Goodwill to host second annual Second Chance Conference on April 29

by | Apr 13, 2022 | Goodwill

LOUISVILLE, KY. – April is National Second Chance Month – a time to raise awareness of the many barriers that formerly incarcerated people face, spotlight the important work being done by community-based organizations and empower second-chance individuals to achieve success.

Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is proud to celebrate Second Chance Month by hosting its annual Second Chance Conference. The event will take place Friday, April 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kentucky International Convention Center, located at 221 South Fourth Street, Louisville, KY. 40202. The conference will also be streamed virtually to Goodwill’s statewide resource and opportunity centers.

The event will feature keynote speaker Shawn Dove, who is the founder of Corporation of Black Male Achievement and has nearly four decades of cross-sector leadership in the fields of youth development, community-building, philanthropy, arts education, leadership development and media literacy. Workshops will be offered to employer/community partners and second-chance participants. The full agenda can be found here.

One-in-three American adults have a criminal record, which limits their access to education, jobs, housing and more. The United States imprisons more of its citizens than any other nation – currently nearly 2.2 million. While more than 600,000 Americans are released from correctional facilities annually, two-thirds are rearrested within three years. Each year, the nation spends more than $80 billion to incarcerate and reincarcerate people. Beyond the financial impact, the cycle of crime and incarceration produces broken relationships, victimization, despair and instability impacting families and communities across the nation.

“At Goodwill, we believe in the power of second chances,” said Chief External Affairs Officer DeVone Holt. “This conference will help unlock brighter futures for Kentuckians who have paid their debt to society and need an opportunity to build rewarding and fulfilling lives for themselves.”

Goodwill is committed to serving the second-chance population through a variety of innovative programs and services, including its RISE program, which stands for Reintegrating Individuals Successfully Every Day. The program helps participants overcome barriers to entering the workforce by providing two weeks of job-readiness training. Through a series of expungement clinics in 2021, Goodwill helped more than 800 Kentuckians clear their criminal records.

Nearly 400 individuals and community partners have already registered for the Second Chance Conference. For more information, visit www.goodwillky.org/secondchance or contact Public Relations and Community Engagement Manager Ben Haydon at [email protected] or (859) 327-0445.

Learn more about Second Chance Month, our Second Chance Conference, how we provide second chances and more here, via WAVE 3 News:

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.