|
Awards
Rohnert Park Chamber recognized Goodwill as Non-Profit of the Year.
Volunteer of the Year
2010 Jefferson Award Recipient
We are very pleased to announce that our Goodwill was been selected by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors as one of only five local recipients of the 2010 Jefferson Award for Public Service. The letter accompanying the notification stated that the award to GIRE is "an acknowledgement of its excellence in providing services to the public in Sonoma County."
Established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr., and Sam Beard, a staffer to Bobby Kennedy, the Jefferson Awards Programs is a national recognition system designed to highlight public service in America. It serves as a compliment to local recognition efforts, tying winners into regional and national media systems.
At a national level, this prestigious award has been given to many well-known figures such as Dr. Henry Kissinger, Cesar Chavez, Lance Armstrong, John Glenn, Paul Newman, Oprah Winfrey, Rosalyn Carter and Barbara Bush.
2009 Best Practices Awards
Service Provider Award Recognizes a service provider such as a job developer, counselor or job coach for the leadership neccessary to achieve placement of people with disabilities. Travis Hunt, a Skills Trainer with The Work Adjustment Training Program at Goodwill~Redwood Empire, was honored with an Individual Achievement Award for excellence in the workplace. Travis was joined by a proud group of Goodwill friends and family at the event.
Travis Hunt
The North Bay Business Journal’s Fourth Annual Best Places to Work in the North Bay The Business Journal wrote: "The 55 companies selected this year are inspirational and instructional, providing the North Bay with key benchmarks for what makes a company a great place to work, especially in this challenging time." The winners, representing a broad range of industries, including banking, engineering, technology, health care, insurance, accounting, consulting, entertainment, food manufacturing, automotive, landscaping and building, were honored at an awards reception in September at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park. Once again, congratulations to our winners. They have shown exceptional character during a very difficult time for all businesses. Many of the employee responses to the question added to this year’s survey, “How has your company dealt with the challenging business environment?” are inspiring. We hope you gain insight from reading these company stories as much as we did finding and telling them.
Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire CEO and President Mark Idhe manages an organization with a culture characterized by teamwork and diversity, and one that sees its mission as changing lives and strengthening communities through the dignity and power of work. This not-for-profit organization has sustained itself through the downturn by redefining its accountability guidelines, by developing a donation drive plan to help it pursue revenues and through a continued assessment of cost containment measures, while offering greater transparency to all stakeholders. Established in 1974, each month Goodwill invites the community to come in and see how it operates. It participates in the Human Race, local Earth Day celebrations and has hosted mixers for several chambers of commerce. “They gave me a chance to shine and reach deep within myself to grasp the potential and gifts I did not know I had,” an employee said.
Previous Years Awards
Best Places to Work Award ~ 2008 The North Bay Business Journal and NelsonJobs.com recently presented the Best Places to Work Gala Awards Reception recognizing companies that have been nominated by their staff through an employee survey process as being a great place to work. Goodwill – Redwood Empire is a first time winner. Said one employee in the anonymous on-line survey, “These are outstanding, respectable and dignified people that feel good about the work they do, and it shows. Our management expects the highest performance of themselves, in the most positive manner. That enthusiasm creates an atmosphere in which each employee finds new talents and abilities in themselves. We all benefit exponentially.”
2008 Best Practices Awards
Service Provider Award
Jesse Olson is a Program Manager at Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire and coordinates their situational assessment and work adjustment programs. Situational assessments provide important information needed to devlope a viable vocational rehabilitation plan, a process that is often the first step to gainful employment. A work adjustment program develops the good work behaviors and job skills necessary to met employer's expectations. Jesse has a wonderful ability to connect with clients with mental health issues and an enormous sensitivity to their struggles and aspirations. He is available throughout the process to give clients honest feedback, encouragement and support. His flexibility, team spirit and willingness to work with counselors from other agencies in a collaborative way exemplify his service to our community.
2007 Best Practices Award Service Provider Award Sandy Cole is an Employment Service Specialist for Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire. She is a strong advocate for people with severe mental illness who want to become employed. She has been very successful in helping them to find and maintain jobs by working closely with local employers.
Spirit of Philanthropy Award Goodwill Industries of the Redwood Empire recently recognized long time donor Ruth Meacham with the Spirit of Philanthropy Award. Awardees were honored at the National Philanthropy Day event on November 18th.This award recognizes the great contributions of philanthropy, and those people who enrich our world with their community spirit and giving hearts.
"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, ~Eleanor Roosevelt
|
 |
||||||||
