As a high school senior, Ryan Keith Harding (Keith) had it all figured out: he would attend college at A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was awarded a scholarship. After graduation, he would do a stint in the Marine Corps before settling into a career with the North Carolina Highway Patrol. 

The Goodwill Foundation of Central & Southern Indiana recently hosted Goodwill: UNBOXED, its third annual sold-out fundraising event. To date, the event has raised nearly $1 million to support our most vulnerable neighbors. 

My name is Natalie Morris, and this summer I had the opportunity to be the Corporate Giving Intern with Goodwill Foundation of Central and Southern Indiana. I am a rising junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville where I am majoring in both Child Studies and Human and Organizational Development. 

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana made its second appearance at MAVPAK’s annual Pallet Games competition on Wednesday, April 24. MAVPAK, a packaging company founded in 2015, offers packaging, warehousing, and equipment solutions to its customers. The company supplies all of the packaging materials and additional support to Goodwill’s eCommerce division. 

"Through my faith, I decided that I should take my gifts and create a company that acts as a shining light," said John Goo, the founder and president of MAVPAK.

John first encountered the idea of these games as a volunteer during a similar event in Louisville, Kentucky. Inspired, he developed his own version, which became known as the Pallet Games.

"I love to celebrate the hourly workforce and logistics industry. This is the one big thing we can do to give back and have fun for no other reason than to celebrate," John said.

The competition brings together a collection of MAVPAK’s customers for a day of fun, games, and teamwork. It aims to unite the warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing communities to build culture and inspire teamwork. Each team consists of 10 to 20 players that participate in games that require skill sets found in warehouse environments, such as packing delicate materials, navigating obstacles with a pallet jack, and so much more. 

Teams are encouraged to dress up and show out. Each team is encouraged to decorate their own pallet and is welcomed to the games on a red carpet with an official introduction from MAVPAK’s team complete with music, cheers, and spirit. During down time, players can partake in a series of mini games throughout the warehouse to keep the fun going at all times. 

Last year was a big year for Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana as we educated, employed and served more individuals than ever before. Since launching our new Strategic Plan two years ago, we’ve made significant progress on our objectives and goals.

Thanks to your support, lives are being changed in your community. In addition to significant growth in our Retail, eCommerce and Commercial Services divisions over the past year, we currently employ nearly 5,000 Hoosiers – 61% of whom have barriers to employment, like a disability, criminal history or lack of a high school diploma. 

When you donate, shop and make financial gifts to Goodwill, you're changing the lives of thousands of the most vulnerable Hoosiers. We’re so thankful for supporters like you who are making an impact in central and southern Indiana. Together, we're changing lives. THANK YOU!

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. 

If you have ever started anything new in your life, you know that the first step comes with mixed emotions — excitement, anxiety, even fear. In 2014, as a group of about 15 young professionals looked to launch Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s first-ever Young Leaders Board, we certainly felt that mix of emotions. We had clear objectives — we wanted to create a board focused on building the future philanthropic leaders of Goodwill and sharing the mission of Goodwill with social circles that did not know much about the organization. Over the last six years, we have stayed true to that vision, but our board has done more than any of us could have imagined back in 2014.