GOODWILL IND OF THE SOUTHERN

During 2024, mission services aided 40,214 individuals and made 6,197 jobconnections, generating an economic impact for our communities and counties of approximately $306 million in georgia and alabama . The organization assisted individuals with disabilities and other disadvantages through a host of services located in goodwillsr career centers and training facilities including: work evaluation, work adjustment, supported employment, work experience, custodial training and certification, retail training and certification, summer enrichment, ged preparation and test funding, english language learner classes, in-school supports, community vouchers, post-secondary educational supports, restaurant food service training and certification, and returning citizens training. All programs and services are provided at no cost to the client through a combination of funders and grants. Responding to an increasing hispanic population in the territory, the goodwillsr hispanic services program offers free services based on the unique challenges of the hispanic community, with bilingual career centers located in columbus, newnan and valdosta, georgia. Hispanic services aided 3,126 clients in 2024. Programs include bilingual workshops, job fairs, and english as a second language (esl) classes. The program also engages partnerships with local agencies, school districts, and organizations to reach the hispanic community. The hispanic youth program for employment (hype) encourages high school-aged students to finish school while preparing them for the workforce. The goal of hype is to help decrease the number of hispanic students dropping out of high school, which is higher than any other racial or ethnic group nationwide. In 2010, goodwillsr began offering free tax preparation services for families and individuals who met certain income requirements through an irs sponsored grant called volunteer income tax assistance, or vita. In 2024, goodwillsr served 8,420 clients resulting in refunds that surpassed $10.2 million. To learn more about goodwillsr's accomplishments, please visit us at www.goodwillsr.org.