Goodwill Of Western Missouri And Eastern Kansas Returns Rare Fiddle To Owner
Handmade Roy Acuff fiddle had been donated by mistake
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to recent reports, Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas has been in possession of a rare piece of American cultural history – a fiddle once owned by Country Music Hall of Famer Roy Acuff.
The fiddle, which was handmade by Acuff's uncle, Evart Acuff, had been donated to Goodwill's North Oak location, along with documentation that was used to verify its authenticity. After normal processing of the donated item, the fiddle was placed for auction on shopgoodwill.com® on December 27, 2017.
After online bidding commenced, a person claiming to be the rightful owner of the instrument contacted Goodwill®. That person, who wishes to remain anonymous, informed Goodwill that the item was a family heirloom mistakenly donated by a family member. Upon verification of the instrument's ownership, Goodwill suspended the online bidding process, removed the fiddle from Goodwill's items for sale and returned it to the owner.
"We would like to thank all of those who have expressed interest in this rare, wonderful musical instrument, especially those who have seen fit to place bids to purchase it," said Kevin Bentley, interim president and CEO, Goodwill Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas. "Goodwill appreciates how valuable this fiddle is to music lovers. It is also a family heirloom that came into our possession by mistake. Because of that, we have honored the request to return the item. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused for any of our shoppers. And we thank you for your understanding."
Goodwill's mission is to provide employment placement and job training opportunities to help people who are unemployed or underemployed find jobs, earn paychecks and build their skills. Goodwill provides those services through the sale of donated items in its retail locations and online at shopgoodwill.com®.
All Goodwill services and programs are provided at no cost to those who participate. To find out more about Goodwill's donation policies as well as its career program and employment services, visit www.mokangoodwill.org.
About Goodwill Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas:
Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower people with disadvantages and different abilities to earn and keep employment through individualized programs and services. In 2016, nearly 1.5 million purchases and 490,000 donations funded our mission. 90¢ of every dollar Goodwill spends supports the mission locally with programs like Quest Academy, which gives urban youth with disadvantages and different abilities a real-life work experience and soft skills to enter the workforce; GoodWORKS Career Resource Centers, which provide free career exploration assistance and is open to the public, and the Career Impact Program that pairs individuals with different abilities with career navigators and career coaches to succeed in the workplace.
Goodwill has a rich history of more than 120 years of service in and around Kansas City. The organization has 14 stores with additional donation sites and GoodWORKS Career Resource Centers.
Goodwill is a leader in sustainability, annually diverting 15 million pounds of computers, paper, clothing and textiles from area landfills, recovering the value through resale and recycle.
Learn more at www.mokangoodwill.org. To see all the good we do together, follow us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.
SOURCE Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas
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