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

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