History
50 Years of Service to Hawaii’s Community
In 1902, Goodwill Industries was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, by Rev. Edgar J. Helms. A Methodist minister and early social innovator, Helms collected used household goods and clothing from wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired the poor to mend and repair the used goods. Those items were resold or given to the people who repaired them. This system of goodwill prospered and became the foundation of Goodwill Industries.
Half a century later, on June 4, 1959, Goodwill was incorporated in the Territory of Hawaii and led by Dr. Euchio Chung, the first executive director. Milestones over the next several decades have helped Goodwill Industries of Hawaii serve tens of thousands of people.
1960s
1961 Goodwill places 3 people into jobs.
1962 Goodwill joins the Council of Social Agencies of Honolulu.
1962 Goodwill has 28 employees and places 3 people into jobs.
1964 Evaluation & Training Program begins.
1968 Mayor Neal Blaisdell asks Goodwill’s Executive Director to chair the City & County Committee on the Employment of the Physically Handicapped.
1970s
1973 Goodwill receives accreditation from Goodwill Industries of America, scoring 90.4% of total possible accreditation points.
1973 Goodwill serves 316 people and places 27 people into employment.
1974 Goodwill receives its first national Goodwill award for “Outstanding Public Relations Achievement.”
1976 Goodwill is the first agency in the state to receive its CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) accreditation.
1978 Goodwill receives its first NISH contract – sewing painters’ hoods for the U.S. Navy.
1979 Goodwill hosts its first Handicapped Job Fair with 28 companies and 200 applicants. Twenty-four job placements are made.
1980s
1981 Goodwill establishes Food Service Training.
1982 The new Mapunapuna facility is dedicated.
1986 Goodwill Tri-Agency Program (GTAP) Supported Employment Program begins.
1988 A national Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services (GIVS) Charter is received.
1989 NISH Federal Courthouse custodial contract begins.
1990s
1990 The first Hawaii Yacht Club/Goodwill Fishing Tournament is held.
1991 Goodwill holds its first Fundraising Auction.
1994 Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Grant is received to establish an Endowment Fund.
1995 Goodwill begins Working Hands Hawaii, a program for the deaf or hard-of-hearing.
1997 Employment Works, Goodwill’s Welfare-to-Work program begins.
1998 Neighbor Island operations begin with the Hilo day activity programs.
1999 Goodwill serves more than 1,350 people through 16 different programs and places more than 300 people into jobs.
2000s
2000 Pacific Business News names Goodwill Industries of Hawaii as the #1 Permanent Placement Firm.
2002 More than 200 members celebrate Goodwill’s Centennial Anniversary (1902-2002).
2003 For the 4th year in a row, Goodwill is rated as Pacific Business News’ #1 Permanent Placement Firm.
2004 Goodwill’s first Employment & Training program on Maui begins.
2005 Goodwill gains statewide presence with the SEE Hawaii Work program.
2006 Goodwill kicks off its capital campaign for the ʻOhana Career and Learning Center.
2006 Goodwill hosts its first Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Tax Clinic.
2007 Goodwill serves 8,222 people and places 1,699 into employment.
2007 Goodwill’s first immigrant services program, Imi Loa, starts.
2007 The Home Ownership Assistance Program (HOAP), a partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands launches.
2008 Goodwill serves 9,417 people and places 1,863 into employment.
2008 Goodwill successfully raises $13 million for its capital campaign for the ʻOhana Career and Learning Center.
2008 Goodwill posts weekly YouTube videos of the ʻOhana Career and Learning Center construction progress.
2009 Goodwill celebrates 50 years in Hawaii
2009 Goodwill establishes a social medial presence on Facebook and Twitter.
2009 Tax Clinic services expand to Maui and Hilo.
2009 Goodwill launches two new programs: Hoʻokele Mua, an acculturation program for Pacific Islander immigrants in Kona; and Mālama Moe, a small business development training program in Hilo.
2009 The Imi Loa Immigrant Services Program expands to Maui County.
2009 After serving Kauai through the SEE program for four years, Goodwill opens its first Kauai office with its Job Connections program.
