Goodwill® Pledges to Employ and Empower People with Disabilities

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Throughout the month of October, Goodwill is proud to stand with the U.S. Department of Labor to support National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This national campaign raises awareness about the contributions people with disabilities make in America's workforce, and it encourages companies and organizations to build business cultures that value diversity, respect and employment opportunities for all.

NDEAM's roots trace back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

For more than a century, Goodwill Industries International has helped individuals navigate challenges to finding employment, and Goodwill is proud to have helped millions of Americans find and keep good jobs. These are people like Robbie Green, a veteran who not long ago found himself paralyzed and was told his chances at a normal life were over. Doctors said that he'd not drive, work or live alone again. Instead of giving up, he redefined his place in the world. With support from the Veterans Administration (VA) and Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth (TX), he received training in a new skill: refurbishing computers donated to Goodwill. Green now works at Goodwill, in addition to volunteering at the VA hospital where he helps other veterans with disabilities, and he is also training for the National Veteran Wheelchair Games, in which he's already competed several times. Recognizing his success, Goodwill recently named Green its 2014 Achiever of the Year.   

Green's story embodies this year's NDEAM theme, "Expect. Employ. Empower." These words are familiar to everyone at Goodwill, which works with people to develop their employment skills and find good jobs.

"Millions of Americans with disabilities make important contributions to the workplace every day," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "At Goodwill, we encourage all local businesses to join us in a commitment to employ and empower people with disabilities."

Last year, Goodwill helped more than 278,000 people with disabilities gain job skills and earn employment. To learn more about how Goodwill can help you find a job, visit www.goodwill.org.

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,000 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Goodwill also builds revenue and creates jobs by contracting with businesses and government agencies to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2013, more than 9.8 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 83 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services.

To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMQkm7X4BTQ

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090716/DC47803LOGO

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International