Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries

The afternoon of Thursday August 25th served as the occasion for Ohio Valley Goodwill’s first Open House celebration of its new Eastside Vocational Rehabilitation Center. Located in Batavia, the new Goodwill Center represents a precedent-setting collaborative agreement between  both the Clermont and Hamilton County Boards of Developmental Disabilities. The Eastside Vocational Services Center currently provides services to 18 individuals who were very enthusiastic participants in the Open House event. The Center is designed to serve individuals who reside in both Clermont County and on the Eastside of Cincinnati and can accommodate referrals as needed.

The new Goodwill Eastside program offers both a facility-based work training and recreational option as well as a community-based opportunity through participation in its training team housed in its Beechmont store location.  ”We are very excited about the diverse array of options that we are able to offer residents of both Clermont and Hamilton Counties,” said Leslie McCurley, Asst. Director of DD Services.

Ohio Valley Goodwill team members were delighted to welcome honored guests to Thursday’s Open House event including State Representative Joe Uecker, Clermont County Commissioner Edwin Humphrey, Southwest Ohio Developmental Center Superintendent Jim Krumer and Program Director Frank Lengel, Hamilton County DD Services Transition Team members, as well as Clermont County Board of DD Team members and a reporter from the Clermont Sun newspaper. The assembled guests were treated to a musical performance from program participant Kevin Brown, an informative video produced by Public Information Officer Michael Flannery, as well as tasty treats provided by Goodwill’s Food Services Training program.

For more information about the new Goodwill Eastside Vocational Services Center or to schedule a tour, please contact Sharon Hannon, Marketing Specialist, at (513) 771-4800, ext. 6364 or email: shannon@cincigoodwill.org.

Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to both the Clermont and Hamilton County Boards of Developmental Disabilities for their support of this important new program and service for residents of the Eastside of Greater Cincinnati.

John Briggs, Goodwill’s Community Liaison with award from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

The Board of Directors of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) recently named John Briggs, Community Liaison of Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries, as its “Unsung Hero” in recognition of personal contributions and work with America’s homeless veterans. John has worked at Ohio Valley Goodwill since 1987 and with Goodwill’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration program since 1993. Each year the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans accepts nominations from its membership and selects one person they feel is most deserving of the Unsung Hero award from hundreds of submissions.

The coalition is a non-profit organization which is the resource and technical assistance center for the national network of community-based service providers that work in support of hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year. Once nominations for the Unsung Hero are closed, the NCHV board and staff select one person they feel is most deserving of the award. The award is indeed one which honors John’s many years of dedication and service to our nation’s homeless veterans. John was also recently recognized by the Board of Directors of Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries with a Certificate of Appreciation.

At Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries, John has worked with community agencies that serve veterans and he works especially close with the Continuum of Care, a consortium of thirty-three agencies that provide service to veterans. John has also served as the Chairman of the Cincinnati Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a data base management system that is used nationally to help track homeless veterans. He has also worked with other faith based organizations that serve veterans and worked at the national level to help develop concepts of potential legislation. John has served on a forum to develop permanent housing options for homeless veterans as well. In his role at Ohio Valley Goodwill, John has managed the annual spring Stand Down in Cincinnati and worked cooperatively with HUD agencies in Cincinnati to assist homeless individuals. He has also worked to help other non-veterans and especially individuals and families with specific issues. He has been a featured speaker at the VA Conference on Homelessness and has been an invited speaker before the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans.

John has been a resident of Finneytown since 1981 where he lives with his wife, Shirlie. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and holds graduate degrees from Kent State University and Indiana State. He is a published writer and an avid tennis player. John is committed to the needs of the population that he serves and represents. Goodwill congratulates John for this most deserving award.

Make Cincinnati’s Goodwill stores a part of your back to school plan this year for cool looks and shopping finds!  Goodwilll’s 16 area retail stores are filled with the looks that will prepare students of all ages for the trip back to school and campus.  Goodwill can help parents prepare students for the coming of the school year with clothing needs for students of all ages. Goodwill stores are filled with hot tops, cool shorts, shoes, backpacks, and jeans that can fill a shopping cart!  With prices that can help a family stretch their dollars in this struggling economy, Goodwill is the first stop for families with students heading back to the classroom.

Goodwill stores are packed full of school clothing and new items arrive every day.  We have the looks that keep kids cool even in these hot end-of-the summer days.  Even those students heading off to college will enjoy loooking for those nearly-new items needed for the trip to campus.  Whether it’s the toss pillow for Mom’s old sofa or a great lamp to accent the new living room, Goodwill is the great first stop to prepare for the trip to campus.  Shopping Goodwill and heading to school is a great dollar stretcher!

For more information about Goodwill’s Greater Cincinnati locations, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org and like us on Facebook for your valuable store coupons!

Ohio Valley Goodwill President/CEO Joe Byrum with State Representative Peter Beck

Ohio Valley Goodwill was pleased to welcome State Representative Peter Beck of the 67th House District to its corporate facility for a tour on Friday, August 12th.  During the comprehensive tour, Representative Beck was delighted to learn more about Goodwill’s programs and services designed for men and women with disabilities including its computer training, janitorial and food services programs.  The Representative was also interested to learn more about the organization’s award-winning Center for Advocacy, Education and Recreation program (CARE) as well as other support services for individuals with disabilities.  The tour also included information about Goodwill’s Job Placement, Coaching support and GoodGuides youth mentoring programs.

Assisting with the tour were President and CEO, Joseph Byrum, along with George Palmer, Director of PR and Marketing. The Representative was pleased to learn about Goodwill’s broad array of programs and services including those that are available for individuals transitioning into community employment.  In addition, Goodwill’s environmental recycling efforts were of particular interest to Representative Beck.  Annually, Goodwill recycles more than 44 million pounds of donated materials diverting it from area landfills.

An additional highlight was a visit to Goodwill’s dormitory which provides temporary housing for veterans through the organization’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program(HVRP).  This program has been providing service to veterans since the early 1990′s, and last year served over 650 veterans in this program.  Representative Beck, a veteran himself, was pleased with the successes that Ohio Valley Goodwill has had with its veterans programs over the last several years.

The evening of Thursday, August 11th was poignant and memorable in many ways, as members of Ohio Valley Goodwill’s staff team joined with the CARA group in recognizing the accomplishments of retiring HCDDS Superintendent Cheryl Phipps. Goodwill is one of the founding members of the Community Ambassadors Resource Alliance (CARA), which is a consortium of 16 non-profit agencies whose mission is raise community awareness and funds to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities. In honor of Ms. Phipps, the CARA group chose to host an evening reception to allow partners and friends to convey their best wishes and share memories of Phipps leadership over the past 11 years.

Held at the Anderson Center, the “Next Chapter” event welcomed more than 75 guests who enjoyed the evening of conversation, delicious appetizers, musical entertainment, and formal tributes provided by a series of special guests. Ohio Valley Goodwill’s President and CEO Joe Byrum was especially pleased to have the opportunity to present Ms. Phipps with a formal proclamation from the organization’s Board of Directors in recognition of her many accomplishments over the years. Byrum’s presentation was then followed by the heart-felt words of advocate and friend Melinda Gabelman, who captured the emotion of the evening by saying, “Thank you for what you’ve done on behalf of all of us…I will be sad when you leave but you’ll always be in my heart.”

Superintendent Phipps leadership was based on the principles of “Self-Determination” which simply means that individuals with disabilities make the decisions and choices to determine their own futures. Phipps is widely regarded as an inspirational and effective leader who served the more than 10,000 individuals that the Board supports with distinction.

The CARA ”Next Chapter” event was viewed as a wonderful success and a fitting tribute to HCDDS Superintendent Phipps.