ALAMO – Giving extravagant gifts during the holidays is nothing new — consider the “five golden rings” and “partridge in a pear tree” from the well-known Christmas carol. This holiday season, Goodwill is asking South Texans to give more meaningful gifts, such as second chances and confidence by donating things they no longer want or need to Goodwill.

Through Monday, December 31st, Goodwill is promoting “12 Days of Goodwill” as an effort to raise awareness that donations to Goodwill fuel the mission of changing lives through education, training and employment.

Each day during the 12 Days of Goodwill, we will spotlight participants who have gained support from job training and employment placement programs on Facebook.com/GoodwillSTX.

A participant who has benefited from Goodwill’s program is former primary teacher Juana Flores, Goodwill’s 2017 achiever of the year, who emigrated from Mexico to the United States. Juana had the desire to return to work after she raised her children. At Goodwill, she completed job readiness training to gain work experience. She was self-motivated to finish her studies to become a certified nurse aid and she was able to use the skills she learned to transition into the workforce, giving her a second chance at life and become self-sufficient.

“When people give clothing, furniture, and other household items to Goodwill, they support Goodwill’s mission,” said Erika Rivera, Community Engagement Manager at Goodwill. “Donations sold in Goodwill stores fund a wide variety of employment services for participants who have disabilities or those who have disadvantages to employment.”

Goodwill employment services include, computer/digital skills training, resume development, job readiness training, financial literacy and income tax preparation. The programs are provided for free, thanks to the generosity of Goodwill donors and shoppers.

About Goodwill Industries of South Texas, Inc. Goodwill is a community based non-profit and provides critical human services such as job training, employment placement and support services to people throughout South Texas. The mission of Goodwill is to create life-changing opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Find out more at GoodwillSouthTexas.com.