Goodwill Industries of Central Florida was recently awarded a $125,000 grant from the Truist Foundation to help community members set, plan and achieve personal, professional and financial goals.
The funding aims to enhance Goodwill’s Prosperity Platform, an initiative launched in 2021 to offer free one-on-one coaching with an experienced career and financial planner. The service is available to all Goodwill team members, as well as clients who visit select Neighborhood Centers for Families throughout Orange County. The Prosperity model aligns with a pillar of the Truist Foundation: “Building Career Pathways to Economic Mobility.”
The grant will support various strategic program areas of the Prosperity Platform, including:
- Assist workers with navigating resources by streamlining access to essential employment resources, making it easier for individuals to find and secure job opportunities that align with their goals and interests.
- Enhance training programs that equip individuals with the skills needed to thrive in the modern job market, ensuring they are well-prepared for new career opportunities.
- Strengthen access to high-quality employment options and improve worker protections, enabling individuals to build a more secure and prosperous future.
- Utilize more robust coordination and knowledge-sharing tools that enable a more efficient and effective approach to helping individuals achieve economic mobility.
“The partnership between Goodwill and the Truist Foundation underscores a shared commitment to ‘Building Lives that Work,’’ said Ed Durkee, president and CEO at Goodwill Industries of Central Florida. “This grant will help build stronger, more resilient communities for years to come.”
Since launching in 2021, the Prosperity Platform has experienced an ever-growing demand for its services. During its inaugural year, the program served 70 individuals and families. So far in 2023, that number has grown to 515 participants.
For more than 60 years, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida has provided vocational and job placement services to tens of thousands of people living in Central Florida. Through 31 retail/outlet stores and 16 Donation Xpress locations in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake and Volusia counties, Goodwill diverted more than 20 million pounds of clothing and household items from landfills in 2022. Goodwill Industries of Central Florida directly channels more than 90 percent of its annual revenue into programs that enable individuals to secure meaningful employment, achieve their personal goals and thrive economically.
