Description
About Goodwill Southern California Since 1916, Goodwill Southern California (GSC) has enhanced the quality of life of people with disabilities or other disadvantages by providing education, training and job opportunities to assist them in becoming more self-sufficient and productive.
GSC operates 53 retail stores, 40 attended donation centers, three campuses and 21 service locations in the Los Angeles (north of Rosecrans Ave.), Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator, gave GSC its highest four-star ranking for six consecutive years, because GSC spends 91 percent of its budget on programs that transform lives through the power of work.
Who we help
More than 31,000 people with disabilities or vocational disadvantages benefit from GSC's education, job training and placement programs each year. Our customers include people with disabilities, homeless persons, veterans, families in poverty, ex-offenders and many others in need.
How we help
Our trainees gain job skills and work experience through certified classroom and onthejob training, through the marketing of donated goods, through jobs contracted with local businesses and through interviews with employers or referrals from our Career Resource Centers.
What we offer (a sampling of gsc programs) Through a network of outside partners, Career Resource Centers bring job seekers and employers together in one place. Employers get help finding candidates and screening prospective employees; job seekers get help preparing resumes, getting interviews and taking classes toward retraining or upgrading of skills.
Deaf Training and Employment Center provides Personal, Vocational and Social Adjustment (PVSA) and Employment Services (ES) to people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. PVSA program helps people adjust to outside environment, teaching them basic skills such as time management, conflict resolution, job retention, motivation and more. ES program is designed for people who are referred to GSC by the Department of Rehabilitation and are looking for work. Here, under instruction, students create their resumes, cover and thank-you letters. The students then participate in mock interviews and receive advice and support while searching for a position.
Employment Preparation Training (EPT) is a two-week intensive training program, which ultimately prepares participants for permanent employment. The program was designed for chronically unemployed individuals with little or no skills or work history, but is open to the general public as well.
Work Activity Program is designed to help customers become familiar with the world of work through a paid work experience. Individualized support, counseling, and training are the hallmarks of this highly successful program where transition to community employment is based on individual growth and choice. Duties may include assembly, packaging, labeling, sorting, or working in production areas. Customers of the Work Activity Program are generally referred to GSC by the Regional Centers and Department of Rehabilitation. WorkSource Centers offer more similar but more extensive services than Career Resource Centers including training, case management, support services, positive recruitment and business services. Youth Centers provide at-risk youth with leadership training, work-based mentoring, internships and paid work experience, plus basic education, educational competency classes, tutoring and recreational activities. Environmental impact
In 2007 GSC diverted 6,500 tons of textile waste from landfills, recycled 1,420 tons of electronics and recycled 1,176 tons of paper. We have been an eco-conscious organization for 91 years, and we do it through three business lines: our retail program, our electronics recycling and our secure shredding.
