The mission of Goodwill
The mission of Marion Goodwill Industries is to assist individuals with disabilities and other special needs to attain self-sufficiency through employment and training, thus enabling them to reach their maximum potential in the community.

Marion Goodwill celebrates 30th anniversary in 2007!
Many things have changed and many things have stayed the same over the years at Marion Goodwill. As society has changed over the last 30 years, so has the scope of services that Marion Goodwill performs. We are no longer able to wash, iron or mend clothing that is donated. Clothing items that do not meet the quality requirements for our retail stores is sold to vendors who use them in a variety of ways such as rags in industrial settings.

Marion Goodwill is no longer able to repair electrical equipment, bicycles, shoes, etc. as shown in the photos above. However, many things remain the same and probably as technology advances will become easier for our employees. Our donations are still loaded and unloaded using a truck, but were once brought into our building through a second store-window.

Goodwill, Inc. was founded by Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist Minister. In the early days of Goodwill, all employees were required to attend weekly vesper services. Although this is no longer a requirement for our employees, we still hold firm to our faith-based roots.

Then, as now, our retail stores and contract services are a large part of Goodwill in helping those with disabilities and disadvantages acquire and retain employment. For more information on the history of Goodwill International or any service Goodwill offers, please visit www.goodwill.org.

For more than 100 years, Goodwill has witnessed
the Power of Work in peoples' lives
Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired those who were poor to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out" was born.

Dr. Helms' vision set an early course for what today has become a $2.4 billion nonprofit organization. Helms described Goodwill Industries as an "industrial program as well as a social service enterprise...a provider of employment, training and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted."

Even with a laudable history and record of accomplishment, Goodwill won’t be satisfied when so many people still need our services. Through our 21st Century Initiative, we aim to improve the economic self-sufficiency of 20 million people and their families by 2020. Times have changed, but Helms’ vision remains constant. “We have courage and are unafraid. With the prayerful cooperation of millions of our bag contributors and of our workers, we will press on till the curse of poverty and exploitation is banished from mankind.”

Help tell the Goodwill story
Has Goodwill Industries touched your life in some way? We're looking for people who have gone through our job training programs, as well as former Goodwill staff and volunteers, to share their experiences. Contact centennial@mariongoodwill.org to tell us how Goodwill has touched your life. You may be contacted for our magazine, Working!, or invited to participate in other Centennial activities.