Friday, May 11th marked the celebration of the 4th annual Center for Advocacy, Recreation and Education (CARE) Prom event at Ohio Valley Goodwill. Held in May each year, the Prom is an opportunity for program participants, families, staff and others to kick up their heels and rejoice in the beautiful Spring season. Goodwill’s award-winning CARE program is designed to provide social, recreational and personal development opportunities for individuals with Developmental Disabilities that are sponsored by Goodwill’s referral partners.

Goodwill’s CARE program serves more than 50 participants that are sponsored by local county boards of Developmental Disabilities including long-time partners, Hamilton County DD Services and Butler County Board of DD. “We look forward to the CARE Prom every year,” said Lois Kramer, CARE Program Supervisor. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with all of our families as well as participants,” added Kramer.

In preparing for the annual event, the CARE team works hard on constructing the lovely floral decorations; selects their outfits from the Goodwill store; and practices their moves for the big dance. Family members are always an important of the Spring celebration and enjoy the chance to see their adult son or daughter really enjoying the festivities.

For more information about the CARE program, please contact Sharon Hannon, Marketing Specialist at (513) 771-4800, ext. 6364 or visit our website at www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/services.

During these challenging economic times, it is always inspiring to hear stories about people going to work in our community. At Ohio Valley Goodwill, putting people to work has been part of our mission of service for more than 96 years. Goodwill’s Job Development and Placement Services provides individualized on-going support to job-seekers and local employers. Goodwill’s Employment Consultants keep current on labor market information and hiring trends to assist individuals working to obtain community jobs.

Under the leadership of Employment Services Manager, Marty Caffrey, Goodwill’s Job Development and Placement Services department recently received recognition of its employment efforts through the Southwest Ohio Rehabilitation Association. Named the “Rehabilitation Program of the Year,” Goodwill’s Placement Services department was singled out for its innovative approaches to helping people get jobs in the community. Uniquely, at Ohio Valley Goodwill, the Placement department uses a model that pairs Case Managers and Marketers. “Case Managers traditionally focus on the job seeker and the referral source. In our model, Marketers focus on the employer and community relations,” explains Katie Stretch, Employment Services Marketer. After 18 years of living with her brother who had a disability, Katie’s commitment to her role comes quite honestly. “I had planned a career in Political Science but when I lost my brother, my whole life changed,” said Katie. “It compelled me to work in the human service field and help others,” added Katie.

The ultimate goal of the Marketers is to contact employers to advocate on behalf of the job seekers and help them to identify employment opportunities. “Our focus is always to build relationships with employers that will benefit the people that we serve,” explains Matt Burnheimer, the newest member of Goodwill’s Placement team. Like Katie, Matt also has an affinity for working on behalf of people with disabilities. As a career-long Special Education teacher, Matt’s mom and family members helped to inspire his current career direction.

“As a Case Manager, our role is to help people to identify opportunities, develop their resume, complete applications and work closely with sponsoring agencies like the Rehabilitation Services Commission,” said Katie Towns, Case Manager. Katie, like the other Goodwill Case Managers, have lots of stories about the individuals they work with. In particular, she recently helped a graduate from a Goodwill training program develop a resume, practice for his job interview and actually obtain the position that he really wanted. “Helping people find the job they really want makes it all worthwhile,” said Katie.

Another Goodwill Placement Case Manager, Hilary Hardin, also finds herself in a career situation that is in alignment with her beliefs and convictions. Growing up in a family where disability awareness and sensitivity has always been paramount, Hilary felt a natural passion towards advocating on behalf of community inclusion. “Our goal is to never allow a person’s disability to define them. We do our best to focus on the individual’s abilities and interests in developing a job in partnership with them,” explained Hardin.

“It’s all about helping people to find the right situation for them,” said Marty Caffrey, Employment Services Manager. “We work with both the employer and the individual to make sure that the match works for both of them,” added Caffrey.

Among the many services that the Job Development and Placement department can provide are assistance and training in resume development and job seeking skills; help with interview attire and transportation as needed as well as helping individuals with discussing appropriate job accommodations. As part of an individualized employment search, Employment Consultants offer support in contacting employers to discuss job re-structuring and once employment is obtained, retention services. Retention services are intended to assist individuals with any post-employment needs such as effective time management, employee/employer communication, and securing additional community resources to ensure successful employment for individuals.

Individuals interested in Goodwill’s Job Development and Placement Services are typically referred by the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, Bureau of Worker’s Compensation, County Boards of Developmental Disabilities and Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program. For more information about Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Job Placement Services, please contact Marty Caffrey, Employment Services Manager at (513) 771-4800, ext. 6239 or email: mcaffrey@cincigoodwill.org.

Saturday, May 5th marked the date for the 2012 Hope & Possibility Race; a special feature of the annual Flying Pig Marathon; and also the participation of the largest “Team Goodwill” ever! Made up of more than 35 team members, this year’s Goodwill participants celebrated record-breaking performances by a number of team members. Craig Franta and Darlene O’Hair from Work Adjustment finished in just under 59 minutes and Retail team members finished in 28 minutes. This year’s perfect blue-sky weather morning served to inspire the Goodwill team who joined with thousands of other athletes to show off the results of their Spring training efforts. The Hope & Possibility Race is now in its 6th year and is designed to partner athletes with and without disabilities in a community-wide, high-profile showcase.

The 2012 version of “Team Goodwill” was composed of representatives from the organization’s Work Adjustment, CARE, Recreation-Leisure, Job Coaching and Retail teams. “The annual Hope & Possibility Race is really a wonderful opportunity to be part of a major community event in Greater Cincinnati,” said Sharon Hannon, Marketing Specialist. “We look forward to the Race every year and are thrilled by the achievements of our athletes,” added Hannon.

Ohio Valley Goodwill congratulates all members of the 2012 version of  “Team Goodwill” on their record-breaking performances and good spirit! Goodwilll also supported long-time partner Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services on Sunday, May 6th during the running of the Flying Pig Marathon at their volunteer water station at Mile 25. “It was amazing to see all of these determined runners finish the 26.2 mile course in such great shape,” said Hannon, Goodwill volunteer.

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s new Eastside Vocational Services Center was delighted to welcome guests to its Spring Open House event held on Friday, May 4th. The afternoon-long event featured tours of the facility provided by program participants, interactive fun with the Goodwill photobooth, as well as the premiere of the new Eastside video. Guests included staff from the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities as well as Southwest Ohio Developmental Center. The new Eastside Center is a precedent-setting collaborative partnership between both the Clermont and Hamilton County Boards of Developmental Disabilities and opened almost a year ago. The new program offers paid work training opportunities as well as more recreational and leisure options for its participants.

Supervisor, Paula Smith and her team members along with program participants welcomed the opportunity to show off the Eastside facility to the Open House guests which now serves 20 individuals. “We are currently accepting referrals for interested people and are scheduling tours on a regular basis,” said Paula Smith, Supervisor. In addition to the Batavia location, the new Eastside program also offers community-based work opportunities at Goodwill’s Beechmont store site. Individuals involved in the Beechmont store work team go directly to the retail setting and perform a variety of retail merchandizing tasks including setting up displays, hanging clothing items, price tagging, janitorial tasks and most importantly, learning customer service skills. ”The Beechmont store team is thrilled to have the work crew participants here everyday and enjoy building relationships with the team members,” said Donna Clouse, Beechmont Store Manager.

For more information about Goodwill’s Eastside location, please visit our website at www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/services. For a tour, please contact Paula Smith, Supervisor, at (513) 732-0950, ext. 10.

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Volunteer Service Guild group held its annual two-day Spring Mini-Fest on Friday, May 4th and Saturday, May 5th at the organization’s corporate headquarters in the Village of Woodlawn. The annual event is planned and coordinated by the Service Guild as one of their official fundraisers in support of Ohio Valley Goodwill and as a way to support the organization’s mission of service to individuals with disabilities and our nation’s veterans.

This year’s Spring Mini-Fest featured homemade baked goods, “Elegant Junque” and collectibles, and special items from the organization’s Treasure Island Gift Shop.  The special event also features a wonderful cook-out during the lunchtime each day with hot dogs right from the grill, along with chips and drinks for all the visitors.  “We really try to have lots of special items available for shoppers who come out to the Tri-County retail store during this very special event,” said Nancy Horton, the Service Guild’s President and one of the festival’s coordinators.  The Tri-County retail store even has special offerings during the two-day event including an extra-special 50% off everything sale on Saturday May 5th.  “The Mini-Fest helps introduce many new shoppers to our retail store - even those who have never experienced the thrill of shopping at Goodwill,” commented Nancy Horton.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to all the members of the Service Guild for their service and dedication to the organization’s mission of helping to achieve economic self-sufficiency and personal success. The Service Guild is made up of over 100 volunteers who are committed to increasing awareness of Goodwill’s mission in the community and raising funds in support of its efforts.

Friday, April 27th marked the date for the Spring Open House hosted by Ohio Valley Goodwill’s CARE West program. The Goodwill Center for Advocacy, Recreation and Education (CARE) is a satellite of the organization’s award-winning personal development and enrichment program which originally opened in 2004. The Westside CARE program recently celebrated its one year anniversary and wanted to open its doors to interested families in the area so that they could find out more about what the program has to offer for adults with disabilities.  ”We are delighted that the CARE program is available to families on the Westside of Cincinnati and that our program participants have given it their seal of approval,” said Michelle Ruschman, West CARE Supervisor.

The Open House event featured the opportunity for guests to not only learn more about the CARE program and its many options for participants but also to have a little fun. Visitors joined program participants in trying on hats and accessories and posing for photobooth pictures as well as in enjoying homemade cookies and watching the program’s new informational video presentation. “We certainly appreciate the willingness of our families to share their positive experiences with the CARE program in our new video,” said Leslie McCurley, Asst. Director of DD Services. The CARE program is designed to provide individualized enrichment opportunities including recreational, social and personal development as well as paid work training.

Goodwill’s CARE West program is currently accepting referrals and scheduling tours for interested families, transition students and referral sources. Please contact Michelle Ruschman at (513) 661-2333 to schedule a tour or email at mruschman@cincigoodwill.org. The CARE West program also offers door-to-door Goodwill van transportation as well as personal care assistance for individuals in need of these services. For more information about CARE West or any of Ohio Valley Goodwill’s vast array of service options, please visit our website at www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/services.

In our continuing News Blog series focusing on Ohio Valley Goodwill’s programs to help individuals to obtain and maintain employment, this week’s story is about the organization’s Work Site Supports and Job Coaching Services. Directed by Aimee Rittner, Manager, Goodwill’s Work Site Supports and Job Coaching Services often make the difference as to whether someone is able to successfully maintain their employment. As an experienced vocational professional, Aimee brings a unique perspective to the way support services and coaching is provided. “Everything we do reflects our committed and conscientious approach to helping people to experience personal success on the job,” said Rittner.

Work Site Supports and Job Coaching Services include but are not limited to:

• Short-term one-on-one supports on the job
• Short-term off-site supports
• Assistance with accessing public transportation
• Assistance with needed job accommodations
• Assistance with accessing needed community supports
• Help with exploring career directions

“The way that Work Site Supports and Job Coaching come together is through the process of initially helping someone to identify their personal career focus and then, once employed, providing the coaching support needed to successfully maintain employment,” explains Rittner, Manager. “The way we begin the process is by working with the individual and employers in their area of interest to determine an appropriate employment goal. Once the individual enters the Job Placement process, we work with the individual on community supports that they will need to have in place once they do get a job. These could be things like child care, access to medical services, transportation needs and other supports appropriate to that person. Once employed, Goodwill’s Job Coaching services come into play. This involves helping someone learn their route to work using public transportation, learning their job responsibilities, help with building relationships with supervisors and co-workers and other needed supports,” said Rittner.

People are referred to Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Job Coaching Services by two primary referral agencies, Rehabilitation Services Commission and local county boards of Developmental Disabilities. In the case of individuals sponsored through the Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC), job coaching supports are time-limited and conclude once the person has mastered the needed skills to maintain employment. Goodwill’s partnerships with local county boards of Developmental Disabilities allow for job coaching support to continue as long as an individual is employed in the community.

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Job Coaching Services program was recently recognized by the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities as “Provider of the Year” for the quality of its programs and services. As Manager of the program, Rittner credits the hard work of her team in earning this well-deserved reputation in the Greater Cincinnati community. A dedicated Goodwill employee, Rittner has been with the organization for more than 16 years and in her present role for five years. As part of her educational experience, Rittner taught a class where students with disabilities were included into the regular classroom. This piqued her interest in working directly with people with disabilities. Upon completing her degree, Rittner joined the Goodwill team with a primary focus on helping individuals to obtain employment in the community. “I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people to achieve their employment goals even when there are significant challenges to their doing so,” Rittner said.

For more information about Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Work Site Supports and Job Coaching Services, please contact Aimee Rittner, Manager, at (513) 771-4800, ext. 6213 or email: arittner@cincigoodwill.org

Friday April 20th marked the occasion of the annual Spring Stand Down event co-sponsored by Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) and hosted by Mercy Franciscan at St. John in Over the Rhine. The purpose of the event is to draw attention to the needs of homeless veterans and to offer a variety of services for these individuals including: social service, housing assistance, job and computer services, legal support and other needed services.  A hot lunch is served to all participants in addition to the distribution of clothing to individuals as needed.

The phrase “stand down” comes from an old military term relating to a time that military personnel could have their personal needs attended to. More than 30 service provider agencies were part of this year’s event and hundreds of individuals currently struggling with homelessness participated in the Stand Down.

In addition to Ohio Valley Goodwill, other organizations involved in the Stand Down included: the Veterans Administration, Hamilton County Veterans Services Commission, Social Security Administration, Drop Inn Center, YMCA, Upward Bound Program, Super Jobs and many other organizations.

Ohio Valley Goodwill has been offering services to individuals who are homeless and unemployed for many years. In 2011, the organization served more than 650 veterans and homeless individuals. For more information about Goodwill’s HVRP program, please contact Bill Darnell, Grants Manager at (513) 631-4500.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to Mercy Franciscan at St. John for their on-going support of this important annual community outreach event.

Don also discussed the ways that businesses can determine how to build more effective long-term and profitable relationships.  As the President of Sales Engineering Group, Don has helped people to become more effective at hiring the right people by implementing sales processes that accurately reflect the revenue potential, and by improving the performance of the sales team with improved selling skills and value messaging. This is the first time that the two chamber groups have met together in a joint meeting.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is pleased to have been the host location for the chamber event.  Goodwill’s Director of PR and Marketing, George Palmer has served on the Board of Directors for the Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce for the past three years and has been active in planning programs and events for the chamber. As a long-time leader in the local business community, Ohio Valley Goodwill is committed to sponsoring events that will help the overall vitality of the business economy. Proceeds from monies raised in Goodwill’s network of retail stores is used to support the organization’s mission of service in the Greater Cincinnati community.

“April 22nd is Earth Day, and it provides the perfect opportunity for individuals to commit to one new green practice that can make a difference. Small acts add up to big change when you harness the power of millions who care about our planet,” said Joe Byrum, President and CEO of Ohio Valley Goodwill.

Through the sale of donations, Goodwill diverts billions of pounds of usuable goods from landfills annually. Revenues from the sale of these goods at Goodwill stores fund programs that put people to work, including people with disabilities as well as our nation’s veterans. And, like donors, shoppers play a key role in the process. When people find bargains in their local Goodwill stores they not only save money, but they also extend the lifespan of items that would otherwise be discarded.

To show people how their donations make a difference, Goodwill developed the patent-pending Donation Impact Calculator at http://www.donate.goodwill.org. The calculator translates the value of donations into job training programs, employment placement services and other vital programs that benefit local communities. For example, the donation of one working computer translates into 5.8 hours of a job search class. In 2011, more than 100,000 people nationally saw the impact their donations made through 288,000 calculations on the site.

“For almost a century, Ohio Valley Goodwill has linked protecting the environment to helping people earn paychecks, support their families and strengthen their communities,” said Joe Byrum, President and CEO. “Each individual shopper and donor is an important partner in what we do.”

This Sunday, April 22nd is the official celebration of Earth Day. Join Ohio Valley Goodwill in honoring our planet by making a donation of a computer, unwanted electronic equipment or other household items at any one of the 29 conveniently located donation centers in the Greater Cincinnati area.  For a complete list, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/donate. And please accept our very sincere thanks for your commitment to responsible recycling.