Rialto Goodneighbor Block Party

Posted on 02/13/08 08:41 AM

Join us Saturday, March 1st at our Goodwill GoodNeighbor Center at The Rialto!

Goodwill's services are growing at Rialto - we have new classes and new events. Join us for a fashion show with live music and yummy food from area restaurants!

For more information, contact Tom Pfaff at 724-5018

Rialto Goodneighbor Block Party

Saturday, March 1 2008

12:00 - 2:00

Goodwill Helps You Stretch Your Back-to-School Shopping Dollars

Posted on 08/10/07 02:48 PM

Parents getting ready to spend hundreds of dollars this Back-to-School season should comparison shop at Goodwill.

Here’s a quick comparison of costs:

Item	Department Stores	Goodwill Retail Stores
Jeans (2)	$30 - $75	$4.98 - $6.98
Collared cotton shirts (3)	$30 - $60	$7.97 - 11.97
Shorts (3)	$45 - $60	$5.70 - $5.97
T-shirts (3)	$30 - $60	$2.97 - $4.77
Skirt	$15 - $25	$1.49 - $3.99
Dress shoes	$30 - $75	$.99 - $14.99
Athletic shoes	$50 - $95	$.99 - $14.99
Total Bill	$230 - $450	$25.09 - $63.66

With amazing clothing bargains, the non-profit has something for everyone. If your child wears a uniform to elementary school, we have at least 1,000 khaki shorts. All in great condition and in every size under the sun.

And if your child doesn’t need a uniform, we have jeans, shorts, pants, t-shirts and skirts in every color of the rainbow. At $1.49 and $1.99 apiece, you don’t have to worry if your child slides into home in his khaki shorts. Buy a new pair. At these prices, buy two new pairs!

For middle school and high school students, here’s a chance for them to express how creative and individual they really are with some funky, go-together outfits. Who says you can’t pair stripes and plaids?

And you have the benefit of helping Goodwill provide the programs and services that make our community better. That might not mean much to your kids … but it will mean something to you.

Save money, get them the stuff they want and support social services. That’s as good as it gets!

Goodwill bookstore has a wealth of titles

Posted on 02/01/07 08:09 AM

TARA - When their spouses went golfing, Sally Bethel and Linda MtJoy went on an outing of their own.

The two went on a shopping trip that saw them stopping at the Goodwill bookstore near the intersection of Tara Boulevard and State Road 70. The bookstore celebrates its second birthday Saturday with a 25 percent-off sale.

Bethel, who lives in Palm-Aire, likes to read and visits the bookstore on occasion. But MtJoy, visiting from Ohio, loves to read and was more than happy to accompany her friend.

MtJoy picked up books about playing the guitar, something she's teaching herself to do. Bethel reads mysteries and "feel-good stories," but on this day she only took home a greeting card.

A rack of cards stands just inside the store's front doors. From the outside, the store - a converted bank - looks like any other Goodwill. Inside, though, it contains tens of thousands of books and not much more.

"When we established that bookstore two years ago, we were kind of the only game in town from the standpoint of used books," said Patsy French, director of marketing and communications for Goodwill Industries of Manasota.

Every Goodwill store in Manatee and Sarasota counties has books, but there are only two stores that are strictly bookstores. The other local Goodwill bookstore is in Sarasota, on the corner of Bee Ridge and Cattlemen roads. That location has been open six years, French said.

When it opened, most Goodwills hadn't come up with a way to make the most of the books that are donated, but Goodwill Industries of Manasota devised a model that works, she said. Now, there are Goodwill bookstores in Tallahassee; Memphis, Tenn.; and Toronto.

Employees make sure each book is in good condition, French said, and most of them are donated that way.

"We have a wonderful donor base, and book lovers are kind of unique people because they think books are special and want them to be passed along to people who will also enjoy them," she said.

And the books in the Goodwill bookstore aren't any old books strewn about on card tables. They vary from new releases to collectibles. All of them are deeply discounted, with an average price of $2.99.

Collectibles get their own room, as do books for children and young adults, and those on cooking, health and fitness. Shelves running the length of the store hold trade paperbacks, romance novels, college textbooks, travel guides and more. Several shelves hold DVDs and videotapes; magazines are about the only things the bookstore doesn't carry.

The store's employees pride themselves on their organization, said assistant manager John Drake. Most of the books are arranged in alphabetical order according to the author's last name. Some stand upright, but others lie on their sides, making their titles and authors easier to read.

Between 300 and 500 books make their way to the store every day, and books don't stay on the shelves longer than three months, Drake said.

And many don't stay even that long. Customers' eyes drifted over books that were new to the store as Drake and another employee cleaned and priced them.

Lucy Childers was one of those customers. Childers heard about the Goodwill bookstore from a friend and admittedly didn't expect to find much there. After browsing for only a few minutes Monday afternoon, she changed her tune.

"I can't believe it. There are brand-new books here," she said. "This is a hidden gem. It really is."

Article Written by Tiffany St. Martin for The Bradenton Herald.

Goodwill is the first non-profit to bring a modular home to the affordable housing market

Posted on 01/05/07 08:38 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On December 5th, a crane will lift two sections of a modular, fully constructed house and place them on already-poured footers. The two sections will then be joined to make a complete structure; utilities will be connected, appliances installed and the house will be in move-in condition the next day. The house is located at 101 Emerald Lane in Nokomis.

“We are the first nonprofit to employ this construction method.” said Rev. Don Roberts, president/C.E.O. of Goodwill. “As the largest developer of affordable housing in our area, we’re painfully aware of the shortage of workforce housing. We believe modular construction is an excellent way to get homes to the market quickly with absolutely no compromise in quality.”

The house features three bedrooms and two baths for a total of 1,153 square feet. A large, covered front porch is included creating excellent outdoor space. The home is priced at $208,000 with up to $75,000 in downpayment assistance to qualifying buyers. This project was funded by the Sarasota Office of Housing and Community Development.

GoodHomes, Goodwill’s affordable housing program, has developed over 60 homes in the past five years. Plans for 2007 call for more than 100 completed houses by the end of the year.

For more information, call Laura Carter, project manager, at 809.2231,

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES-MANASOTA, INC.

7501 15th Street East, SARASOTA, FL 34243

Contact: Patsy French, Communications Director

Phone: 809-2223