“At Goodwill, we are more than just a store; we’re in the people development business,” said Jim Priest, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma, explaining how Goodwill offers many services to its communities. Goodwill helps individuals overcome challenges to employment by providing education, support and services to those who often struggle to secure or retain employment. 

Through a focus on education, employees learn valuable skills that help build a foundation for employment within or outside of Goodwill. “Employers often recognize individuals who went through Goodwill programs,” Priest said. “Customer experience is something we take to heart.”

Training plays a key part to this, and thanks to a recent grant from the Central Community Foundation, it will be more easily accessible to Goodwill team members. The grant was used to purchase laptops for its two locations in Central’s service area. The centers in Guthrie and Stillwater will use the laptops for training employees. 
Prior to the grant, training was done on computers that served multiple purposes. The dedicated laptops purchased in part by the $1,500 Foundation grant will now allow team members to be trained in safety, customer service and financial courses with fewer interruptions.  

Grants from the Central Community Foundation are made possible by Central Rural Electric Cooperative members who round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar. These funds are put into the Foundation, which distributes them to individuals and organizations in need throughout Central’s seven-county service area. 

The Central Community Foundation is a charitable organization established by Central Rural Electric Cooperative to administer a program called Operation Round Up. The foundation has five fields of interest: healthcare, education, disaster relief, personal need and community purpose.