The brave men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces – and their families – make enormous sacrifices, both during and after their service to our nation. As veterans are discharged from the military, the demand for services designed to facilitate their reintegration into their communities, families, and jobs are immense. Some veterans will find reintegration to be an easy task, some will experience challenges and still others – particularly those who have suffered physical injuries or emotional trauma – will find the transition overwhelming.

Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA is proud to be one of the leaders in helping veterans and their families reintegrate back into the civilian workforce.  They are able to do this through their 8 Job Connection centers – where career development specialists help to create career paths, like the one they created for John, a veteran of the United States Army.  John was discouraged and struggling to find a job after 13 years as a food service specialist.  Goodwill helped John apply for his GI Bill to attend Helms College’s School of Hospitality, where he is also getting hand-on experiences in various food industry settings. Through the partnership with Helms College and the Goodwill Job Connection, John is on the right path to achieve his dream of owning a restaurant one day.

According to the U.S. Census, there are more than 640,000 veterans living in Georgia. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for veterans in Georgia is 3.5 percent – meaning there are more than 22,000 veterans in need of a job.

Goodwill is doing their part to help.  In 2017, Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA served 1,144 veterans and placed 345 in careers. And now they are encouraging business owners throughout the community to consider veterans, like John, when they have open positions to fill.

“Hiring veterans is not charity – it is an investment in our community” said James K. Stiff, president of Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA. “Millions of dollars are spent to train our armed forces personnel; and we need to find a way to repurpose those skills. We hope community members will help to spread the word about services available at Goodwill for veterans, and that employers will give our returning heroes a chance for gainful employment.”

Goodwill has created alliances with community partners to maximize resources and avoid duplication of services and most effectively assist veterans to transition into employment. This effort will help to reduce or eliminate barriers to employment and provide opportunities for higher-paying positions for veterans and their families.  

In addition, on Veterans day, our active duty and veterans can enjoy 25% off in Goodwill retail locations or 25% off at our Edgar’s restaurants (Bistro or Grille) and at Hire Grounds Café on November 11th – with presentation of military card.