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

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