Since 1959, the employees of this Goodwill organization have worked to provide opportunities and meaning to the lives of those with disabilities or those who face adversity in some form. While the emphasis remains to be finding meaningful jobs for most, our employees work to find ways to make life meaningful for all we serve.

We are able to do this every day because of the donations you and your neighbors bring to our stores in our eight counties. Your donations are turned into items for re-sale in our stores, on our internet sales site or recycled in other parts of the world. Profits from those sales go to further our mission of partnering with individuals with disabilities and challenges to help them lead the lives they envision.

In our services centers, we are providing opportunities to those with disabilities to get out into their communities and to experience what others take for granted. We give them an opportunity to explore potential avenues of employment or ways in which to volunteer with other organizations. We work closely with each of our county boards of developmental disabilities to ensure these individuals are receiving the services they want.

Our Workforce Development Department is accredited by a national standards organization to provide community employment services to individuals with disabilities, with those who might have had issues with drugs, with struggling veterans and with those who are trying to put a criminal history behind them. The goal for every individual is to find them long-term employment that will be meaningful to them and their employer.

This Goodwill, like all others across the nation and globe, are affiliated with Goodwill Industries International, but is governed by its own board of trustees and managed by local people. It started in 1959 as part of the Goodwill in Columbus but became a separate entity in September 1977.

Over the years, we grew from serving just Ross County to providing services and having locations in all eight of our counties: Pike, Pickaway, Jackson, Fayette, Vinton, Athens and Hocking.

Partnering with those we serve to help them lead the lives they envision is our mission.