As part of Goodwill’s mission to help individuals with barriers to employment recognize and reach their full potential and achieve lives filled with purpose, accomplishment, and self- sufficiency, the Goodwill Empowerment Works program provides adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) the chance to earn wages and attend classes five days a week. Currently serving 39 individuals, the program offers personalized education through a collegiate-style block schedule and wraparound support to ensure their success.
Goodwill has partnered with the University of North Texas to bring the Texas Beacons of Excellence (TBE) project to our clients in Empowerment Works. TBE offers Texans with disabilities an alternative path from subminimum pay to Competitive Integrated Employment. Through this partnership, we have already achieved two successful placements.
Kevin has been a familiar face in the Goodwill Empowerment Works program for 30 years. Thanks to the TBE project, Kevin discovered new employment opportunities through the help of on-site employment specialists. After applying for several jobs, he was hired as a store associate at a Goodwill store in June. Kevin’s favorite part of his job is working with money, and he is proud to have learned to use the cash register. To Kevin, Goodwill means helping people find jobs.
Similarly, Fransisco has been part of Empowerment Works for eleven years and was ready for a change. With the help of our on-site TBE employment specialists, Fransisco secured a position at Joyce’s Florist as a store associate. He is proud to be learning new skills and is excited to work with plants and flowers. To Fransisco, Goodwill means an opportunity to learn new things and connect with good friends.
At Goodwill, we change lives, one job at a time. TBE aims to create a replicable model and scalable plan to be used across Texas, with the goal of moving at least 10% of Texans with disabilities currently receiving subminimum wages into Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) over the next five years. As our first two CIE placements, Kevin and Fransisco have blazed an impactful trail in our organization.
About Goodwill Dallas
Goodwill Industries of Dallas, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to changing lives, one job at a time. Since 1923, it has served the Dallas community by providing opportunities, training, and employment services to individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Today, it helps people in eight counties across North Texas, including Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman, Navarro, Rains, Rockwall, and parts of Collin and Denton counties build skills, find jobs, and reach their full potential through its donated goods business, workforce development services, and other social enterprise models.
Goodwill’s no-cost, individualized job training and placement program, coupled with its community resource and referral services, ensures job seekers receive the support and guidance they need to succeed. When North Texans donate to Goodwill, they provide an opportunity for individuals and their families to earn a living wage, build stronger communities and enrich their lives.