Goodwill of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas

Volunteer Services

Corporate Volunteer Opportunities

National Volunteer Week 2008

In observance of the National Volunteer Week, April 27 - May 3, 2008, Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Inc. proudly hosted an "American Bar Association Volunteering Day of Caring." This exciting event took place on Friday, May 2, 2008, and was made possible through the engagement of the most wonderful group of Corporate Volunteers; or Ambassadors of Goodwill as we like to call them! As the members of the American Bar Association attending a professional conference in Las Vegas, the group approached Goodwill because they also wanted to give back to the community. Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Inc. could not be happier to have been chosen by this dynamic and truly caring group. They did make a difference! While at Goodwill, ABA Volunteers assisted with a variety of tasks in retail and warehouse settings. In Goodwill's Cheyenne Superstore, volunteers greeted the customers, helped with stocking and restocking, helped organize clothing racks, helped colorize the merchandise, and sorted hangers. In Goodwill's Processing Center, volunteers provided much-needed support processing donated merchandise by bagging toys for children, hanging clothes and defacing the Target Merchandise to fill store orders for the following day's sales. And because the sales of donated "gently used" merchandise in Goodwill's Retail Stores supports the Job Training and Job Placement Services for community members with disabilities and other barriers to employment, the ABA group directly supported our mission! And for that, the entire Las Vegas Community will always be grateful!

To discuss partnership opportunities, please contact Magda Hirsch, Director of Workforce Development and Volunteer Services, at magdah@sngoodwill.org or at (702) 214-2070

Court Ordered Volunteer Opportunities at Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Inc.

November 2006 marked the launch of a highly successful partnership between Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Inc. and the Court Programs Office, a division of the North Las Vegas Municipal Court. In the first six weeks alone, 21 community service workers contributed a total of 771 volunteer hours. Based on this high demand for community service worker sites in the Las Vegas valley, Goodwill of Southern Nevada, Inc. expanded its community service worker program in July 2007 by establishing a formal collaboration with the City of Las Vegas and the Alternative Sentencing and Education Division of Las Vegas Municipal Court. In 2007, Goodwill served 209 workers contributing a total of 9,722 volunteer hours. The North Las Vegas Court referred 165 individuals (79%), the City of Las Vegas Municipal Court referred 41 individuals (20%), and other entities jointly referred 4 individuals (2%).

Court ordered community service hours are assigned in lieu of, or in addition to, incarceration or/and a fine. Volunteer assignments for the court ordered community service workers range from performing various tasks in the processing center (i.e., sorting hard good merchandise, assembling hard good merchandise, processing back stock merchandise, sorting clothing, hanging linen, sorting hangers, hanging clothing, producing price tickets), in retail stores (i.e., sizing and colorizing clothing racks, sorting and organizing books, merchandizing clothing and hard goods) and in the corporate headquarters (i.e., photocopying, filing, preparing handouts).

The benefits of Goodwill's Community Service Program go far beyond assisting the organization itself. The program benefits the entire community. By providing an alternative to incarceration, the program reduces the cost of incarceration, creating substantial savings to the taxpayers each year. By gaining exposure to Goodwill work environment infused with mission of supporting people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, the defendants improve their self-esteem by actively learning how to give a hand up not a hand out. And because many defendants referred to Goodwill face many barriers to employment (i.e., difficulty finding a job, insufficient job seeking skills, limited job history, limited/lacking language skills, history of substance abuse, history of felonies and/or misdemeanors causing difficulty to pass background checks), Goodwill provides additional benefits to the defendants by offering them free job search and job placement assistance available in Goodwill's Career Connections. Managed by Magda Hirsch, Director of the Department of Workforce Development and Volunteer Services, Goodwill's Community Service Program represents a synergistic approach blending the expression and the support of its organizational mission. The value of Goodwill's Community Service Program is immeasurable.

Registration Process for Community Service Workers
Eligible community service workers referred to Goodwill by participating municipalities must complete a one-hour orientation prior to receiving their first assignment at Goodwill. This orientation is held weekly at 1280 West Cheyenne Avenue, North Las Vegas, NV 89030. A court-issued time sheet and a valid photo ID must be presented at the time of orientation. Volunteer work hours are available at Goodwill seven days a week but specific schedules are assigned during orientation. To schedule orientation, please contact Marci Showalter, Workforce Development and Volunteer Services Assistant, at marcis@sngoodwill.org or at (702) 214-2071 (no walk- ins please).

Partnership Opportunities for Municipalities
Partnership Opportunities for Municipalities To discuss partnership opportunities, please contact Magda Hirsch, Director of Workforce Development and Volunteer Services, at magdah@sngoodwill.org or at (702) 214-2070.

Special Education Student Volunteer Opportunities

In collaboration with the Clark County School District, Goodwill of Southern Nevada provides volunteer opportunities to Special Education Students from High Schools throughout the Las Vegas Valley. These students generally volunteer once a week at a designated store for 1-2 hours. Under their respective teachers' supervision, they assist with small tasks such as pulling hangers, organizing, colorizing, etc., depending on their individual level of functionality.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting Christina Trancoso, Assistant Director of Workforce Development and Volunteer Services, at (702) 214-2072 or Christinat@sngoodwill.org