US Chamber, Goodwill Join Forces to Help Vets
MILWAUKEE -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's "Hiring Our Heroes" program and Goodwill Industries have joined forces to offer comprehensive vocational services to veterans and military spouses who participate in Hiring Our Heroes job fairs and programs, the chamber and Goodwill announced here Thursday.
As part of the partnership, Goodwill will offer employment workshops and review resumes to help veterans and military spouses make the most of their experience at dozens of Hiring Our Heroes job fairs across the country.
Goodwill will also provide individual career assistance for referred jobseekers and in-kind event space for future job fairs and networking events.
"At Hiring Our Heroes, we understand that sometimes just having someone to sit down one-on-one with a job-seeking veteran or military spouse can make all the difference," said Eric Eversole, executive director of Hiring Our Heroes.
"Goodwill has helped veterans find jobs and make the transition from military to civilian life since World War I, and our commitment to providing job training, career and support services to veterans and military families continues to this day," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.
Hiring Our Heroes was launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners, the goal of Goodwill is to create a movement across America in hundreds of communities where veterans and military families return every day. To date, Hiring Our Heroes has inspired more than 1,400 businesses of all sizes to hire 236,000 veterans, service members in transition and military spouses. And as a direct result of more than 660 job fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, 21,600 men and women have found employment, Goodwill says.
In April 2011, Goodwill Industries International created Goodwill for Americas Heroes and Their Families as part of the White House's Joining Forces initiative. Goodwill has committed itself to helping 3,000 female veterans over the next two years. In addition, Goodwill helps veterans through grants, including those funded by the Walmart Foundation and Bank of America Charitable Foundation. As of the end of November, Goodwill had helped more than 113,000 veterans and members of their families and employed more than 2,000 either at Goodwill or in the community.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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