A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO building brighter futures across arkansas
Welcome to the latest edition of Mission Magazine, where we share the heart of what we do at Goodwill Industries of Arkansas. While many know the Goodwill name, far fewer understand the full scope of our mission, which we work toward every day—changing lives through education, training and employment. This issue highlights just a few of the incredible moments and milestones we’ve celebrated over the last few months. April marked Second Chance Month, and we were proud to host multiple graduations for our Transitional Employment Opportunity participants across the state. These individuals are proof that, with support and opportunity, second chances can lead to powerful new beginnings. We also continued to expand our Last Mile to Work program, helping more Arkansans overcome transportation barriers and get to their jobs reliably. Despite facing challenges— including a fire at our Excel Center that caused devastating water damage—our team and students showed remarkable resilience. Staff quickly pivoted, and students adapted as classes moved into temporary spaces across the Goodwill Resource Center. This spring, we proudly celebrated Academy graduates, including five former Excel Center students who earned
industry-recognized certifications as Certified Clinical Medical Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians and Welders—an inspiring example of our mission in action. We also broke ground on our newest retail and donation center in Little Rock’s Chenal Valley. This flagship location will play a vital role in fueling our mission, creating jobs and generating critical resources to support our education, training and employment programs. Our sustainability efforts remain a core focus. I had the privilege, alongside our VP of Operations Louis Alderman, to attend the 2025 Plastics Recycling Conference and Textile Recovery Summit, where we explored new ways to advance our environmental impact. Additionally, our recent Mindful Moveouts partnership with colleges across Arkansas encourages students to donate unwanted items as they move out for summer. We hope you enjoy this edition of Mission—and thank you for supporting our work to build brighter futures across Arkansas. Thank you for changing a life!
Brian F. Marsh, President & CEO Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, Inc.
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mission magazine / volume 2 / sUMMER 2025
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