[Atlanta]  Nonprofit, partners to provide job training and employment services for 500 Georgians

Atlanta – Goodwill© of North Georgia and The Center for Working Families, Inc. have partnered to receive a portion of $40 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor to help individuals with significant barriers to employment find work. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis recently announced the grant recipients.

“We thank the Department of Labor for entrusting us to provide crucial services to hundreds of individuals who need employment assistance,” says Goodwill president Raymond W. Bishop. “Now the real work begins. With the help of our local partner organizations we will put people to work.”

Goodwill will lead a host of partners in developing training and programs to help low-income non-custodial parents and ex-offenders find jobs. The project (titled GoodTransitions) also includes a partnership team consisting of Georgia Department of Human Services, Urban League of Greater Atlanta, United Way, Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, Bonus Building Care, Fire and Flavor Grilling Company, and Morehouse Research Institute-Morehouse College.

Through a myriad of job training programs and services, Goodwill and its partners will focus this collaboration in DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Clayton and Cobb counties. This program will be dedicated to help individuals to complete paid transitional job experience leading to unsubsidized employment, opportunity to earn competitive wages, and the potential for career advancement.

Said David Jackson, President and CEO of The Center for Working Families, Inc., “We are extremely proud to partner with Goodwill, and help those who are hardest to employ. This grant is a great win for the many families who will move that much closer to self-sufficiency as a result of being equipped with the tools and supports needed to sustain employment.”

About The Center for Working Families, Inc. The mission of The Center for Working Families, Inc. (www.TCWFI.org) is to ensure economic success for hard-working families and their children. Launched in 2005 with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, TCWFI provides a combination of job placement, creation and development services, coupled with entrepreneurship and asset-building programs to meet the needs of at-risk families. TCWFI is recognized nationally as a best practices organization for its leadership in community transformation through economic development and self-sufficiency.


About Goodwill
The mission of Goodwill of North Georgia is to put people to work. We have been providing services in the region for more than 80 years. In fiscal year 2010, we provided job training and employment services to more than 28,654 people and helped 6,678 people find jobs or start new businesses. Our organization currently operates 35 stores and more than 50 attended donation centers. Revenues generated from Goodwill’s retail program help fund our job training and placement programs. Last year, we processed nearly 1.5 million donations!

For media inquiries, contact:
Elaine Armstrong, Director of Public Relations
404.420.9932 Office
404.825.3184 Cell
earmstrong@ging.org
www.goodwillng.org