https://www.goodwill.org/author/seth-turner/ Local Goodwills are nonprofits that help people overcome challenges to build skills, find jobs and grow their careers. #PowerOfWork Thu, 31 Aug 2017 18:12:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.goodwill.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-goodwill-site-icon-nobg-32x32.png https://www.goodwill.org/author/seth-turner/ 32 32 https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/may-the-force-awaken-in-congress/ https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/may-the-force-awaken-in-congress/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2015 15:43:59 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=284870 Last week, as Hollywood celebrated the much-anticipated film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, people in Washington, DC (or as I like to call it, “Hollywood for Geeks”), celebrated the end of the year’s Congressional session with the passage of a $1.1 trillion spending bill along with a tax extenders bill. Having just purchased my tickets for The Force Awakens, the DC geek in me can’t help but feel as though the credits are rolling on the second part of a three-part Congressional trilogy.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/may-the-force-awaken-in-congress/feed/ 1 https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/confessions-of-a-holiday-stuff-gatekeeper/ Thu, 03 Dec 2015 16:16:36 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=268876 On Cyber Monday, I purchased items from Goodwill’s online retail partners. Upon delivery, I’ll remove my new items, and fill the shipping boxes with my Black Friday donations. Next, I’ll print a pre-paid shipping label at givebackbox.com . Finally, I can send the box of donations to my local Goodwill, and it will sell my donations to generate revenues which support employment, job training and other services that create strong families in my community.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/after-thanksgiving-celebrate-your-community-by-taking-part-in-givingtuesday/ Thu, 26 Nov 2015 21:33:34 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=262456 The holidays spotlight the distinct contrasts within our communities. On one hand, there’s a great deal of consumerism and overindulgence that goes along with the activities and traditions, helping to distract us during an otherwise cold and dark season. The season starts with a day to feast and give thanks and two days to find bargains. On the other hand, there are many among us experiencing poverty. Unlike any other time of the year, the stark contrast motivates many to give back.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/when-did-illiteracy-become-a-crime/ Fri, 20 Nov 2015 17:06:32 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=257137 Lacking an education isn’t a crime, and it surely shouldn’t result in a prison sentence. Yet, research finds that 70 percent of the U.S. prison population can’t read. They are among the 32 million people (or 14 percent of the U.S. population) that read below a basic level. This week is American Education Week, and Goodwill® understands the important connection between employment and education. People who lack education face a grim future and bleak job prospects. Meanwhile, employers seek workers that have the skills to perform the technical jobs of today and the aptitude to learn the increasingly technical jobs of tomorrow. ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/reflections-from-a-veterans-day-commute/ Thu, 12 Nov 2015 18:01:28 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=249735 Like millions of workers, my day starts with a commute. While the mere mention of the word, “commute” is enough to make most workers groan, my ride is a daily highlight because it takes me past a list of must-see Washington, DC sites, starting with the Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) Memorial, and continuing with Arlington National Cemetery. Whether it’s Veterans Day, Memorial Day or any other day of the year, as my thoughts drift from the wife and kids to my daily to-do list, these adjacent memorials never fail to give purpose to my day by reminding me of the sacrifices made, and being made, by people who have served in the armed forces and th]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/back-to-back-to-the-future/ Thu, 22 Oct 2015 14:13:24 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=230092 This week’s fun fact is that October 21, 2015 is the date that Doctor Emmitt Brown set for his time machine, a DeLorean, in hopes of saving Marty McFly and his girlfriend’s future in the movie “Back to the Future.” As a proud member of Generation X, I enjoyed reading accounts, such as “It’s Time for ‘Back to the Future’ Day,” which reflect upon what the movie got right (e.g. teleconferencing) and what it got wrong (e.g. hovercrafts that run on garbage serving as a common and accessible mode of transportation).]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/urge-congress-to-support-the-second-chance-reauthorization-act/ Thu, 20 Aug 2015 18:36:44 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=170997 I visited the Hudson County Jail in northern New Jersey. Twenty years later, I can still vividly remember the rhythmic sound of sturdy locks opening, followed by heavy doors slamming shut, and then the locks swinging back home. It was a deafening and consistent reminder to the residents of that institution that they were “inmates” who were very, very bad.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/pay-for-performance-contracting-bipartisan-innovation-at-risk-of-being-a-missed-opportunity/ https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/pay-for-performance-contracting-bipartisan-innovation-at-risk-of-being-a-missed-opportunity/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2015 00:24:13 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=165268 Last year, Congress voted overwhelmingly to pass the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The moment represented a bipartisan beacon of hope on Capitol Hill. Goodwill Industries International was pleased with the overall outcome in this new Act which provides opportunities for community based organizations, like Goodwill, to do more to help people build their skills and connect with career opportunities. ]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/pay-for-performance-contracting-bipartisan-innovation-at-risk-of-being-a-missed-opportunity/feed/ 1 https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/help-end-the-nations-prison-dependency-problem/ https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/help-end-the-nations-prison-dependency-problem/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:49:33 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=155734 In 1971, while struggling to find an exit strategy from the Vietnam War, President Nixon declared a new war – the War on Drugs. He proposed fighting this war on both the supply side, by cracking down on drug pushers, and on the demand side by investing in strategies to rehabilitate people who were dependent on drugs. Unfortunately, drug abuse remains a serious problem. However, tough sentencing for drug-related crime has done little to deter those on the supply side. Instead, incarceration rates have steadily increased from just under 200,000 people in state and federal prisons in 1971, to more than 1.5 million in 2013.]]> https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/help-end-the-nations-prison-dependency-problem/feed/ 3 https://www.goodwill.org/blog/advocate/the-pursuit-of-happiness/ Thu, 02 Jul 2015 14:29:48 +0000 https://www.goodwill.org/?p=150876 In just a couple of days, Americans will celebrate the 239th year since members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Arguably the most famous statement within this revered document is the notion that all people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”]]>