Every year during the first full week of May, Goodwill® organizations across the United States and Canada celebrate Goodwill Industries Week to highlight the defining principle of our mission — to change lives. As part of a tradition going back 117 years, Goodwill works with people experiencing barriers to employment, helping them secure a job, increase their education and access resources critical to achieving independence.

Goodwill Industries Week gives us an opportunity to illustrate the achievements of some of the most extraordinary people across the Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana network — like Dylan Snell, who at 19 years old had a criminal history but no diploma or job. He experienced intermittent homelessness and also acquired a significant amount of debt as a result of the restitution he was ordered to pay.

Undeterred by the scope of his challenges, Dylan knocked down these barriers one by one. Today — nearly seven years later — he has a diploma that he earned through Goodwill’s Excel Center®. He has his own home, a car and a well-paying job he loves, which Goodwill connected him with. He has also paid off his restitution debt.

Dylan illustrates how people can change their lives if they are empowered with the right tools and resources. We encourage you to learn more about the programs and services we offer to help people increase their independence and reach their potential. We also invite you to celebrate our mission by engaging with us during Goodwill Industries Week. If you can’t visit one of our retail stores or make a financial contribution, can you share more information about us with your friends and family?

Stories like Dylan’s wouldn’t be possible without the support of the central and southern Indiana community. As a not-for-profit organization, Goodwill depends on the Hoosiers who donate and shop at our stores, as well as the financial donors and other community partners that help us fulfill our mission. Ninety cents of every dollar spent at Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana goes back into our local community to help people build careers of significance and lives of meaning.

Visit goodwillindy.org/GIIweek to see how your donations are making a difference.

Thank you for supporting Goodwill’s mission,

Kent A. Kramer

President and CEO

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana