Goodwill Of The Heartland-R.I.

Our Goodwill roots are deep and began in Boston more than 100 years ago as Iowa native Edgar J. Helms introduced the philosophy of ?a hand up not charity.? For 50 years we have been at home in southeastern Iowa and western Illinois offering a leg up through jobs training and employment to those who are working toward greater levels of independence. Today we serve thousands of individuals through a variety of basic and intensive services in 16 Iowa counties and 3 Illinois counties. We are governed by a board of directors representative of our service areas and managed by our Senior Leadership Team. Dr. Edgar J. Helms- a native Iowan founded the national Goodwill movement in Boston in 1902 to assist people in developing abilities increasing self respect and attaining economic independence. Locally Goodwill was founded in 1965 as Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa following work by the Iowa City Kiwanis Club the Association for Retarded Citizens (now known as the ARC) and Col. Brooks Booker. Fifty years later Goodwill of the Heartland works under that same spirit of partnership with a focus toward enhancing opportunities for those facing barriers to independence. Within a year of establishing its not-for-profit status Goodwill opened its first retail store in downtown Iowa City to help fund its services and create jobs for those with disabilities. Today our retail operation has grown to provide 70 percent of the funding for those vital services. The drive for the mission and the belief it is a purpose worth sharing powers Goodwill. When Goodwill introduced its services to Cedar Rapids in 1973 it was the first expansion of many. The core belief that ?Goodwill way? changes lives for the better fuels expansion throughout our territory. Goodwill now offers services in Muscatine the Quad Cities and Clinton and is evaluating services for the far southeast regions of Iowa. Known for its spirit of innovation Goodwill became the first Iowa agency to receive a federal work contract under the Javits-Wagner-O?Day act in 1977 now part of AbilityOne. Goodwill continues today hold other federal contracts providing jobs and training. Goodwill completed its first CARF survey in 1977 netting the organization a three-year accreditation and setting a standard it has reached every three years since.

To advance the social and economic well being of people with barriers to independence.