Helping people prepare for, find, and keep good jobs is what Goodwill is about.

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