed and get up the same time every day and lunch break at the same time 
• Confine your work space to a specific area in your home – this helps with focus and distractions from other family members 
• Make sure you are moving – don’t forget to get up from your work area and take a brief walk 

Newport Retirement Services

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed on March 27, 2020, includes several provisions intended to loosen restrictions on and reduce the tax consequences of distributions and loans from retirement plans. 

Newport Group (our retirement plan administrator) will begin processing coronavirus-related distributions from eligible defined contribution retirement plans starting April 6, 2020. 

A ‘Coronavirus-related distribution’ (CRD) is qualified if: 

• An individual who is, or whose spouse or dependents are, diagnosed with the virus by a test approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• An individual who is financially harmed by the coronavirus disease as a result of (1) being laid off, furloughed, receiving reduced work hours, or quarantined; (2) being unable to work because of a lack of child care; (3) having to close or reduce the operating hours of a business owned or operated by the individual; or (4) such other reasons as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

Coronavirus-related distributions are exempt from the 10% early payment penalty tax that usually applies to distributions taken by individuals under the age of 59 .. However, the Federal and States taxes are still applicable for the distribution. 

FOOD ASSISTANCE 

The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. 

If you are a household that has previously been eligible for Food Assistance Program benefits you have likely seen additional benefits in March and April to bring all current SNAP cases to the maximum monthly allowance for your household group size. Also a Temporary waiver of SNAP Work Requirements for ALL able bodied adults ages 18-49, who have no minor children. 

To those that do not typically receive food assistance, but may need to it now in these uncertain times, visit www.michigan.gov/mibridges or by calling 1-888-678-8914 to apply. 

Below is a list of local food pantries:

• Catholic Charities West Michigan - Muskegon (1095 Third Street, Muskegon) will make pre-packaged food boxes available in front of the agency on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Must be a resident of Muskegon, Norton Shores or Roosevelt Park, and provide ID or utility bill for all household members. Call (231) 726-4735 for more information. 
• City Heart Ministries (2731 Peck Street, Muskegon Heights). Call (231) 737-4673 for information. 
• Fruitport Christian Reformed Church (3520 Pontlauna Road, Fruitport MI 49415) has expanded its weekday pantry hours. Call 231-865-6548 for an appointment slot. 
• Holton Community Center (8485 B Holton Road, Holton) operates a food pantry by appointment. Call (231) 821-0000 for information. 
• Mission for Area People (2500 Jefferson Street, Muskegon Heights) will continue to run its food pantry Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. People must call ahead of time to arrange curbside pickup. More information at (231) 733-9672. 
• Muskegon Rescue Mission (400 West Laketon Avenue) continues to operate a food pantry for anyone, regardless of where they live, on Thursdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Visitors will be given seven days’ worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner food. Those with immediate food needs unable to make that time can call Erica at 231-727-6085 and schedule a pick-up. 
• Salvation Army - Muskegon (1221 Shonat Street, Muskegon) will open its pantry by appointment only. Call (231) 773-3284 for more information. 
• Wolf Lake United Methodist Church (378 Vista Terrace, Muskegon) will offer a one-week supply of food to individuals and families one time per month. Call (231) 788-4147 for more information. 

REMINDER for families with school-aged kids:

Check with your child’s school or the district you live within for food assistance. Below are some links to district resources. 

https://www.hollandpublicschools.org/our-district/superintendents-office/important-messagesupdates/

https://www.whitehallschools.net/downloads/districtfiles/wds_food_distribution_4-13-20.pdf 

https://www.lasd.net/downloads/district_files/ludington_area_school_district_meal_distribution_schedule.pdf 

https://chipslead.org/family-resources/

https://www.allendale.k12.mi.us/Core/News/Article/1486 

https://www.zps.org/covid/ 

Link to local food pantries, more local school food resources and seniors: https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/2020/03/where-to-get-emergency-food-in-muskegon-county-during-the-coronavirus-shutdown.html?fbclid=IwAR3f0crQjtz6p-pXU874vfgUeJTLCSJ2zZQ8qyOiOF7gQqj8ULUEI5Jm9TA  

The link below is to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that explains school aged children that qualified for free and reduced cost lunches at school, qualify for this new pandemic food program. 

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339--525248--,00.html 

HR Team Contacts: 

Pattie Piekarski: (231) 722-7871 x1035 

Jamie Barmes: (231) 722-7871 x1036 

Kristin Garris: (231) 722-7871 x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: (231) 722-7871 x1037 

Hello Everyone – 

The good news is that we have begun planning for how we will return to work safely. It is clear that we will someday begin to re-open, not because the threat of COVID-19 will be gone, but because we will have excellent processes, training, and adequate personal protective equipment in place to keep our staff, customers, and clients as safe as possible. The safety committee is meeting to establish plans for the entire organization. We are working to procure the personal safety items we will need and   designing protected ways to interact with the public in our stores, Career Center, and Employment and Training Center. We will be stronger as a result of the work we do to come together safely, taking care of one another by adhering to the safety standards we establish. We will be ready when the time comes! 

We had additional temporary lay-offs this week, as our closure is extending into May. We also closed Industrial Services, because we finished the work needed by our remaining customer. Our human resources staff is actively assisting all of our team members who need help to file their unemployment claims, and we are using the Employee Assistance Fund to help our staff who have immediate needs. Your leadership staff should be calling regularly to check in on how you are doing – to find out if you have successfully navigated unemployment, if you are safe in your home or have any urgent needs, and if you are signed up for our text messaging system. If you continue to need any help, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Today is the day Guy Bailey’s retirement begins! He has been an integral part of our Goodwill family since 2002, leading our maintenance department and tackling every manner of job that only his team was equipped to handle. He has been a master of creating something out of whatever we have around. Most importantly, he loves the people of this organization and cares deeply for our clients. We will miss him enormously, are grateful for all he has done for Goodwill, and wish him the very best in his retirement!

My best to all of you –

Jeanette

HELLO… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Our hope is that this newsletter serves as some sense of connection to your temporary ‘normal’. Use this as a reference and resource guide to help you through this challenging time of COVID-19. If you know of someone in our Goodwill family that is not connected to our communications, feel free to pass along. Stay well. Wash your hands. AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU! 

TAXES: 

FEDERAL & STATE NEW TAX DEADLINE: The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal and state income tax filing due date is automatically extended from April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020. 

VITA PROGRAM: Pending the expiration of the stay at home order & IRS approval of a non-face-to-face delivery service, the restoration of the VITA service will take place. (May 1st) The VITA mobile site will be implemented, this would not require any appointment. The tax client would need to go to the site, createan account, complete the intake questions, upload tax documents. On-site prep service will be on a gradual, by appointment that we schedule, basis. Nothing is written instone, & subject to change!

STAY CONNECTED… 

While we STAY HOME and STAY SAFE you can STAY CONNECTED to Goodwill by texting ‘GIWM’ to 484848 for up to date information, i.e. return to work dates, changes or new tips for local resources. 

Our Safety Committee has starting working on safety protocol to keep us all safe when we resume normal operations. Yay safety! 

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE FUND: 

Please note that Kristen Wilson is now coordinating our Employee Emergency Fund and internal mission concerns for our employees. Her contact information is below and should be distributed to any employee who needs help with community supports including food assistance and other urgent needs. 

Kristen Wilson 
Success Coach, Workforce Development 
Cell: (231) 557-1685 

This fund is not currently being utilized to support bill payments for rent, mortgage or utilities. These items are certainly important, but during this pandemic, evictions, foreclosures, and (essential) utility shutoffs are illegal so no one should be without these critical safety items. However, everyone’s situation is unique and we want to support however we can. We want to encourage those who are struggling to reach out to Kristen Wilson so that she can help determine which community and/or Goodwill support would be most helpful. 

UNEMPLOYMENT REMINDERS: 

1. You MUST certify your eligibility every two weeks to receive payment. The preferred method of certifying is online, although phone certification is also available. 

Online: Visit www.michigan.gov/uia and sign into MILogin to access your MiWAM account. Your online account is accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day. 

Phone: Call MARVIN at 1-866-638-3993, Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Failure to certify will terminate your benefits. 

2. If you have been unable to file your unemployment claim due to overcrowded phone lines or bogged down website – please use this guideline to file depending on your last name. NOTE: Call hours have been extended into Saturdays as well as an hour later during the week. 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act expands Michigan’s benefits to self-employed, 1099-independent contractors, and low wage workers as well as increase in weekly pay to ALL who receive benefits. The Unemployment Insurance Agency allowed these individuals to apply beginning April 13. PLEASE NOTE: Those that were initially denied may qualify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) under the CARES Act. 

*If your file was previously denied, there is NO NEED to reapply at this time. The Agency will review these claims for eligibility. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL and check your MiWAM accounts for further direction. 

To stay up to date on unemployment – visit the website www.Michigan.gov/uia

ANTICIPATED RETURN TO WORK DATE: 

Our current return to work date is Sunday, May 3 for retail store staff and Monday, May 4 for all others. We can’t wait to see you! 

BENEFITS UPDATE: 

As this time, Goodwill will be covering costs of benefits for those NOT working. We are working on a plan for repayment of those 20% employee premiums for when employees return to normal duties. 

Stimulus Checks: 

Media rumors suggest that stimulus checks will be issued in reverse “adjusted gross income” order—starting with people with the lowest income and in the cities with the biggest impact first. Income is determined through your tax returns. If you did not file your 2018 or 2019 taxes, check here: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/04/turbotax-launches-free-tool-to-help-americans-get-stimulus-payments.html 

UPDATE: The IRS.gov feature helps people who normally don't file taxes to receive payments. To help everyone check on the status of their payments, the IRS is building a second new tool expected to be available for use by April 17. Get My Payment will provide people with the status of their payment, including the date their payment is scheduled to be deposited into their bank account or mailed to them. 

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info 

REACHING OUT IN A TIME OF NEED: 

• Call 2-1-1 for local resources and assistance 
• Utilize MiBridges.org to apply for benefits and explore resources 

https://newmibridges.michigan.gov/s/isd-landing-page?language=en_US 

HR Team Contacts: 

Pattie Piekarski: (231) 722-7871 x1035 

Jamie Barmes: (231) 722-7871 x1036 

Kristin Garris: (231) 722-7871 x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: (231) 722-7871 x1037 

Hello Everyone – 

Here we are in April! On Monday, it seemed like spring was here. Today, we woke up to snow. Some things can’t be changed by a pandemic, like spring in Michigan. It is good to have things to rely on . 

On Thursday, one day before Governor Whitmer announced that the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order would be in place through April 30, we made the decision to delay reopening until May 3. We completely agree that now is the time to double down on our efforts to slow the spread of the virus. The way we have any control over this is by staying home and relentlessly maintaining social distancing. The CDC now recommends wearing a mask whenever you are out in public. Even a cloth bandana or scarf will work. Please take this seriously. We want you and your families to all remain healthy and alive. Use the precautions we know to work: wash your hands often and thoroughly, stay home, and maintain six feet from others when you must go out. The number of confirmed cases doesn’t paint an accurate picture of how many people have COVID-19, because not everyone can or is being tested. Many of us are walking around with the virus and don’t realize it because we don’t have symptoms. We are the only ones who can stop the spread of this disease, but it will take all of us and we are doing a great job. The rate of cases doubling has gone up from 1.8 days to 6 days in the last week. Let’s keep it up! The efforts we make today will help us all get back to the things we miss and love. 

This week we suspended most of the work performed in Industrial Services. Our initial efforts to redeploy staff in order to continue servicing to Industrial Services was in part a desire to maintain employment opportunities for staff, and in part a need to support critical infrastructure manufacturing. Given the projected timeline for return to work, the availability of unemployment opportunities for our staff, the reality of the mildly critical nature of the work we were doing, and the fact that the staff had been redeployed from the jobs for which they were hired, we decided to temporarily downsize. We are continuing our work with TGW, and I am so glad we can support this important contract, both for TGW and for the future of the programs we provide that use that contract work to provide training for people returning from prison and jail. 

We also have two new collaborative relationships that began this week as a result of tragedy. The community that provides services to those with disabilities suffered its first loss due to COVID-19 last week. A client died in supported housing, and even as our hearts go out to this person’s friends and family, our concern increases for those in communal living situations and the front-line providers who care for them, even when the people they care for are sick. Pioneer Resources, along with other housing providers, are working on a collaborative effort to set up a care facility specifically for those who are diagnosed or who have symptoms. They are in need of personal protective equipment, and one of the things we have in stores that hospitals have not asked for are scrubs. We have worked out a relationship with Apparelmaster, who will take the scrubs we have on hand and clean them for these front-line housing providers. It is great that we can make a donation like this to impact the needs of the people we serve. 

In case some of you missed Kristin’s email yesterday, Kristen Wilson is now coordinating our Employee Emergency Fund and internal mission concerns for our employees. We are prioritizing food assistance and other urgent needs, as it is currently illegal to evict or foreclose. Those who had housing when the crisis started should be able to maintain it. I am particularly concerned about those who have been laid off who aren’t able to receive unemployment benefits. I understand this morning that the federal assistance should kick in for Michiganders by next week which should extend unemployment benefits for those who may have been previously denied. Most of us are waiting for the proof of checks arrived, but there is good reason to feel confident it is coming. Every person’s situation is unique, however, and we want to support in whatever way we can. Please contact Kristen Wilson if you have a concern and she will help you think through it and find solutions where possible. Her phone number is 231-557-1685. 

Jews are celebrating Passover and Christians are celebrating Easter this weekend. For many of you, your traditions have all been changed – from time spent with family to attending synagogue or church. It is particularly difficult to have the touch points of our lives disrupted. But in spite of being physically and emotionally unsettled, the symbolism of these holidays remain: Freedom from that which enslaves, and the death and resurrection of he who represents love, truth, justice, humility, compassion, and peace. Regardless of faith, there is something in this symbolism for us to consider in light of our present circumstance. 

I hope that you and yours remain healthy and safe – 

Jeanette 

HELLO… FROM YOUR HR TEAM! 

Please use this as a resource guide to help you navigate this challenging COVID-19 time. HR will share tips, links, and resources we collect throughout the week that might help you or a friend maneuver through these challenging times. Our plan is to distribute these tips WEEKLY every Wednesday. 

ANTICIPATED RETURN TO WORK DATE: 

Many have asked about WHEN we will be returning back to work. Based on the Emergency Declaration extension pushed back to April 30 and peak COVID-19 predictions, we have extended our return to work date to May 3. We can’t wait to see you all again! 

BENEFITS UPDATE: 

As this time, Goodwill will be covering costs of benefits for those NOT working. We are working on a plan for repayment of those 20% employee premiums for when employees return to normal duties. 

STIMULUS CHECKS: 

Media rumors suggest that stimulus checks will be issued in reverse “adjusted gross income” order—starting with people with the lowest income and in the cities with the biggest impact first. Income is determined through your tax returns. If you did not file your 2018 or 2019 taxes, check here: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/04/turbotax-launches-free-tool-to-help-americans-get-stimulus-payments.html

UNEMPLOYMENT NEWS: 

We understand there are many questions and frustration about the unemployment process. We are not unemployment professionals, and can only offer our experience and what we hear from the media outlets and our social media resources. 

If you have been unable to file your unemployment claim because of overcrowded phone lines or bogged down website – they are asking you use this guideline to file depending on your last name.

It is our understanding that if you applied for unemployment benefits and were denied – The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act expands Michigan’s benefits to self-employed, 1099-independent contractors, and low-wage workers as well as increase in weekly pay to ALL who receive benefits. The Unemployment Insurance Agency will release guidance regarding eligibility and the application process in the coming days. PLEASE NOTE: If you have already filed for unemployment benefits, you DO NOT need to reapply at this time. Those that were initially denied, are potentially eligible to qualify for the Pandemic unemployment that falls under the CARES Act. 

To stay up to date on unemployment – visit the website at www.Michigan.gov/uia 

REACHING OUT IN A TIME OF NEED: 

• Call 2-1-1 for local resources and assistance 
• MiBridges.org to apply for benefits and explore resources 

https://newmibridges.michigan.gov/s/isd-landing-page?language=en_US 

NOTE: Insider scoop says MIBRIDGES is quick to support people on layoff with food support.

CRISIS RESOURCE for MENTAL HEALTH: 

Do you recognize any of these feelings? 

• Feeling overwhelmed or helpless 
• Anxiety, fear, or sadness 
• Feeling lonely or isolated 
• Withdrawing from others/fear of going into public spaces 
• Rapid heart rate, upset stomach, low energy 
• Frustration, irritability or anger 
• Difficulty concentrating or sleeping 

Considering our current COVID-19 condition, you might be experiencing one or many of the above mentioned. Goodwill recognizes that this is a difficult time for everyone. We wanted to share that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network partners with New Directions Behavioral Health. If you are struggling and need to talk with someone below is a link that contains a free crisis helpline for emotional support. The second link contains online resources from New Directions. 

https://www.ndbh.com/CrisisResources 

https://www.ndbh.com/Resources/ 

HR Team Contacts: 

Pattie Piekarski: (231) 722-7871 x1035 

Jamie Barmes: (231) 722-7871 x1036 

Kristin Garris: (231) 722-7871 x1034 

Heather DeNio Carskadon: (231) 722-7871 x1037 

Hi Everyone –

Kristin let me know that we have received some feedback from staff questioning why we are working in our retail stores as our retail was not considered “critical infrastructure” or essential business according to the governor’s executive order.  My letter today will take one that she wrote to the retail staff yesterday and expound upon it for everyone. A natural response from staff, based on this incorrect understanding, suggests that we are putting staff at risk unnecessarily and are encouraging the community to break the shelter in place order by bringing us their donations. There is nothing further from the truth, as I am a strong supporter of the governor’s order, and believe that this order is critical in preventing further spread of the COVID-19 disease. We acted 72 hours ahead of any other Goodwill in Michigan to close our stores in order to promote the safety of our staff and customers, and nearly a week before the governor’s order was announced.  We began quarantining anything dropped at our stores before 85% of Goodwills in the nation. We have been very serious about ensuring safety from the beginning. It is critical that we all understand why we are doing what we are doing, especially as some of our people continue to work. 

To be very clear, Goodwill is not soliciting general donations. We are minimally staffing the stores in response to people who are breaking the law by dropping off their goods. Gov. Whitmer’s executive order supports the control of trash and recycled materials and to that end, we are acting 100% in accordance with the order. Further support of our action comes from the Michigan Recycling Coalition, who has deemed us necessary to support the recycling infrastructure. We are fortunate to be able to continue support of our recycling efforts through identifying store managers and assistant managers as “essential” employees, and I advocated for this very thing with the governor’s office prior to the issuing of the order. Store management is in place to retrieve dropped-off donations, care for buildings, connect with non-working staff via phone, clean, and in some cases process goods, and prepare the stores to reopen.  We have excellent processes in place to ensure this is done safely and responsibly.

Because we were able to maintain our store managers and assistant managers, we were able this week to rise to the call and say an enthusiastic “yes!” to partnership with Spectrum Health, Mercy Health, and the Muskegon County Health Department. We are now helping to collect and distribute critically needed donated personal protective equipment. These medical partners were eager for our help with donations because donations is what we do - we are experts in this department and are recognized as such.  To that end, we are staffing seven stores to support collection.  We are proud to be supporting our COVID-19 front line heroes by doing what only we can do exceptionally well.

I am also proud of the work we are doing in workforce development (mission) to get ready for when we do re-open. We are applying for grants that would expand training to those incarcerated and grants that will help us continue our journey toward providing childcare. We received the grant giving us two more vans for janitorial (through MDOT). The IRS extended the tax filing deadline to July 15 so we can potentially still help those people whose appointments were cancelled, but we’re not sure how many of our volunteers will still be available. Carl is thinking through the use of new technology that would allow us to more quickly process tax returns safely and we continue to develop a process for serving walk-in clientele – a service that will be in exceptionally high demand when the stay home order is lifted.

This week we have continued to be deeply engaged in the constantly changing legislative landscape and are exploring ways that we can support our employees who are still working. A big question for us is whether or not we are an organization of under or over 500 employees – this may seem like an easy question, but it rests on whether or not clients are counted. If yes, clients are counted, we are over. If no, we are under. Much of the eligibility for loans, loan forgiveness, and potential employee benefits are based on this question. Legal opinions on this matter vary, and we continue to work toward clarity. Know that we are measuring the impact of any action we take as an organization on all of you.

I want to acknowledge that an important person for many was one of the first people in Muskegon to die of COVID-19. Bishop Nathaniel Wells Jr. served as pastor to Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ for many years and he is mourned deeply by his community. My heart goes out to those who have lost their church leader and friend. To all of us at GIWM, we are at the beginning of the grief we will experience at the hands of this disease, but my hope is that we are also at the beginning of a deepening compassion and empathy for our friends and neighbors.

Be well, all of you –

Jeanette

Good Afternoon, Everyone –

My greatest hope is that this finds you all well. I have been thinking a lot about the impact of all of this on our mental health. As humans, we generally need some ability to be in control and to make decisions, we need a sense of community and connection to others, and we need a sense of purpose and effectiveness. This crisis negatively impacts all of that for most of us, and it can leave us feeling at the mercy of others and of uncontrollable and unseen forces. Depression and anxiety are natural responses in this circumstance. 

In spite of all this, there are things we do have control over. We can honor the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order and go out for only our most urgent needs. Doing so is the only way that we can stop the threat in its tracks. When we do go out for groceries, or work that is critically important, or to walk the dog, we can control how well we adhere to precaution guidelines.  At home we can find daily things we can control, whether that be in calling a family member who is alone, cleaning out a closet, playing a game with our kids, or checking something off on our to-do list. When we focus on what we can control, it helps us to move forward through our days with a little more purpose and a sense of well-being.

At Goodwill, we are doing the same. Our retail store management continues to handle donations that are being illegally left at our doors. Transportation began helping Spectrum with redistributing PPE (personal protective equipment) yesterday. New work in Industrial Services includes an opportunity to clean and disinfect the totes that have been used to transport PPE.  We have cancelled our Achievers of the Year luncheon in May, and will look to reschedule this in late summer or fall. VITA staff is working on establishing a date to resume tax work, and GoodTemps is concentrating on developing relationships with local big box stores in order to support their need for staff and to offer opportunities to our people who have been laid off. 

We are staying very aware of the legislation that is being passed, and tracking all of the possibilities, different pieces and parts of legislation, and opportunities that arise that would be helpful to our staff. We are committed to making decisions that have the greatest positive impact for the most people in an environment that is constantly changing and incredibly complex. I am very aware that there are some of our staff who are not eligible for unemployment, and that some are already dealing with financial hardships. We continue to refine how we are going to provide targeted assistance through the Employee Assistance Fund in light of the new proposed legislation and will distribute funds so as to help the most of you in most immediate need.  We care about what is happening to all of you during this time of uncertainty.

Those still working are in good spirits, and are touching base with all staff through group chats, phone calls, and texting.  I am hearing that already many of you can’t wait to get back to work! You miss your co-workers, the family you have found at Goodwill, and your sense of purpose in working each day as part of an organization that serves a greater good. We can’t wait for that day! In the meantime, this is the first of Friday updates from me. You can sign up with our new text message system to get an alert and link when they come out. Text GIWM to 484848 to sign up!

Jeanette

Dear Goodwill Family –

I am writing to give you an update on the current state of our Goodwill, and will begin sending these out every Friday afternoon for the duration of this crisis. My hope is that those of you who receive email will pass the information on to your staff and co-workers who may not receive this directly during these times.

As of last night at midnight, we are in a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order from our Governor, made in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus so that our medical system can keep up with the demand for critical care. We are in an unprecedented time, and the past week has likely left all of you feeling grief about all the changes in our world, fear about a disease we can’t see, uncertainty in how bills will get paid and other needs will be met, worry for family and friends whom we can no longer reach out and touch, and anxiety because so much is unknown. All of this is understandable and can be expected.

We have been called upon to do the extraordinary in the truest sense of the word. It is hard to sit still in the face of a threat, but that is precisely what many of us need to do. Others among us are still doing heroic work, on the front lines of this pandemic, and I will talk about those people in a little more detail.

Our industrial services center has been getting an increasein orders over the last few days. We provide work for manufacturing that is considered essential right now and, by extension, ours is also essential. Our work center is part of the war effort against this virus, and I am so grateful for the staff who have been willing to be reassigned. All of our clients are home and sheltering in place, and our trainers, job coaches, and others have stepped into the need.

Our janitorial staff is also on the front lines, and I have described the work they are doing as holy work: Their ability to clean and disinfect - to defeat the virus before it can infect again - is critical in caring for one another. They are working at a reduced crew and still servicing most of our contracts.

Workforce Development (Mission) staff, both in Muskegon and in Holland at the ETC, are calling our clients who are home and will continue to do so on a weekly basis. We are committed to keeping in touch with those who have called Goodwill their work and training home, in order to help prevent social isolation and to make sure that our clients have what they need. VITA finished up their work on taxes last week for the time being, and potential career center clients can still be served over the phone.

Store managers and assistant managers are safeguarding our stores and donation doors. We very quickly designed a new protocol in dealing with donations and are using personal protective gear and quarantining donations for 72 hours before handling them. Even though there is now a “stay home” order from the governor we know, from the experience of other states who are a little ahead of us in combating COVID-19, that people are likely to violate the order and leave donations anyway.

This creates a health hazard and the potential for theft. Our store management is making sure that donations do not pile up outside and are therefore critical to maintaining the health of our organization and community.

Our staff in IT, HR, finance, and maintenance are supporting those who are still working. We have moved remarkably quickly to set up the systems we need to keep our business running. We keep coming up with solutions to the challenges that face us. Finance is tracking cash flow daily and watching expenses. IT has made sure that many of us can work at home and, just today, Harold put up a mailbox at the corporate office to take care of the mail when our front doors are locked.

The most painful reality for us in this time is that so many of our colleagues have been temporarily laid-off. I can’t state strongly enough how much I am looking forward to bringing EVERYONE back to work. This is a temporary situation, and we want all of you back. I am grateful to Kristin, Pattie, and Jamie for helping our staff with the unemployment process and for communicating this action with grace and care. I know this is a hardship for so many of our people, and we are working to target our assistance to those of you who need it most. Yesterday, our board approved an employee assistance fund to help with basic needs during this time. Funding is already coming in from several of our landlords whom we asked to decrease our rent and to make a donation of that reduction to this fund. More about how to access this assistance will be coming to you shortly.

We are also looking for opportunities for our staff who are laid off to get other employment if they would like to be working. There are many retailers who are providing critical services (like grocery) who are hiring and need talented people like ours. We are working through GoodTemps and HR to investigate those possibilities and to determine how we can best be helpful in connecting our staff who are interested with the greatest need.

The opportunities to help are coming in a variety of ways. Just today, our partner in recycling and sustainability, Spectrum Health, has requested that we provide trucks and drivers to pick up and deliver needed personal protective equipment, and we have agreed to do so. We will continue to be responsive to community requests and, in addition, will actively look for other opportunities.

Please take excellent care of yourselves. Stay home, but when you can’t, practice social distancing and all the CDC’s recommendations about washing hands, covering coughs with elbow or tissue, and staying home when sick. I am so grateful for all of you.

Jeanette Hoyer
President and CEO