LOUISVILLE, KY. – Goodwill Industries of Kentucky and Norton Healthcare recently broke ground on a historic initiative in West Louisville: the Norton Healthcare Goodwill “Opportunity Campus,” which will house Goodwill’s new headquarters, a 120,000 square-foot “Opportunity Center” and the first hospital west of Ninth Street in more than 100 years.
In conjunction with plans for the $100 million Opportunity Campus, Goodwill announced it would be rebranding its current resource centers as Opportunity Centers and building new locations throughout the commonwealth. To date, there are currently six Centers, with plans to open five more within the next 12 months.
To introduce the public to the Opportunity Centers, showcase its expungement program and provide information on other services, Goodwill will host a series of “Opportunity Expos” at five locations, September through October:
- Somerset, September 21
- The Center for Rural Development, 2292 US 27 #300, Somerset, KY 42501
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Louisville, September 28
- South Louisville Opportunity Center, 6201 Preston Highway, Louisville, KY 40219
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Lexington, October 7
- Lexington Opportunity Center, 130 West New Circle Rd., Suite 110, Lexington, KY 40505
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Bowling Green, October 12
- Bowling Green Opportunity Center, 1806 U.S. Highway 31W Bypass, Bowling Green, KY 42101
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT
- Elizabethtown, October 26
- Elizabethtown Opportunity Center, 243 West Dixie Avenue, Elizabethtown, KY 42701
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Each Expo will feature an open house for Goodwill’s Opportunity Centers and a walkthrough of the life-changing resources available. Community partners are also encouraged to attend. Tables will be available for partners to set up supporting materials and explain their resources to participants at Elizabethtown, Bowling Green and Somerset.
The Louisville Opportunity Expo will be a multi-faceted celebration. Goodwill will cut the ribbon on The Excel Center®, Kentucky’s first high school for adults that the nonprofit will open this fall. It will also celebrate the one-year anniversary of its 2nd Chance Outlet. The Elizabethtown Opportunity Expo will serve as a grand opening for Goodwill’s new Opportunity Center in Elizabethtown.
The events will also feature expungement clinics, a free legal service that helps justice-involved individuals seal criminal records from a state or federal record. When creating opportunity for Kentuckians searching for self-sufficiency, Goodwill’s expungement program plays a critical role. Goodwill is focused on providing legal and financial assistance to its participants because of the impact an individual’s background can have on securing stable employment, housing and other basic needs.
Goodwill partners with legal aid agencies The Legal Aid Society, Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, AppalRed Legal Aid and Kentucky Legal Aid to offer free legal advice and expungements to its clients. Clinics are held across the commonwealth, both in person and virtually.
This year, more than 1,200 individuals have attended Goodwill’s expungement clinics. Of that number, 882 have been granted expungements. Another 1,119 are currently pending. In addition, the expungement program has been able to connect more than 2,400 Kentuckians with resources at our Opportunity Centers this year.
If you are a community partner interested in registering for Expos in Elizabethtown, Bowling Green or Somerset, or if you’re an individual interested in registering for one of our expungement clinics, please visit www.goodwillky.org/opportunity-expos. For the Louisville clinic, partners are encouraged to register but tables will not be set up. For Lexington, please find contact information at Goodwill’s event website above.
About Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is a 99-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 2021, Goodwill helped place 2,636 Kentuckians into jobs with 871 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.