Ohio Valley Goodwill Participates in OAGI Statehouse Day and Accessible Ohio Awards!

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Mission and Marketing team members along with President and CEO, Mark Hiemstra participated in the 2024 OAGI (Ohio Association of Goodwill Industries) Statehouse Day on Tuesday, April 9th. The 2024 Statehouse Day event was designed to educate elected representatives on Goodwill’s mission,  economic impact and new legislation.  A majority of the 15 Ohio Goodwill’s were in attendance for the important event which included a formal luncheon as well as for the first time, an Awards Ceremony in honor of the elected Legislators including Opportunities for Ohioans Director, Kevin Miller. The Accessible Ohio Awards were given in recognition of legislative “Good Partners” who have supported the OAGI Mission.

Other Legislative Honorees included:

The Honorable Adam Bird

Senator Michele Reynolds

Senator Catherine Ingram

The Honorable Nick Santucci

The Honorable Sean Brennan

The Honorable Joseph Miller

Legislative Meetings: Before and after the Statehouse Day luncheon event, meetings were held with Senators Lang, Wilson and Ingram as well as State Representatives Bird, Baker and Denson for the Cincinnati representatives.  During these important introductory meetings, the Goodwill team provided an overview of OAGI and its impact as well as specifically, Ohio Valley Goodwill and its mission of service to individuals in the Greater Cincinnati community.  The organizations’ programs for individuals with Developmental Disabilities as well as Veterans services were discussed as well as impact on workforce development priorities in the larger community. All legislators were extended a cordial invitation to tour Ohio Valley Goodwill (if they haven’t already done so) to learn more about its programs and services and meetings are being confirmed in the coming weeks.

OAGI Statewide Impact: Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to its elected Representatives for their support of and interest in Goodwill’s mission of service and economic impact to the larger community and throughout the state of Ohio. Last year alone, Ohio Goodwills provided services to more than 78,000 Ohioans and overall, is a $240 million enterprise. Locally, Ohio Valley Goodwill serves an average of 2000 people a year and has a $64 million dollar economic impact. Additionally, Goodwill’s commitment to environmental preservation and responsible recycling resulted in 192 million pounds of product being diverted from area landfills statewide. In the Greater Cincinnati community, Ohio Valley Goodwill helps to recycle more than 44 million pounds annually.

Ohio Valley Goodwill looks forward to working collaboratively with its elected Representatives in the future on addressing Ohio’s Workforce Development needs as well as other proactive programs to serve the needs of the citizens of Ohio. To learn about Ohio Valley Goodwill’s programs and services, click here.

For more images of the OAGI Statehouse Day, click here.