SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – Goodwill Manasota has decided to show its love for its shoppers and supporters this coming Valentine’s Day, which occurs during Random Acts of Kindness Week (February 11-17). On February 14th, Goodwill will distribute gift cards to random shoppers throughout all of its locations to illustrate the joy that can be found in random acts of kindness and thank its shoppers and donors for their support. Additionally, Goodwill will randomly select one person who has signed the Kindness Community pledge, which can be found at experiencegoodwill.org/kindness, and give them a $100 Goodwill gift card.
“Research has shown that the very act of doing something for someone else gives us a chemical high – a more powerful one, in fact, than if something had been done for us,” said Goodwill Manasota vice president Veronica Brandon Miller. “Goodwill believes that everyone has the power to create a kinder community and provide goodwill to others. We hope our gift cards will inspire joy on Valentine’s Day and encourage recipients to pass along that joy to others.”
In November of 2016, Goodwill Manasota and Jacqueline Moore, a former mayor of North Port and a proud Goodwill Ambassador, launched the “Kindness Community” initiative. The community-wide campaign, designed to make a positive impact by bringing our community together and encouraging acts of kindness, has resulted in the signing of more than 25,000 signed Kindness Community pledges by people who have affirmed they will take action and encourage others to perform acts that will transform our community into a better place to live.
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around,” said Moore. “Sometimes it’s the smallest act that makes the biggest impact – something as simple as saying ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ can turn a day around and make life seem that much better.”
The “Kindness Community” Facebook and web pages have served as platforms for people to share their stories and photos. Goodwill asks those who are interested to go online and sign the Kindness Community pledge at experiencegoodwill.org/kindness. For more information, call (941) 355-2721.
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.