LOUISVILLE, KY. – Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is set to participate in KY Gives Day – an annual day of giving to support nonprofits across the commonwealth, organized by the Kentucky Nonprofit Network – on Tuesday, May 9.
During KY Gives Day, individuals are encouraged to visit KYGives.org anytime from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST to support their favorite Kentucky nonprofits and causes with donations through the site. Since launching in 2013, KY Gives Day has raised more than $4.2 million in partnership with more than 1,000 nonprofits.
Goodwill is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2023 – and its mission to reduce poverty in the commonwealth has never been more relevant. To support Goodwill’s unprecedented investments in underserved communities, the nonprofit is asking its partners, supporters and neighbors to donate to its mission during KY Gives Day by visiting KYGives.org and searching “Goodwill Industries of Kentucky.” Gifts made during KY Gives Day are eligible for matching and participatory prizes, doubling their impact.
“Goodwill impacts a lot of folks around the state,” said Director of Development Andrew Gillette. “Our goal on May 9 is not necessarily tied to how much money we raise. It is more about how much support we can garner across Kentucky.”
Proceeds from KY Gives Day will go toward funding construction and operation of Goodwill’s 12 Opportunity Centers across the commonwealth, none bigger than on the Norton Healthcare Goodwill Opportunity Campus in West Louisville. The Opportunity Center on the campus will house community and employer partners and serve as a one-stop shop for self-sufficiency resources. The campus is expected to serve more than 50,000 individuals each year and create a cumulative annual economic impact of $18.7 million. It will collectively bring more than 300 full-time jobs to the underserved community with average salaries of approximately $60,000.
Gifts will also support the building of additional Opportunity Centers in other underserved communities across the commonwealth that offer a variety of free, in-demand resources, such as, addiction treatment, behavior and mental health resources, soft skills assistance, legal and expungement services, financial literacy, digital literacy, transportation assistance, housing assistance, accreditations and much more. By 2024, Goodwill will operate 12 Opportunity Centers across Kentucky. Opportunity Centers are currently open to clients in Bowling Green, Corbin, Elizabethtown, Lexington, downtown Louisville, South Louisville, Morehead, Pikeville and Somerset.
In 2022, services provided by Goodwill at its Opportunity Centers positively affected more than 20,000 Kentuckians. The nonprofit helped place 2,368 Kentuckians into jobs with 877 of its employer partners and inside its own retail stores. With the help of its many partners, Goodwill expunged more than 2,500 criminal records (at an average of $600 per person), matched more than 350 individuals with transportation and provided 115 individuals with housing, among much more.
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.