Goodwill to expand services in South Dakota

Day Services will now be offered in Rapid City

After more than a decade of providing employment skills training to help people with barriers find successful employment in Rapid City, Goodwill is pleased to announce it will be expanding services offered in South Dakota to include Day Services.

What are Day Services?

Goodwill helps people with intellectual disabilities meet personal goals and grow as individuals, teaching daily living skills, goal setting, socialization and offering community engagement in a fun, energetic setting – a chance to go out and be part of the community.

These expanded services come after Goodwill went through a two-and-a-half-year certification process to earn Community Support Provider status through the State of South Dakota. In May, Goodwill obtained Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) accreditation.

Goodwill giving all July Round up at the Register donations to Red Cross Disaster Relief

Round up to help with flood relief

July 1st through July 31st, all donations received from Goodwill of the Great Plains’ customers as part of the Round up at the Register drive will be donated to the American Red Cross – Disaster Response: Spring Storms and Floods, to support those affected by the recent flooding in our region.

Getting asked to round up at Goodwill is nothing new; when you shop at any of our 22 retail stores or Outlet Center, you’re asked to round up to the next dollar at checkout. While this money usually goes toward Goodwill’s mission of providing job training and employment services to individuals in our communities, from now through Wednesday, July 31st, any amount you donate will be given to the American Red Cross.

“As those affected by the flooding begin the physically and emotionally exhausting process of recovering from this upheaval to their lives, Goodwill wants to help,” said Briget Solomon, President & CEO of Goodwill of the Great Plains. “I’m constantly amazed by the compassion and kindness throughout our organization and in the communities we get to call home.”

Whether your donation is $.99 or just one penny – you can be confident knowing it will help those affected by the historic flooding of the Big Sioux, Little Sioux, Missouri and other rivers this summer.

All donations will be paid to the Red Cross by Saturday, August 10th.

In addition to the Round up at the Register drive, Goodwill of the Great Plains will be distributing additional store vouchers to agencies within the communities we serve that provide disaster relief.

Goodwill volunteers fill relief bags to help friends affected by historic floods

More than a dozen volunteers were helping fill bags with toiletries and other personal hygiene items at Goodwill of the Great Plains on Tuesday, June 25th. The bags will go to roughly 10 people who are enrolled in Goodwill programs who have been displaced from their homes because of the flooding Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers.

The bags contained items like shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and more; the volunteers were also planning to distribute food, as well.

The volunteers are among those served by Goodwill of the Great Plains’ Integrated Day Services Program, which provides care for elderly adults, adults with special needs and adults with Alzheimer’s.

To find out more about Goodwill’s programs, please visit http://www.goodwillgreatplains.org

Local students get virtual reality career experience thanks to Goodwill

Goodwill headsets give students hands-on virtual experiences

Dozens of local high school students were able to practice their job interview skills and try out careers first-hand, thanks to Goodwill of the Great Plains’ virtual reality headsets, at the TAP Summer Program held at Sioux City’s North High School on Wednesday, June 4th.

The Goodwill VR headsets allow students to explore careers in fields ranging from construction to healthcare and beyond, with training simulations allowing them to virtually change the oil in an automobile, assist with an electrocardiogram (EKG), demolish an overpass, repair fiber internet service and more.

As part of the camp, students were also able to tour Goodwill’s Career Cruiser.

Are you ready to take your career to the next level?

Goodwill can help!

Please visit http://www.goodwillgreatplains.org to find out more about the job training and placement programs offered at Goodwill of the Great Plains, as well as our Job Center and Career Cruiser.