Join the Donate Movement by Supporting the Goodwill® and Family Circle Back-to-School Clothing Drive

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third year in a row, Goodwill Industries International and Family Circle magazine are teaming up for a Back-to-School Clothing Drive at Goodwill stores and donation centers across the country. The drive, which runs July 22nd through August 23rd, aims to encourage families to donate their gently used clothing to fund support services that help them become financially stable and support themselves and their families.

Expanding the Partnership Online

In conjunction with the Clothing Drive, Goodwill and Family Circle are also hosting a co-branded Facebook photo contest inviting donors to snap and share a creative picture of their family donating to Goodwill. Donors can drop off their clothing items at any one of Goodwill's more than 2,500 donation centers across the country or plan their own donation drive at schools, businesses, or anywhere friends and neighbors gather. The contest runs July 22nd to August 23rd and the grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 back-to-school shopping spree to send their kids back to school in style. To enter, contestants can visit the Family Circle or Goodwill Facebook page. More information can also be found at http://donate.goodwill.org/familycircle.

"Goodwill and Family Circle's Back-to-School drive supports Goodwill's Donate Movement, a public awareness initiative that educates consumers about how donated goods have the power to make a difference in people's lives, strengthen communities and create a healthier environment," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Parents can use the clothing drive as a means to teach children that donating positively impacts both people and the planet."

The drive is an essential part of the Back-to-School signature promotion, which teaches kids to give back.  Goodwill and Family Circle have partnered for back-to-school donation drives since 2009. In its first year alone, the partnership exceeded its 5 million pound goal, giving 11 million pounds of clothing a second life and contributing to the environment by diverting those items from landfills. In total, Family Circle readers contributed to an increase in donations at local Goodwills of approximately 20 million pounds over the past 2 years.

"At Family Circle we encourage our readers and their families to give back," said Lee Slattery, publisher of Family Circle. "We are thrilled to join forces with Goodwill and reinforce to children and their families that the act of a donation has a tremendous impact on someone's life."

Calculate the Impact of a Donation
Visit http://locator.goodwill.org to find a Goodwill store or donation center. After donating items they no longer need, consumers can calculate the impact of their donation through the patent-pending Donation Impact Calculator at http://donate.goodwill.org. The calculator demonstrates how donated goods become jobs. For example:

• One working computer donated to Goodwill provides 8 hours of on-the-job training.
• Two suits, one dress and one jacket donated to Goodwill provides 1 hour of resume preparation.
• Five sweaters, one lamp and two bikes provide 2 hours of career counseling.

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of North America's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, 2009). 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 2,500 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2010, 2.4 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 84 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) 741-0186. Twitter: @GoodwillIntl Facebook: GoodwillIntl

ABOUT FAMILY CIRCLE

Published 15 times a year by Meredith Corporation, with a circulation of 3.8 million and nearly 19 million readers, Family Circle is one of the most widely read monthly magazines in the world. Family Circle provides smart relevant advice, sensible solutions, and inspiration in a voice that encourages and celebrates success in its pages and online at www.familycircle.com. Family Circle has always been committed to women's issues and in 1973 became the first women's magazine to fully underwrite a professional women's sporting event, the Family Circle Cup, an annual women's tennis tournament held in April in Charleston, S.C., at Family Circle Magazine Stadium.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International