Toronto Mayor David Miller and Goodwill Toronto
‘R.E.A.C.H.’ youth from disadvantaged communities with new development initiative

-- R.E.A.C.H. Creates 100 Jobs at Goodwill Enterprises --
Torontonians urged to support initiative by donating to Goodwill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Toronto, October 24, 2005) –In response to Toronto Mayor David Miller’s challenge to the corporate community to create more jobs for youth, Goodwill Toronto today officially launched R.E.A.C.H. (Real Employment to Achieve Community Health). This collaborative Transitional Employment initiative will provide 100, 12-month paid employment opportunities for youth from vulnerable communities in Goodwill enterprises, affording young people with meaningful on-the-job experience and life skills training to help them get and keep full-time jobs in the future.

Goodwill is actively seeking partners and sponsors to support the initiative and is committed to creating 1,000 transitional jobs in Ontario by 2010.
MAKING COMMUNITIES WORK
The Mayor joined representatives of business and government at Goodwill’s new community outlet store in Scarborough to officially launch the initiative and welcome the first group of recruits to their new jobs.

"These are more than just jobs. By providing training and encouragement, Goodwill is giving these young people hope for a positive future," said Mayor David Miller. "I hope this initiative will serve as a model for other businesses to create similar projects."

“The Mayor called for action and Goodwill answered with R.E.A.C.H.,” said Dr. Ken Connelly, President & CEO of Goodwill Toronto, adding: “This is what Goodwill is all about, creating jobs and opportunity for people in our community who need them most, including young and old residents, new Canadians and disabled people.”

DONATIONS = MORE REVENUE AND MORE JOBS
The event also marked the official opening of Goodwill’s new Community Outlet in Scarborough which offers ‘buy the pound’ items and functions as a secondary market for goods from other Goodwill outlets. Mayor Miller toured the new facility at 50 Emblem Court to see exactly what happens to items donated to Goodwill. The Scarborough outlet is a significant employer with over 120 employees.

“Donations are critical because Goodwill finances R.E.A.C.H. and other employment opportunities through the revenues generated at Goodwill retail,” said Dr. Connelly. “When people donate or shop at Goodwill, more people in the community work. And when more people work, our communities work better.”

HOW R.E.A.C.H. ‘WORKS’
R.E.A.C.H. is targeted at youth, ages 16 to 29, who live in economically disadvantaged communities. One hundred jobs are being created in the following Goodwill operations:
• Retail Customer Service/Donations
• Foods Services
• Environmental Services
• Creative Services (printing, photocopying, mailing, light assembly and packaging)
• Warehousing/material handling

R.E.A.C.H. employees will be paid $8.25 per hour and life skills training will be provided in addition to the work they perform. Management training will also be offered to some of the trainees. The paid employment positions will not be more than one year in length and will be non-renewable (the employment relationship ends at the conclusion of the contract).

The philosophy behind Transitional Employment, recognized as a state-of–the-art response to getting the hardest to employ people into the workforce, is that the best way to learn how to work is through on-the-job training. Goodwill’s goal is for the trainees in R.E.A.C.H. to secure permanent full-time or part-time employment or to return to school to obtain follow up skills training following the paid employment.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Goodwill is asking people to clean out their closets, their basements and their garages and donate their gently used clothing, furniture and household items so Goodwill can make R.E.A.C.H. work for more young people and fund its broader transitional employment initiatives.

Donations can be made at any Goodwill outlets – including the newest drive-through location at 231 Richmond St. E. in downtown Toronto – and at the Goodwill-marked donation centres across the GTA, central and eastern Ontario.

Goodwill is a registered charity whose mission is to provide work opportunities and skills development to people facing barriers to employment. Its operation of retail outlets and donations centres and other lines of business is its means to deliver its mission throughout Greater Toronto, Central and Eastern Ontario.

For more information on Goodwill, please visit www.goodwill.on.ca.

Media Contact:
Mitzie Hunter, Goodwill Toronto, (416) 362-4711