FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Goodwill Receives Funding from Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Goodwill will assist low-income Native Hawaiians to find jobs
Honolulu, Hawaii (June 26, 2013) — Goodwill Industries of Hawaii (GIH) has received a two-year $300,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to support the Career Pathways Program in providing employment core and career support services to Native Hawaiians on Hawaii Island. As part of its strategic plan, OHA aims to increase the average Native Hawaiian family income to 100% or greater than the Statewide average family income. In 2010, the median income of a Native Hawaiian family was $67,682, which is only 90% of the statewide median income.
GIH will use the grant from OHA to assist Native Hawaiians residing on Hawaii island whose household incomes are 300% or below the federal poverty level, with a focus on underemployed and displaced workers. The program aims to improve participants’ ability to become job-ready and secure employment, which will lead to financial empowerment and self-sufficiency. The OHA funding will allow GIH to continue to serve Native Hawaiians living on the island of Hawaii.
The program will also serve at-risk high school students, providing assistance to pass the GED tests, which can then lead to post-secondary education and training options, thereby furthering their capacity to attain employment at a livable wage. Program participants will receive comprehensive intake and assessment, ten to twenty hours of Pre-Employment training, and tuition subsidies to help them attain the technical skills required for higher-paying jobs. Additionally, once a participant is placed into gainful employment, job retention counseling is provided for a minimum of three months.
“Goodwill Industries of Hawaii is honored and excited to be the recipient of this groundbreaking grant which will lay the foundation for the path to sustainable financial empowerment for Native Hawaiian families” notes JP Wright, Goodwill’s Assistant Director of Employment Services.
For more information on the program, contact JP Wright at 836-0313.
Goodwill Industries of Hawaii’s mission is to help people with employment barriers to reach their full potential and become self-sufficient. Supported by its retail operations and financial endeavors, its educational, employment and training programs have provided skills training, employment counseling, job placement and support services since 1959.
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Media Contact:
JP Wright
Assistant Director of Employment Services
(808) 836-0313
mcd@higoodwill.org
