On September 9, The Greater Kokomo Economic Alliance and Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Goodwill store on the west side of Kokomo (2222 West Sycamore Street (SR 22)). To commemorate the anniversary, a ribbon cutting was held at the front of the building, featuring speakers from both organizations.
“10 years means hundreds and thousands of people dropping off their donations at this store,” said Betsy Horine, director of Indiana retail store operations. “That means 10 years of the community donating and purchasing items that fund essential health, education and employment services for Hoosiers.”
Goodwill is known for being a thrift store, but did you know that we have several mission programs that change lives every day? In Kokomo, Goodwill operates The Excel Center®, a tuition-free high school for adults. The Excel Center offers flexible scheduling, accelerated coursework and onsite childcare – factors that create a unique learning environment. More than 10,000 Hoosiers have found success and earned a diploma from one of our adult high schools.
Additionally, Goodwill Nurse-Family Partnership® is available in Kokomo. This is a program that pairs first-time moms with registered nurses, who make home visits from pregnancy through the child’s second birthday. Nurses ensure children are meeting early milestones while also teaching parents how to provide competent care.
Goodwill also employs more than 6,000 Hoosiers across our territory – two-thirds of whom have a barrier to employment, like a disability, criminal history or lack of a high school diploma. Our employees are also supported through our mission. Goodwill Mission Coaches are life and career experts who help our employees identify and set goals regarding their education, finances and more, while providing stabilization services as our employees need them.
With help from mission coaches, many of our employees have gone on to buy their first car or first house. Goodwill is not just a place where you can shop for clothing for growing children or find furniture for a new apartment. Goodwill is a place where you trust that your donation or your purchase will support people in your community.
Thank you for supporting us by donating and shopping at our retail locations. Altogether, Goodwill is proud to have this store be a cornerstone in Kokomo for 10 years – and we look forward to many more years to come!
Store hours for shopping and donating are Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find more locations to shop and donate, visit goodwillindy.org/shop/locations.
