Goodwill Brings New Life to Building and Expanded Opportunities for Central Illinois Veterans and Youth
A “repurposed”
headquarters building on War Memorial Drive in Peoria will enable Goodwill of
Central Illinois to expand its services to veterans, youth and others in need across
a 21-county territory.
Together with U.S.
Representative Aaron Schock, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis and Illinois Central College
President John Erwin, Goodwill President and CEO Patty Fuchs revealed plans for
the nonprofit organization’s reinvestment in its 61-year-old building at 2319
E. War Memorial Drive—which will go by the name Goodwill Commons.
“Our community has
been so generous to Goodwill over the years with donations of clothing and
wares—donations that enable us to offer our services to those in need at no
cost,” Fuchs said. “This expansion is our way of paying back the community, because
it will allow us to reach even more individuals and families who are working to
better their lives. Goodwill Commons will belong to the people of Central
Illinois because it was built by the people of Central Illinois.”
Originally built
in 1951 as a Cat dealership, the facility has served as a Goodwill retail
store, warehouse, training center and administrative headquarters since 1990. Warehouse
operations moved to East Peoria in 2009, and the retail store relocated to 3905
N. University in Peoria earlier this year, enabling Goodwill to repurpose the
building into a more functional workspace for both employees and program
participants. More than half of the renovated space will be dedicated to
expanded programming, with a specific focus on increasing services to veterans
and youth.
“Goodwill is a
tremendous resource for the brave men and women who have served our country,”
Schock said. “The organization already provides skills training and job
placement assistance, and this expansion will allow more local veterans to take
advantage of these much-needed services as they seek quality employment.”
Central Illinois
young people will also benefit from the expansion, which will put more emphasis
on Goodwill’s GoodGuides youth mentoring program, which matches at-risk teens
with adult mentors, as well as a new partnership with Illinois Central College
to help prepare high school graduates for success in community college.
“Many young people
need additional support making the transition from high school to college,”
Erwin said. “Working with Goodwill, we can help students catch up on the basic
reading, writing, math and computer skills they need to succeed in our
classrooms.”
Goodwill Commons
will feature multiple computer and job training classrooms of various sizes
that can be configured for different uses. When not in use by Goodwill program
participants, these spaces will be available to the community for meetings and
events.
“That’s what
community is all about,” Ardis said. “Goodwill is not only expanding the
services that so many in Central Illinois rely on, but also inviting the
community to share in this new facility.”
Renovation of the
building will begin in mid-August, with completion expected in six to eight
months.
Goodwill Industries of
Central Illinois is a nonprofit organization that provides job training, career
and vocational services to veterans, individuals and families who are working
to better their lives. Revenues from the sale of donated or recycled items allow
Goodwill to provide all services free of charge. For more information, visit www.goodwillpeo.org or call (309)
682-1113.
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