From the WNIN Public Media Center in Downtown Evansville, I'm David James, and this is Two Main Street.

Evansville's Goodwill is celebrating 90 years of doing good, not just in the city, but through programs, retail stores and donation centers in 28 tristate counties.

And Goodwill Industries now has a marquee location at Evansville's Washington Square Mall.

Donors, shoppers and partners make it all happen.

Creating an engine of community based commerce fueled by donations of used household goods, collectibles and clothing.

These funds provide employment, job skills training, and placement services.

Goodwill's footprint in Evansville dates back to 1935, but the mission began in 1902.

Founded in Boston by a methodist minister, Reverend Edgar J. Helms, he collected used furniture and used burlap sacks, I think, to collect clothing, from wealthy families and then trained those who were poor to repair the items for resale.

As the story goes, the system worked.

And the goodwill philosophy of a hand up, not a handout lives on.

Here to celebrate and share the local story of Goodwill are Connie Ralph, President and CEO of Evansville Goodwill, and Morgan Lange, Vice President of Mission and Advancement.

So welcome to Two Main Street.

Good to have you here.

Congratulations on this milestone.

Thank you so much.

We appreciate being here.

90 years and counting.

Now, before we talk about the many services and the families that have been helped over the years.

A frequently asked question.

I know, what about the strangest items that have been donated over the years?

What about locally?

What have you guys seen?

We have gotten a lot of old coins, diamond jewelry, collectibles, basically everything, including the kitchen sink.

Yeah.

I mean, we've literally gotten kitchen sinks and, World War II memorabilia.

We've even gotten some weapons, which we do have to dispose of carefully, and we don't accept those, but we've just gotten a wide, wide range.

So you've been 33 years, Connie.

You've probably seen a lot over those years.

Yes.

There has been a lot of very interesting things.

And we've sold a lot of collectibles, both online, and we've also sold them in our stores.

Yeah.

We know about Goodwill's and found things like very valuable art and, just a lot of variety of things.

We do get things we shouldn't have, very inappropriate things on occasion.

And those do not get sold in our stores, but we trash bin.

Yeah.

You go straight to the trash bin.

But we do also, you know, sometimes get weapons and things like that, like Morgan said.

And, we really discourage that because we want to keep our employees safe.

Right.

Well, I went on the internet, which is always an exciting venture.

Yeah.

Strange items collected by Goodwill workers Here's what I found.

A coffin, a crystal ball with a bat inside, a live rabbit stuffed raccoon, a hand grenade that doesn’t surprise you probably.

No, we’ve got those.

Yeah.

We have.

Yikes.

A Ziploc bag with gold and platinum jewelry inside.

Now, that's a nice find.

Yeah, a camel hair coat with $750 in one pocket.

That's always nice.

A signed first edition of a Harry Potter book.

I’m sure that went well.

A guillotine, underwear for squirrels.

I don't quite understand that.

Why you would ever want that.

And finally, dentures in a Louis Vuitton purse.

Yeah, we found one time a container, a vase that had a lid on it, and it had over $4,000 in cash in it, and we waited until, you know, we we held it for a very long time to see if anybody ever came back and claimed it, but they didn't.

And so the person who found it got a 25% of it.

Oh, wow.

And then because she was honest and she turned it in.

And so we want to reward that honesty.

And then the rest of it we used as a donation to Goodwill.

But that's only fair deal.

So your workers have their eyes peeled off.

You never know what you'll find.

Okay.

Goodwill now has a marquee location at Washington Square Mall.

I know you're very proud of that.

And moving into the former Sears building.

Has that been a game changer, ladies?

It really has.

Yes.

What we've been finding is just a lot more interest from both our customers and our donors, and also the way we've been able to attract new employees, because we have really created a very, very, comfortable, accessible, flexible workspace.

And within that, on the second floor.

And so the caliber of employees that are applying for jobs at Goodwill has dramatically improved.

How was that process?

How did you get the Sears building?

Well, it's kind of it's a little bit of a story.

But way back in 2020, when we had the, the shut down, due to Covid, lots of people were at home and they were just cleaning out their closets.

And when we reopened, we were just had a deluge of donations come in and we were we didn't have any place to store them.

So we were putting them on their trailers, and it was costing us a lot of money to store all of this.

And so my board encouraged me to start looking around for buildings, and I went and looked at the Sears building.

And honestly, the first time I walked through it, I was like, this is way too big.

There's no reason why we should ever buy this.

And then we got a really great deal on it, and we started unloading trailers into it, in 2021.

And then we realized that we had just true opportunity to expand.

We were really, bursting at the seams in our previous building, which we do still own, and we do still utilize, but we needed to expand and it was going to enable us to do so much more for our mission.

And so that's, that's really when the vision became much clearer and we decided to dive in.

So, Morgan, what have you heard about the new building?

But what are people saying about it?

I mean, everybody loves it.

If you compare it to where we were working, we were really bursting at the seams when it came to space.

And so in this, building we're able to collaborate more on is was kind of our interior decorator for it.

So she's done a really good job at creating a really welcoming space.

And I mean, we can go sit on the couch next to a nice terrace, window.

And we can also go sit on the terrace and eat lunch at.

So it's just such a nice space to work, and we're able to stay in our office or go wherever we like.

And then we also have so much more room for programs.

I think it also kind of improves that whole area there too.

The landscaping is very nice.

Yeah, the parking is adequate, looks really good.

It looks really good in that spot.

Yeah.

Thank you.

We really feel like, you know, we're contributing to the whole revitalization of that part of town.

Oh yeah.

And I went over there and kind of peeked around this earlier this week.

And one of my pet peeves is going into the restrooms.

So I checked out the men's restroom.

It was pristine.

You could tell somebody's been in there and checked it out many times.

Well, I didn't go in the women's restroom, but I'm sure it was very nice.

It was clean too, I promise.

I think the floors of your retail space were immaculate.

Workers were very pleasant.

The checkout area I thought was really nice that you have.

They're very professional.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So check it out folks if you haven't.

So it also gets new people into the store too doesn't it.

Does I think it's really attracted new customers, people who are just curious for one thing.

But then I think once they come in, you know, they find that we have such a variety of merchandise in there and it's our largest store.

It's over 14,000ft².

So it really we've got we've got the ability to put a lot of product out there.

So there's something for everyone.

Okay, before I forget, let's talk more.

Rev Reverend Edgar, James Helms, the founder of Goodwill, and, you have a personal story about that.

I do, I just got the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to go to Boston.

And while I was there, I got to meet Doctor Helms grandson, Ned Helms.

He's, I think in his 80s.

And we also got to meet him at the cemetery, got to see where Doctor Helms was, is interred.

And, it just was very moving.

Got a chance to speak to Ned and really hear how he feels about the legacy that that Doctor Helms created and how he continues to be a part of that.

He's been on the Goodwill Industries International Board of directors.

So he's still very involved with Goodwill and very proud of all that his family has contributed.

And we're very proud to be a part of that.

Now, Connie, you are quoted as saying that every purchase or donation has a major impact in the community helping people get jobs, diplomas and build brighter futures.

So, let's let both of you talk about that.

Let's start with, helping people get jobs.

How does that work, Morgan?

Well, we have, our mission is not just through our programs.

It's also in our stores.

So we're a second chance employer, and we have a lot of opportunities.

Through our stores and hiring individuals.

But we also have programs like, vocational rehabilitation, work with Work Solutions.

And that program helps individuals with disabilities get job training, and then get a job with the support of an employment specialist.

The jobs part is very important.

And, you know, like Morgan said, we consider our employees part of the mission.

We employ lots of people that do have barriers to employment.

Might have struggled to find another job, or maybe have had just a very difficult history of being able to retain employment.

And so coming to Goodwill does give them that opportunity to build a work history again and be able to move on then to better paying jobs in the community.

But it's really, I think, the most exciting thing.

And I know you talk about jobs, but the Excel Center is an adult high school that produces people who, with a high school diploma, now who didn't have it before.

And we serve adults who are over the age of 18.

And what they've demonstrated by coming back to school as an adult is that they've really got the grit and the determination that it takes to achieve a goal.

And that by itself is something that we really are talking with employers about.

And trying to promote the hiring then of our graduates.

And that goes to the to the point of a brighter future.

Absolutely.

I was surprised to learn about the outreach of the Evansville Goodwill center, programs in 28 counties.

Yeah, we do serve a very large territory.

Goodwill's are divided up by territory.

So we serve 28 counties in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.

And, we do have some services in all those areas.

We operate 14 retail stores plus our outlet stores.

So 15 total stores.

And it's those stores that that create the revenue for us to be able to provide these services to those communities that we're in.

So how many employees are we talking about?

We have well over 400 employees who help us operate our stores across the region.

That's wonderful.

Now, who are these workers?

It's, well, ages.

I mean, we have I think we looked at it and we had about 15 employees who've been there since like 1999.

Connie is a longstanding employee with Goodwill, and I think our oldest employee was in the 1970s.

He's been there.

So we have some employees who have been with us for a very long time.

Good, good.

Yeah.

My guests are Connie Ralph.

She's the President of Evansville Goodwill Industries, and Morgan Lange, Vice President of Mission Advancement.

So what's mission advancement?

So I do the marketing and communications and the fundraising for Goodwill and just really the outreach and trying to get people to better understand that Goodwill is a lot more than a thrift store.

Now Goodwill is marking a 90 years of doing good in the Tri-State.

We talked about, the Excel Center.

That's one of the newest projects that you have.

Yeah.

And, that's the one that's really a kind of a school, isn't it?

It is.

It's a high school for adults.

It's a charter high school.

So students who are 18 and over and we've had we've got students all the way up to the age of 72.

So sometimes getting a high school diploma is a real dream that people have.

And there's never been an opportunity for them to get that here in the Evansville area.

So when we opened the Excel center last year, you know, we served over 160 students, adults, 22 of them have already graduated from high school, received their actual high school diploma.

And not only that, but they have to earn a credential or dual credits through a through a college like Ivy tech.

So it really is a hand up.

And that's what goodwill is all about, right?

Who are the instructors?

We have several teachers that, work for us.

I think that we're up to like 20, 20 employees.

I believe now.

Yeah.

And so we have, you know, your regular math teacher, English.

We even have, multi-language teacher to help individuals learning English.

Yeah.

Special ed, special ed.

We even have we have a child care facility on site.

That's a drop in child care free to our students.

And so we have staff there as well.

And this is all at your Washington Square location.

It is.

It's got a separate entrance.

It's a little bit closer to the mall side.

And there's a big sign above it that says Excel Center.

And, that's where our students come in and drop their kids off, go to child care, go to class.

I mean, it's structured.

There's four periods a day.

But students, we meet them where they are.

So sometimes students don't really need all the classes, or maybe they have a job, or maybe they have other responsibilities and they can only manage to come for one period a day or something like that.

So we're very flexible with the with the schedule.

All our classes are taught by licensed teachers in the state of Indiana.

So, it's a real school.

You know what what about follow up on these, students who graduate?

Yeah, that's another important thing.

And we're really building out relationships with employers.

Because job placement and moving them into higher paying jobs that can sustain their families, that's the ultimate goal.

Well, now, also you have the Good Skills Academy.

Yeah.

Is that redundant to the Excel center or is that it's different.

It's a different program.

We actually opened that I think in 2021.

And it's a program where we offer free computer classes starting with like the very basics of computers up to Excel and PowerPoint, just to help people feel a little bit more comfortable in a world that's now dominated by technology.

Yeah.

And one other one here is the good guide program.

Yeah.

The good guide program is an internal program that is designed to help our own employees with any of the barriers that they are dealing with in their lives.

So if a person is struggling with maybe paying their bills, we can help them to locate resources that will assist with that.

But we also want to sit down with them and help them with their financial literacy.

We want them to learn how to budget.

We want them to learn, you know, how to prioritize their spending so that they can make it from month to month.

And it can be various things.

Sometimes people come to us with different kinds of goals.

Maybe they're more personal, like, you know, I'd really like to take my grandkids to Disney World, but I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to afford it.

And we can help them to identify ways that they can start setting aside money so that they can afford to, to achieve their dreams, just like the rest of us want to be able to do.

Are social workers involved in this?

Actually, we do employ one person.

I'm not sure that's her degree, but it is definitely along that line because there's a lot of problems that go along with with raising a family.

Of course, So guys, what do we know about that first Goodwill store in Evansville?

Back in 1935?

Yeah, so I actually had a lot of fun looking into this yesterday because we have a bunch of historical archives we just went through.

And so our first store was opened on First Street, and it was 5000ft² and five floors, and rent was only $50 a month.

And I opened on May 12th in 1935.

So what would somebody, somebody see in that store?

So there were actually two people at the time that went around and making calls to people to really get a lot of furniture, donated.

And so they were driving around and just one little vehicle to pick up different contributions.

They were calling, different members of the community.

And so they were able to just get clothing, furniture and all stuff that was just refurbished and repaired and then sold, which we then were able to pay our employees who helped.

Well, this is very important because this is during the Great Depression.

Exactly.

So the people didn't have a lot of jobs, didn't have a lot of money.

And, they probably were looking for some bargains.

Yeah.

And I think most of those employees were actually paid in merchandise.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

I mean, I think they were getting paid like $0.25 an hour, but a lot of times it was in merchandise, so they didn't have the money to actually pay them in cash.

So how did it evolve from that store on First Street?

Well, since then, I think in 1938, there was a fire at that location, and then we moved to Locust Street and later down Division Street.

And then I think we ended up at our green River road location.

Yeah.

And since then, we've just continued to grow as an organization, which has led us to where we are now.

Who are some of the early movers and shakers in Goodwill?

Some of the legacy people?

Yeah.

I mean, I can tell you about the last 30 years.

Sure.

That's right.

And Walter Cook, he was the CEO for 49 years.

That's right.

And, unfortunately, he passed away last year.

And we definitely miss him.

But he was really a person who took Goodwill a very long way.

I mean, he started as, the president back in the 70s, and he really was able to grow and develop Goodwill into the kind of organization that it is now.

We've been able to add to that, just through some of these changes with adding new mission services like the Excel center and, and our new building and some of those, things that are a little more obvious to the community.

But yeah, he definitely is a person that contributed greatly to Goodwill's success.

Let's learn more about my guests, their backgrounds and how they got involved with the Goodwill mission.

Connie, you're the boss, so start with you.

This has been your career path.

33 years and counting.

Where did you grow up?

Well, I grew up in Fort Branch, Indiana.

I still live in Gibson County, in the hotspot area.

Went to school though at USI and then got a master's degree at Southern Illinois University and, have been with Goodwill for 33 years.

So I've seen a lot of change.

When I started there in 1992, we did not even have computers, no computers.

We were still doing our accounting department, still was using ledger books.

And so one of the early things that we did when I got there was to kind of help promote moving in the direction of new technologies.

And, so through the years, we've been able obviously to expand on that and all the way up to two weeks ago when I was in Boston, I actually was attending an AI training specifically for Goodwill CEOs at MIT.

Oh, really?

So we're really trying to move, the technology piece at Goodwill.

But also how do we how do we bring that to the people?

How do we make sure that people in our communities are moving as fast as the technology is?

Because that's what's going to happen to our workforce.

And so the people we serve, they have to be exposed to that.

And so we're going to with our Good Skills Academy, it's free.

It's open to the public.

That's one way.

We're also going to be using the Excel center to, start teaching more about.

I think originally schools were very nervous about AI thinking students are just going to, you know, use it to cheat.

But I think if you do it the right way, they'll understand that.

No, this is this is something the workforce is going to require and people need to know how to use it properly.

It still requires humanity.

We still have to pay attention to what's being generated.

But this this is our future.

And we'll be behind if we don't keep moving very, very quickly on this front.

Why did you choose Goodwill?

Well, I guess it kind of chose me.

I was I was working for the arc of Evansville, and I had, applied for jobs that were available in the area.

I'd been there for five years and enjoyed it.

Loved working with people with disabilities.

Took a job, actually, at the Blind Association.

There is a Blind Association and then got a call from Goodwill, and they asked me to come for an interview and I did, and I realized that Goodwill was the path that was going to really meet my career goals.

And so I had to call back the blind association and say, I'm so sorry.

I did accept the job from you, but I'm not going to be able to do it, and I'm going to Goodwill.

And so.

So the nonprofit path?

Yeah, it was always a nonprofit.

Yeah.

Okay, Morgan, your turn.

Vice president for mission advancement.

Sounds like that covers a lot of areas.

It is.

Yeah.

We I've had a lot of fun in this role over the past few years.

I mean, being able to be a part of watching the Excel center become where it is today, from the beginning.

So when I started back in 2021, I think we had just started talking about the Excel center and we really had to work with, Indianapolis, which is they are the ones that founded the model itself.

And, we had to work with legislators to get state approval to open the program.

And it's honestly, I never thought I would be where I am today.

But I've always been interested in the nonprofit field.

Started back in, San Antonio, Texas, is where I started my career at a smaller nonprofit.

And then, from there we moved back to, Indiana.

And, I got lucky enough to get a role at goodwill, and I was able to be a part of some amazing progress and growth over the past few years.

And we got lucky to have more.

Okay, so where did you grow up then?

I'm actually from outside of Indianapolis in Zionsville, Indiana.

I moved to Texas, San Antonio, Texas for a couple years, right out of college with my now husband.

And when COVID hit, we decided to come back to Indiana to be closer to family.

And so we landed in Evansville.

Okay, let's talk about the impact of doing good.

How many people you are helping, here at home?

People with disabilities.

I know, are hired by Goodwill.

That's got to be very important.

That's very important.

And in fact, some of those employees that have been with us the longest are people with pretty severe disabilities.

The individual that's been with us since 1978, he's hearing impaired.

He's had other mental, health issues over his lifetime.

And yet he's very reliable.

He is always there.

And he's a great employee.

And, you know, we're happy to have him and thrilled to have him.

And we continue to hire people with disabilities throughout all of our stores.

We have lots of employees that maybe wouldn't be hired, by other community employers, but at Goodwill, they fit right in.

And so we're thrilled to have them.

And they seem to be the ones that show up on time.

They do.

And don't call in sick.

That's right.

They want to be there.

They want to be there.

So individual success stories, I'm sure there has been a lot over the years that people, come in and I guess really desperate.

And then they find a place.

They find a home.

Yeah.

At Goodwill?

Yeah.

We have some employees that have even moved up through our management programs, that, you know, had histories of criminal backgrounds.

You know, maybe they, they spent time in jail or in prison, and we've been able to help them be able to change their lives after they left the prison.

And, you know, we're a second chance employer, like, like Morgan said.

And so we want to give people those opportunities to give back.

Now, obviously, you guys can't do it all by yourselves.

You have to partner with others to change these lives.

Volunteers.

You have volunteers that help out.

Yeah.

So we actually have our biggest event coming up this year, the Turkey Day 5K, which we always need volunteers for.

It's in Downtown Evansville.

And that's on Thanksgiving morning.

So we always need volunteers for that.

And then the Excel center is definitely another area where we could use some more volunteers, whether it's helping tutor the students or just helping out in the facility itself.

There's a lot of opportunity there.

Are there any partner agencies you work with?

Yeah, we work with a lot of partner agencies, through referrals and things like that.

Homeless serving agencies.

We're building a really good, partnership right now with the YMCA.

And we're looking to really expand on that with many, many other nonprofit organizations.

But, yeah, we have we have working relationships with practically every nonprofit here in the area.

Now, the Excel center, I mean, I know you're very proud of that.

Do you have a graduating class at a certain time?

How does that work?

Yeah, we had our first graduation in April.

April 4th, and we graduated at that time, what, 18?

18 students were present for graduation.

Yeah, and 22 graduated really by the end of the school year, we kind of held it early, just because we had so many students that were so excited to graduate, they didn't want to wait until like May or June.

And so we went ahead and held it early.

And then we've got another graduation scheduled for December.

And in December, we're expecting almost 60 graduates.

So is there a ceremony involved?

Yeah, yes.

We actually had to find a bigger venue for this graduation.

We're going to have it at the Old National Events Plaza on December 12th.

Oh that's exciting.

Yeah.

All the families show up?

Yes.

It was, it was the most exciting night.

It was so much fun just watching the families scream and shout for their-- that they never thought this day would come.

And seeing some of our graduates stand in front of their kids and just be an example for them, it was I. I cried.

A few goosebumps.

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, you see those kids and they've got t shirts on that say, my mommy did it for me.

Yeah.

I mean, that just makes you tear up.

Yeah.

Drop the mic on that.

Yeah, yeah.

Now you have a Goodwill employment specialist, is that correct?

Yeah.

Who are these people?

Yeah.

What do they do?

So our employment specialists are mostly people that work with individuals with disabilities, helping them find jobs.

They'll work with them and do kind of discovery, figure out what they're interested in and then, really do some training to build them up to the point where they want to get.

Then they'll also help them find a job and support them throughout that process as well.

So kind of like partners with your Arc background, doesn't it?

Yeah it does.

It's a lot like that.

That's kind of how I moved up through the organization in that Mission Services side.

Goodwill stores are all across the US and in Canada, and there are partnerships in six other countries.

Is that correct?

I believe so we have, I think across the US there's about 150, Goodwill networks.

And then I know there's goodwill in Brazil, Finland, Italy and South Korea.

And I think a few more.

So it's international.

It is national.

Yeah.

Started by that one gentleman in Boston.

And you know, it's amazing how that works.

So, what's on your wish list for the Evansville Goodwill, center?

Well, I think a big part of what we're trying to do, and we just touched on in a moment ago, is about the partnerships in the community.

You know, there's a lot of misinformation about Goodwill that's out, you know, and on the internet and on social media.

And what we really want to do is help people understand that the stores we're not a profitable organization.

We make a profit because you have to in order to stay in business.

But we're not a for profit organization.

We're not for profit that is here, to serve our communities.

And, you know, as we talked about, that's what Edgar Helms was doing all the way back in 1902.

So what we're trying to do is create the partnerships with other nonprofits and businesses in the community who can help to move people who are struggling forward.

It's what it's all about.

We want to help people to get jobs.

We want them to be self-sustaining, and we want them to thrive and be giving back in their community.

And that's really what our mission is.

We want to help people, families and communities thrive through the power of work, education and relationships.

Do you guys get any, funding from the state or the government?

We do, we receive funding for the Excel center through the state of Indiana, and we've received some grants that have been both federal and state types of grants.

We also have been working with VOC Rehab, which is a state funded, actually, federally funded organization.

But every state has a vocational rehabilitation rehabilitation agency.

We've had a number of grants through the years, and currently our senior Community Services Employment program is a federally funded program through the Department of Labor.

It's what has enabled us to work with people that are age 55 and up and have barriers to employment throughout 20 of our 28 counties.

And, that program is a little bit on the chopping block.

Right now.

So we have had to kind of put that on hiatus until we learn what the future is going to be for that.

But yeah, grants and and, federal and state funding are an important part of making sure we're able to achieve our mission.

Is there an underserved population in this area?

Definitely.

I mean, in Vanderburgh County alone, there's nearly 13,000 people, adults who do not have a high school diploma.

So we are just barely making a dent so far in, that population.

I think we just started school again on August 4th, and we had 206 students attend class that first week.

So, our goal really is to focus on the Excel center and make an impact in that area, because a high school diploma can really make a huge difference to these.

It's a completely free program.

It has, free drop in childcare for students.

It has transportation assistance.

And I think Connie talked about the certifications that we offer as well as part of it.

Everything is free to our students.

Well, how do they get started?

Well, they can enroll.

All they have to do is really go on our website and enroll through a quick application.

And then from there they would attend orientation and really figure out what they need to do in order to get, a diploma.

And they'll work with a life coach, which is basically somebody there to support the student along the way, along the time that they're at the school.

And they'll, be able to really get started with class.

Any during any of our five, eight week terms.

You guys get to look into the classroom sometimes and.

Oh, yeah, see what's going on.

Yeah.

How does that how do I, I love doing that.

I that just makes my, my heart, you know, just about burst out of my chest because when I get to see these students that I really like paying attention in class, you can see that they are engaged.

That is such a great feeling.

Adults.

These are adults.

These are adults.

We had the chance, last school year, at the end of a government class or an econ class, I believe it was.

And the teacher had had them do a business plan, and then they had to do a presentation.

And so some of us, staff went over and we were part of the audience for them to do their presentation.

Some of their ideas were just phenomenal.

And I was sitting there thinking, I am so impressed.

We need to find a way for some of these folks who were serious about maybe wanting to start a business of their own.

We've got to get them connected with the small business Development Corporation.

We've got to get connected with, you know, potential funders.

We've got to connect to them.

And so just earlier this week, we met with the Sbdc.

And so the staff is going to come in and they're going to start talking with some of our students to help them realize that these don't have to just be pipe dreams for them.

These can be real businesses that they can start.

And so it's that's the kind of thing that excites me the most about how we're going to be able to change lives.

And each of these, students has a background.

How did they get that situation?

You know, why didn't they go to the after high school?

Yeah.

Education.

And we don't always know what the story is for them.

But there was a reason you're right about that.

And something caused them to not be able to stay in school.

And whether that be their fault, it might not have been their fault.

It might have just been a family situation that they were in.

It could have been that they had some kind of a learning disability or something that wasn't really identified, and they were struggling.

And so finally they just gave up, it, it could have been a substance abuse issue.

It could have been a criminal justice issue.

We don't know.

Sometimes we learn their stories.

Sometimes students are willing to talk about that.

But what they're also so willing to talk about is how grateful they are that this has become available to them, and that they're not relegated to having to live in poverty and just barely get by.

And so I think that's the thing that we feel, you know, just truly it just gives me chills just talking about it right now.

What about your outreach?

28 counties?

How do you handle all of that?

Yeah.

I mean, we're, still working on growing our outreach.

We do have programs that hits every county.

And I think one of our goals is to hopefully take the Excel center and grow it outwards, too, because we are state funded by Indiana.

And so technically, we can't serve individuals outside of the state of Indiana through the program.

So I think one day we want to be able to move that into Kentucky, maybe Illinois, and serve an even larger population through this program.

So what's the reaction from the shoppers at your, new facility there?

I think they're very, very happy to come in and see such a wide variety of merchandise.

Clothing is the biggest seller that we have, and we've I don't even know how many total.

I should look that up, see how many total square feet we have of just clothing racks.

But it's it's a very large amount.

And so, you know, I think people can come in and they can just find the things that they're looking for.

You got to dig sometimes, you know, you got to really look through in order to find those gems.

But they're in there now.

You've been with, Goodwill a long time.

What are some of the stranger items that have been donated over the years?

Yeah, yeah, a very weird thing sometimes.

I mean, we've had, like, hand grenades and we've had money and we've had, valuable, diamond jewelry, things like that that we can, resell, sometimes if we get something that's really valuable, like, like jewelry, we will even take it to a jeweler and make sure that we're going to get top dollar for it.

Sometimes we'll sell it through the jewelers, even, just to make sure that we're getting what we should.

But I'll tell you, a lot of good stuff passes through.

There's a lot of stuff that we don't even realize how nice it is.

And then those shoppers, they truly do find that diamond in the rough.

It is.

I mean, that's the that's the hunt that are out there.

It's what brings you in, isn't it?

So, what are some of the current challenges to meet your goals right now?

What is who were your main challenges?

Ladies, I think it's just getting people to understand that we are a nonprofit.

We run our programs an organization, through the revenue we get from our stores, which, are we get the items for our stores through donations.

And so trying to maintain those donations and really getting people to understand that they are truly doing good right here in the local community.

A lot of people don't realize that even though there's Goodwill's across the US, we are a local nonprofit serving our 28 counties in the tri state area through our programs.

And so the money really does stay here and do good.

Yeah.

Now these people, they're they're paid.

Yes.

Please.

Do you help them manage their accounts?

Sometimes we have problems.

Sometimes.

Sometimes that's that's one of the things are good guides can help out with.

What are they, good.

Good guides who are good guides.

These are employees that are we hire specifically to work with our employees who are struggling.

And of course, our managers, our store managers get to know our employees really well.

And so sometimes, you know, they're providing assistance to, but, you know, I think one of the things that Morgan just mentioned about getting helping people understand, like who we really are Goodwill's across the country are our independent organizations.

We are a separate 501 C3.

So the Goodwill that you might visit in Indianapolis, or the one you might visit in Nashville or Saint Louis or Louisville, these are all independent 501 C3 organizations, and we have our own local board of directors made up by people who live in our community.

So decisions are being made that are very localized.

We're choosing to do the programs that are our local community needs.

And there's, you know, over 14% of the residents here in Evansville and Vanderburgh County that live in poverty.

So we want to be able to provide the kinds of resources and support that that will help them.

And that is partially, you know, being able to come and shop in our stores and find high value items and, you know, be able to stretch your dollar a little further.

But it really is more about how that funds those resources that help people to advance in their own lives and in their own families.

So those donations of used goods that get dropped off all over our territory, that's what drives our business.

And the challenge that we have right now is that it's easier than ever for people to donate to anybody or everybody in the community.

It's so easy to sell things online, whether it's, you know, Facebook Marketplace or some other kind of online, resource.

And that is a threat to us because, you know, if we if our donations decline or people stop giving us those high value items, then we won't have as many diamonds in the rough.

We won't have those diamonds that people can find with the treasure hunt will be diminished.

So I think it's really important for our community to understand that they're doing good because they donate their best items to us, rather than the leftovers.

After they tried to sell them in a at a yard sale or online, or took them to a consignment store and they didn't sell it.

So now they're coming to us because that's what's driving our business.

That's that truly is the engine that funds things like our Excel center and our employment programs and our, and, and even when we get these grants, even when we get these funds from the, from the government, they never really cover the full cost of the program.

So we are supporting all of those programs through retail revenue.

That's how we do it.

The Excel center, for example, it costs us about $10,000 per student, but we don't get $10,000 from the state.

We get under $7,000 per student, from the state.

So we through our retail revenue, are having to support the school, which is great.

That's what we're here for.

But we need that, those donations to come in and continue to be the kind of valuable items, that people want to buy.

Got any big plans in the works for the nex Oh, wow.

Planning that far ahead.

Oh, we got to get through these ten years.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, like Morgan said, we would love to open Excel centers and different parts of our territory.

Okay.

We would truly love to do that.

We know that that's a life changing program.

We're also looking at and we haven't really talked about the Opportunity Center.

The Opportunity Center is another, new program that we are opening up.

We just we we did a ribbon cutting in, in the spring.

And we're still trying it.

We're still building on this, but it is meant to be a place for for people to come to get support for finding jobs in the community.

And it is also meant to be a resource for other nonprofits to join us together in one location, so that people who are in need of multiple services can get them all in one stop.

We want it to be kind of a one stop shop.

And so we're we're working on building those partnerships to make sure that we've got resources available and that are more than just here's a phone number, you can go call somebody else.

We want to bring them in and set those appointments up and have those people readily accessible.

And then we want that to be a pipeline directly into our Good Skills Academy for digital skills training and directly into the Excel center, and then to help people get jobs.

So it really is meant to be that full gamut of services through the Opportunity Center.

Well, it's an umbrella operation you have here.

You know, it's not just these stores.

I mean, you're doing a lot of a lot of social work, really in absolutely, absolutely changing, changing lives.

And I guess that's what it's all about, to see these lives change.

That's totally what it's we've seeing a lot of that over the 33 years.

Yes, yes.

Yeah.

We've got some employees, like I said, that have been with us for many, many years.

But I think about to some of the people that we helped get jobs, you know, 30 years ago, and I certainly hope that most of them are still employed, or maybe they're retired by now.

Well, Margaret, what drew you into the Goodwill family?

I've always had an interest in the nonprofit field, and actually, I'm from outside of Indianapolis, and my, Look, when I was in high school, our, students with special needs, they were able to work with Goodwill because they would come into the high school and help with job training and stuff like that.

So I got to witness some of Goodwill's impact locally and at my high school, and then when I moved to Evansville, I saw this opportunity to really make a difference through Goodwill.

And so that's where I that's how I landed here.

Yeah.

Okay.

So any longtime employees you want to highlight?

Oh, well, I think that, I don't really have permission, you know, from any of them to use their name.

So do you think that you could just talk in general with people you've had?

But generally, yeah, we've had we've got a number of employees, at least 15, who have been with us for more than 25 years.

Really.

Yes.

And every one of them is a person who has had some kind of a disability or disadvantaging condition, that has created barriers for them in their lives.

And it's we've I've had really the privilege of seeing a number of them retire, and there is nothing better than to see somebody who who spent, you know, 40 years of their life, getting to retire from Goodwill.

And they are a person in a wheelchair or a person who is deaf or a person who has, mental disabilities or intellectual disabilities.

And yet, you know, they are they spend an entire career doing coming to work every day and doing a job, whether it was a sorting job or a job in our store, or they were, you know, taking donations at the door, all of the things that that Goodwill does.

And they did it for 40 years or more.

I just it's fantastic.

Well, you know, when I donate, pull into the donation center, I'm always greeted by someone smiling.

Yeah.

And I'm so grateful.

Yeah, they really are.

They help you unload the vehicle and everything, and they're smiling.

They thank you so much.

And that means that makes makes a difference.

You know, like, hey, they really appreciate what I'm doing.

Yeah, well, their job depends on you.

Yeah, but I mean, they're just grateful to have the job.

Absolutely.

I think that really shows.

Now, what about volunteers?

You need volunteers?

Yes.

More about the Turkey day.

We have our.

It's our biggest fundraiser of the year.

Our annual Turkey Day five K, this year's the 36th annual, and it's in downtown Evansville, and it's a walk run event on Thanksgiving morning.

I think last year we had almost 3000 people join us.

And for that we always need volunteers.

Whether it's just standing, on the side of the route to help direct traffic and cheer on some runners or helping with packet pickup, I could we could always use your help as volunteers as part of that.

And I think we need what, about 50?

Yes.

Yeah.

Okay.

Let's push the donations now.

What can folks donate?

What do you need?

What don't you need?

Yeah, well, there's definitely a couple things we don't need.

Okay.

We don't need mattresses.

We are not allowed to resell mattresses, so that just fills up our our bed in.

And we don't really need, chemicals and paints and things like that because that is considered hazardous waste.

And so that it's not a landfill.

It's not a we're not a landfill, but we do occasionally get trash.

And so, you know, we don't need trash.

And, televisions, we don't really need those old tube type televisions.

We have to pay to get rid of them.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right.

Yeah.

So, household items, collectibles, clothing.

Shoes, shoes, books.

What really moves off the shelves?

I think women's clothing is probably our biggest seller.

I know I'm an avid thrifter myself, so I think that's just.

Yeah, women's clothing and shoes.

Shoes are very high, too.

And, so our household decor, that kind of stuff sells really quickly.

Yeah.

And, you know, I think too, when we talk about why people donate, we want them to understand that they donate for our mission, but also they're helping to keep the planet cleaner, you know, rather than recycling, we're recycling, reusing, repurposing.

And, you know, over 12 million pounds of materials were given new life just in the past year that were donated to Goodwill through either recycling programs.

Because we do recycle a lot of the things that we get.

If they don't sell, then we do have resources to recycle.

So metals and some plastics and clothing for sure.

There's a lot of things that we are able to recycle that get reused in other parts of the world or other parts of the country.

We also recycle computers.

You know, a lot of people don't know what to do with their computers whenever they're done with them.

And so we are in a partnership with Dell, and we actually, I think recycled what about almost 56,000 pounds of computer parts.

And once Dell gets them, I mean, they we really encourage people to clean them off before you donate to us, you know, take out the hard drive or any memory or whatever that you might have.

But Dell does that as well.

And so before they, they, reuse or whatever they really do with them, I don't even think I know, they're able to repurpose them.

Okay.

And give them another life again.

Yeah.

And you also, I know you have, mobile units in high traffic areas.

We do collecting items.

I know there's one out on highway 41 by the big Santa Claus.

Yes.

Yeah, that's one of our newest ones.

Yeah, we have one there at the Santa Claus.

I'm 41.

We have one inch the Schnucks in Newburgh, and we actually just opened one up in Henderson at the Walmart.

It's there Friday through Sunday.

And so that's a newer one as well.

So, what are shoppers saying?

When they come into the stores, what are they looking for?

And they're looking for everything.

I mean, yeah, of course.

Bargains, treasures.

It's really just you never know what you're going to find.

And that's the fun of it.

That's the hunt.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

So you have, I'm sure, just treasure hunters.

Oh, yeah.

Stores.

Treasure hunters.

We have resellers, too.

Oh.

Really?

Yeah.

People who like to, resell.

And they come to Goodwill to find really interesting things that then they can put they sell online, or they might take them to, you know, a flea market or some other place that they can resell.

So we know that that is a portion of our shoppers.

Do you guys get first dibs if you see something you would absolutely not.

Do not that's for but we have very good information.

That is for a very strict rule.

Okay.

Okay.

Well that's good to know.

Yeah.

No, you guys do see a lot of, folks in and out of the stores and your employees.

What are some key problems you see right here in the tri state, I guess.

Social problems.

Again, I really think it is the the adults without a high school diploma and and the poverty rate as well, because, I think it's like 25, almost 25% of adults without a high school diploma are in poverty.

And there's almost 13,000 adults in Vanderburgh County without high school diploma number one.

I think another important thing to note about the high school is that when parents don't graduate from high school, their children are twice as likely to not graduate from high school as well.

And so the Excel center really is a two generational approach, because when the parent comes back and gets their diploma, they have really created themselves as a different type of role model for their own children.

What's also fun is that if they've got those young children who come in and spend time in our drop in center there at the school, they call themselves, I'm going to school.

Can we go to school?

They love it there.

And so they are now being turned on to school.

And so we we think that that's really going to have a generational effect on graduation rates as these kids grow up.

Sure.

So you guys, your job, I guess one of your many jobs is telling the Goodwill story, across the tri state.

So what are some of the key things you want people to to know about the local Goodwill industries?

I'll let you take it.

Oh, that were local.

That were local.

Biggest thing.

Yeah.

I think that there is Miss misconceptions among the public that, you know, Goodwill is a is a for profit and that we're just here to line the pockets of executives and, and that is the money go someplace.

Yeah.

And that it goes someplace else outside of of our local area.

And that is not true.

All right.

Yeah that would do it.

Oh I find that.

Yeah.

When we say $0.82 of every dollar spent at one of our stores supports our mission, I mean we mean it and we mean that it's local here in our community doing things like the Excel center and helping.

I think that's important to say that 82%, $0.82 of every dollar, stays in the community.

That's important.

Well, my guests have been Connie Ralph.

She's president, and CEO of Evansville Goodwill, and Morgan Lange, vice president of mission advancement.

A Goodwill 90 years and counting in the community.

Thanks for sharing the Goodwill story with us and our our viewers and listeners.

Hand up, not a hand out.

That's always an important message, is it?

Yes.

Thank you so much for having us.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I'm David James, and this is two Main Street.