SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – Goodwill Manasota recently received a grant of $75,000 from the Ralph S. French Charitable Foundation in support of the award-winning GoodPartner Coach program. This is the seventh year that Goodwill has received funding from the French Foundation for this purpose.
The GoodPartner Coach program offers individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment with job training and case management services. The goal is to enable those who may have been overlooked elsewhere to gain positive personal and workplace behaviors and skills, feel the pride of earning a paycheck and move toward self-sufficiency, build a strong work history, and develop the experience and skills to position them for higher paying jobs outside of Goodwill.
Goodwill’s Supported JobsPlus program provides employment for team members with significant disabilities, who face much higher rates of unemployment than those without disabilities. As Goodwill has continued to increase the number of employees with disabilities on its team, additional GoodPartner Coaches are needed to meet the demand for one-on-one job training, coaching, and employment.
Through Goodwill’s GoodPartner Coach Program, team members participate in a career needs assessment, the development of an individualized case management plan, and then go through training components to reach ultimate desired outcomes. Job performance and educational benchmarks are set, providing clear expectations for career advancement readiness. Ideally, individuals with disabilities or other barriers to self-sufficiency will establish a lifetime link with Goodwill, so that they may take advantage of ever-increasing services available throughout the community.
“Goodwill has been innovative in hiring people from the community who may have been overlooked elsewhere and the GoodPartner Coach Program has been essential in providing these people with the tools they need to succeed to find and retain employment,” said Bob Rosinsky, president and CEO of Goodwill Manasota. “Our goal is to continue employing and training community members because that creates a stronger workforce and local economy. Everyone deserves a chance to earn a paycheck and feel the dignity of work. We are grateful to the Ralph S. French Charitable Foundation for helping us change lives in a very big way.”
“The French Foundation is happy to support Goodwill Manasota,” said Jim Alderman, administrative co-trustee of the Ralph S. French Foundation. “The GoodPartner Coach program is a crucial resource for individuals who want to work but need individualized attention to ensure they have the skills and training to succeed in the workforce. We are proud to support this worthy effort.”
For more information about the GoodPartner Coach Program, call (941) 355-2721 or go to experiencegoodwill.org.
About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and philanthropic donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities and other barriers to employment by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. In 2016, Goodwill Manasota served 28,207 people, placed 755 people in jobs and assisted 240 veterans as they reintegrated back into the civilian workforce. Goodwill Manasota’s economic impact back to the community is worth $92.1 million. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce-reuse-recycle movement and this past year diverted more than 40 million pounds out of the landfill. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota is accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota, in essence, belongs to this community and is not owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org.