ROANOKE, Va. – Sunday marks the 90th anniversary of Goodwill Industries in the Valleys.
Starting as a small mission with a cabinet and shoe shop, a store, a mission hall and 32 rooms to help the homeless, the nonprofit now helps countless families.
From hosting a youth center to helping seniors and incarcerated people get back to work, the nonprofit aims to help people get back on track.
Director of Mission Integration Patrick Ward has worked for the nonprofit for more than 13 years and remembers admiring the growth of an individual with visual and hearing impairment.
“Being able to see that employee work every day and seeing the little things that Goodwill did so they would have a safe work environment and be able to come in and still perform a job every day,” Ward said. “That just sold me right from the beginning.”
Goodwill serves 35 counties and 14 cities across Central, Southwest and Southside areas.