Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is proud to congratulate the Children’s Learning Center (CLC) on upholding their status as a nationally accredited child care center! The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) announced earlier this spring that the Children’s Learning Center by Goodwill joins a select group of early childhood care and education programs nationwide and internationally which have shown an exceptional commitment to professional and programmatic quality.

In honor of Educators Appreciation Week, Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana is celebrating educators who continue to change lives, like Kennedi Walker! Kennedi is a life coach at The Excel Center® on Michigan Street and has been with Goodwill for four years. Originally starting as a Manager of Office Administration, visitors in her building would often comment on how warm, energetic and welcoming Kennedi made them feel. Read below to learn more about this compassionate and dynamic leader!

Educator Appreciation Week is celebrated in schools across the country May 3 - 7. However, at Goodwill, we strive to celebrate our educators throughout the entire year.

Ashleigh Schneck started at Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s Clarksville location in December 2017. She was four months sober after 21 years of living in addiction. She had voluntarily moved into a sober living house for women the month before and was starting over in every aspect of her life. 

When Teresa Smith joined Goodwill Commercial Services in 2009, she was re-entering society and the workforce after a period of incarceration. Her history with the criminal justice system made it difficult to secure a job, but she approached the opportunity at Goodwill with a focus on improving her professional skills and rebuilding her life. 

Earlier this month, the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation (OEI) announced at the 2021 Teach Indy Educator Awards, that our very own Shannon Brown of Indianapolis Metropolitan High School was named the High School Teacher of the Year! 

When most people think of sustainability, they think of recycling trash, using reusable shopping and produce bags or using recyclable materials in their homes. But, buying secondhand and vintage clothing, shoes and other items is also a great way to practice sustainability and reduce the strain on our natural resources. 

Merle Davidson first heard about Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s Nurse-Family PartnershipⓇ (NFP) from a friend who was enrolled in the program. At the time, Merle was pregnant with twin girls and was instructed that she’d need to be on bed rest at IU Methodist for the duration of her pregnancy. With Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership providing a free, personal nurse that she could turn to for guidance, support and encouragement, Merle decided to enroll in the program; knowing that Nurse-Family Partnership would be a powerful ally for her and enable her to give her girls the best possible start in life. 

In the early Spring of 2020, the Goodwill Young Leaders Board was looking forward to their signature fundraising event. Building on the success of previous years, board members were eagerly anticipating a night of clinking glasses, nibbling appetizers, and celebrating a year of hard work supporting Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s mission with their invited guests. But of course, you know what happened next.