Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries

In January, Ohio Valley Goodwill celebrated the continued success of its programs and services for people in need of housing when it received a renewal award of $172,000 from HUD for its longest running Permanent Housing for Persons with Disabilities grant.

The grant makes up a small portion of the more than $1.5 million in federal funding Goodwill has received from agencies including the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the US Department of Labor (DOL).

In addition to the HUD renewal grant, the agency received word that its newest HUD housing project was funded with a two-year, $703,923 grant, with an expected start-up date of February 1, 2011. The permanent housing project is a housing and rehabilitation program that will serve persons with documented disabilities and connect them with rehabilitation services offered by Goodwill and by other local, state or federal funding sources.

Ohio Valley Goodwill has secured $900,000 in Veterans Administration and Department of Labor funding for programs that help to serve homeless veterans. The agency operates two Transitional Housing Leasing Pool (THLP) programs, one of which is veteran specific. In addition, the agency runs a Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program for veterans in Northern Kentucky, and operates an emergency housing program.

“We are proud of the programs and services that we have been offering since the early 1990s that help to serve veterans, as well as of the successes that we have had in the area of housing and job placements,” said Grants Director Charlie Blythe. For more information about Ohio Valley Goodwill’s housing and veteran assistance programs, please contact Charlie Blythe at cblythe@cincigoodwill.org or Mick Fusco at mfusco@cincigoodwill.org.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is excited to announce that plans for the 2011 Goodwill Celebrity Golf Outing are well underway and this year’s event will have a whole NEW look in honor of the organization’s 95th Anniversary of service. Being held at the beautiful Glenview Golf Club on Thursday, June 9th, the 2011 outing features an earlier start time, a brand new dinner sponsor, and for the first time ever, a Spectacular Helicopter Ball Drop following the conclusion of play. The best part is that all of Goodwill’s friends have an opportunity to support this year’s outing just by purchasing a golf ball for only $5.00! You can purchase as many golf balls as you like for your chance to win a large cash prize. You can buy your golf ball on-line by clicking here or to get your reservation in early for this year’s celebration.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to our 2011 Presenting Sponsor, US Bank; Dinner sponsor, Lother’s Catering; Beverage Sponsor, Palmer Leasing and Printing Sponsor, BLUESKY Creative, Inc. for their support of this year’s 95th Anniversary celebration. While sponsorship opportunities are going quickly, there are a number of sponsorship options still available for this year’s event. Click here for a list of sponsorships available and accompanying recognition opportunities. Honorary Chairman, Joe Walter, will be once again reprising his role as host for this year’s special event. Proceeds from the 2011 Golf Outing will benefit Ohio Valley Goodwill and the thousands of individuals with disabilities the organization serves.

Join Ohio Valley Goodwill in looking forward to warmer temperatures and summertime celebrations with our many friends during the occasion of our 95th Anniversary of service in the Greater Cincinnati area. Remember to support Goodwill by purchasing your $5.00 golf ball TODAY and your chance to win a large cash prize during our first-time ever Spectacular Helicopter Drop. Register on-line today to reserve your spot for this year’s very special celebration. For more information about the 2011 Goodwill Celebrity Golf Outing, contact Sharon Hannon, Marketing Specialist, at shannon@cincigoodwill.org or (513) 771-4800, ext. 6364.

Ohio Valley Goodwill GoodGuides Youth Mentoring program was part of a feature article in the Cincinnati Enquirer in recognition of National Mentoring month on Sunday, January 16th. Mentoring partners, Phil Felty, 37, and Chris Munson, 17, were brought together through Goodwill’s GoodGuides program. The pair spend time together playing basketball and having fun but more importantly, talking about the future. Chris is interested in a career in landscaping and Phil is a landscaper. After graduating from high school, Chris plans to join the National Guard. When he returns from his training, he will have a job waiting for him provided by his mentor, Phil. When asked to describe the relationship with his mentor, Chris said “He’s one of my best friends.” Read the Enquirer story by reporter Jessica Brown and view the accompanying video by producer, Amanda Davidson.

Goodwill’s GoodGuides program is designed to pair youth 12-17 with trusted adult mentors who can help to provide guidance and support as these young people plan for their futures. The basic idea is that by keeping youth out of trouble now, they will be less likely to face even greater hardships down the road and instead contribute to and strengthen our community.

As the GoodGuides program continues to grow, adults mentors are being sought. Ideal mentors are people who truly like adolescents; are willing to commit at least one year to transform the future and are dependable and committed. For more information about the GoodGuides program, please contact Tim Spoleti, Youth Services Manager at tspoleti@cincigoodwill.org.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to its wonderful mentor teams and to the Cincinnati Enquirer for their coverage of this important Youth Mentoring story.

Jauuary is National Mentoring Month and Ohio Valley Goodwill is celebrating the first anniversary of its GoodGuides program; a mentoring program designed to serve at-risk youth 12-17 years of age. Initially launched in Northern Kentucky, the GoodGuides program is now available in the Cincinnati area as well. The program provides guidance to 12-to-17 year-olds who face risk factors such as dropping out of school, juvenile delinquency, family violence and other challenges. Through the use of trusted adult mentors, the program helps these young people to build career plans and skills. The basic idea is that if we can keep these youth out of trouble now, they will be less likely to face even greater hardships down the road and instead, contribute to and strengthen our community.

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s GoodGuides program has successfully matched 52 mentors with youth during the initial stages of the effort and is committed towards achieving 100 total matches in the coming year. GoodGuides is funded through a $19.1 million grant to Goodwill Industries International from the U.S. Department of Justice. Ohio Valley Goodwill is one of 56 community-based Goodwill agencies in 38 states that received funding from the grant to provide career-focused youth mentoring so that youth can build career plans and skills as they prepare to finish school.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is especially pleased that the Cincinnati Enquirer selected its GoodGuides program and one of its mentoring teams for an upcoming story on National Mentoring Month. The mentor team profiled are a wonderful example of how the mentoring process can truly impact a young man’s life. Look for the upcoming story in a January issue of the Cincinnati Enquirer as well as posted on our News Blog in the next few weeks.

As the GoodGuides program continues to grow, adult mentors are being sought. Ideal mentors are people who truly like adolescents; are willing to commit at least one year to transform the future and are dependable and committed. For more information about the GoodGuides program, please visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org or contact: Tim Spoleti, Youth Services Manager at tspoleti@cincigoodwill.org.

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s GoodGuides program salutes National Mentoring Month in the past way possible… by helping youth to succeed.

The last day of December is always a big day for Ohio Valley Goodwill and its donation centers. Hundreds of cars are lined up throughout the day, waiting their turn to drop off their last-minute donations before the start of the New Year. WCPO reporter Tony Mirones, was on-hand once again this year, to view all of the activitity in progress. While many donors are there to collect their receipts for an end-of-the-year tax deduction, others are just working hard to simplify and down-size their life-style. WCPO talked to many of this year’s last minute donors to find out why they picked the last day of the year to donate. Click here to view the story.

Woodlawn Store Manager Krysta Ryan was on hand to describe the donation frenzy from Goodwill’s point of view. “We are delighted that our donors make Goodwill a priority on the last day of the year,” said Ryan. “Donations benefit our mission of service throughout the year,” added Ryan. Ohio Valley Goodwill uses the proceeds from the sale of generously donated items to fund its employment and training programs for men and women with disabilities and our nation’s veterans. Annually, the organization serves more than 2400 individuals and helps almost 700 to obtain jobs in the community. Goodwill is grateful to WCPO TV for their coverage of this important New Year story.