Resourcefulness vs. Wastefulness "Finding practical uses for that which others would overlook or discard"     RESOURCEFULNESS - A One-Minute Testimonial Announcement Faith Committee, Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Contributed by Pam Elcik Community Leader, Fairfield, OH December 5, 2001 GOODWILL INDUSTRIES: MINISTRY OF RESOURCEFULNESS The word "resourcefulness" immediately brings to mind the ministry of Rev. Edgar Helms, a Methodist minister and founder in 1902 of Goodwill Industries. Edgar Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of Boston, then trained and hired poor people and immigrants to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out" was born. Dr. Helms' vision set an early course for what would one day become a $1.5 billion nonprofit organization. Helms described Goodwill Industries as both an "industrial program as well as a social service enterprise...a provider of employment, training and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted." In fact the expression of resourcefulness epitomized by Goodwill is a lesson for us all. Today, Goodwill Industries boasts 181 member organizations in North America and some 45 associate member organizations located in 34 countries outside the United States, Canada, and the Pacific Basin. Goodwill not only sells its donations in 1,775 retail stores across the country, but also on its Internet auction site (Shopgoodwill.com). What impact the resourcefulness and vision of one person can have on many! This material is published by the Faith Committee of the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Reproduction and Adaptation is encouraged.