LOUISVILLE, KY. – Goodwill Industries of Kentucky will host a ribbon cutting event on Friday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to noon EST to commemorate the grand opening of its new South Louisville Opportunity Center, located at 6201 Preston Highway, Suite A, Louisville, KY 40219.
U.S. Senator Rand Paul, Goodwill President and CEO Amy Luttrell, Chief of External Affairs DeVone Holt, Opportunity Center Manager Leonard Berrios, Louisville Metro Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe, Greater Louisville, Inc. Investor Development Director Brian Schneider, Derby City Gaming General Manager Garth Williams, KentuckianaWorks Program Director Angella Wilson and a Goodwill program participant will speak during the event.
Attendees are invited to tour the Opportunity Center following the ribbon cutting. Goodwill and its partners will host an expungement clinic beginning at 9 a.m. to help job seekers clear their justice-involved backgrounds – one of many services available at the Center.
The South Louisville Opportunity Center is designed for area residents who experience barriers to employment and self-sufficiency, including addictions, justice-involved backgrounds, education deficiencies, limited workforce histories, childcare challenges, transportation, homelessness and mental or physical disabilities. The Center will serve as a one-stop-shop for those individuals – with services, programs, classes and community partner presentations on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Center is part of Goodwill’s plan to expand its geographic presence and meet the growing service needs in communities where holistic resources are needed the most. Goodwill has rebranded its current resource centers as Opportunity Centers and has plans to establish more locations in 2023, its centennial anniversary year. The name change reflects the long-term transformation of the organization, which has been operating and providing programs and services and opportunities since 1923.
Goodwill has formed cooperative partnerships with like-minded organizations to collaborate and provide programs and services together at the Opportunity Centers. Individuals seeking support will be able to come to the Center to meet with Goodwill career coaches or partners for various support services:
- Reintegrating Individuals Successfully Every Day (RISE) program – this is a two-week, incentivized job-readiness program. Program graduates are awarded Work Ready Certificates and can be awarded gift cards and a laptop.
- Soft Skills Academy – An eight-hour course that helps prepare individuals for successful employment by focusing on attitude, conflict resolution, dependability, self-presentation, team building and safety.
- GoodStart program – An intensive 20-25-hour program designed to provide participants with resources and tools to strengthen their skills, learn new platforms and promote career exploration.
- Financial and budgeting support
- Applied digital skills in the newly designed computer lab, sponsored by Derby City Gaming
- Information about our programs, including Goodwill Cars to Work, Another Way, Last Mile to Work
- Behavioral, mental and spiritual health support
- Addiction treatment
- Housing assistance
- Legal and expungement services
- SNAP assistance
- ESL Class (English as second language) – 10-week semesters
- Forklift accreditations
- Career coaching
- Resume building support
- Much more
Select South Louisville Opportunity Center staff members are bilingual (English and Spanish) to help meet the needs of individuals in the area. Beginning March 30, 2023, the Center will host partner days on Thursdays, creating a one-stop-shop for individuals to receive resources from several community and employer partners.
To learn more about Goodwill and its Opportunity Center model, visit www.goodwillky.org.
About Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is a 100-year-old nonprofit organization that operates in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. The organization is committed to using resources from its 67 retail stores to help build pathways out of poverty for individuals who need a hand up in life. In 2022, Goodwill helped place 2,368 Kentuckians into jobs with 877 of its employer partners and inside its own retail stores. Goodwill uses approximately 90 cents from every dollar generated in its retail stores to operate programs and services that help Kentucky’s hardest-to-serve job seekers build the life they desire.