Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit

About Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit

In the late 1890’s, a Methodist minister in Boston started searching for ways to help immigrants. His name was Edgar J. Helms. Edgar Helms began by collecting unwanted household items. He hired immigrants to repair and refinish them. He then sold the items and used the money to pay the workers. This system worked well and so the Goodwill method of self-help was officially founded in 1902, offering skill based training programs and job placement services. In April 1921, Reverend John E. Martin of the First Methodist Church in Berkley, MI founded Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit. Goodwill Detroit’s founder sought to provide employment for elderly and physically disabled residents by creating a place to repair and sell donated items. Over the years, services evolved to meet the times’ needs, but Goodwill Detroit remained steadfast to providing quality services to the community’s most vulnerable members and merged with the League for the Handicapped. Together these two organizations could provide more services and better serve the community. Today, Goodwill Detroit has grown into a comprehensive social enterprise that is comprised of three distinct operations including, Goodwill Donated Goods Retail stores, Goodwill’s Green Works, and Goodwill Integrated Solutions. Goodwill’s enterprises use revenue generated to directly support many of Goodwill’s life-changing programs, all while directly providing on-the-job training. Goodwill Detroit provides best in class personal and workforce development training program to Metro Detroit residents living with mental health challenges or developmental disabilities, returning citizens, and residents who have been chronically under or unemployed. Goodwill Detroit’s work is cemented in its founding belief in helping people, and their families move from poverty and dependence to prosperity and independence.