History

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa 

Mission Statement:
Goodwill Industries of Tulsa, Inc. provides work opportunities, job training and support services for people with disabilities or other employment barriers.

Vision Statement:
We envision a community where all people have the training and opportunities they need to be successful in the workplace, regardless of the barriers to employment they must overcome.

Values:
Integrity: We strive to meet the highest standards of ethics and accountability.
Respect: We treat all people with diginity and respect.
Commitment: We are resolved as individuals and as an organization to the fullfillment of our mission.
Diversity: We embrace diversity in the individuals we serve, the programs we offer and among the workforce that makes up our organization.
Empowerment: We provide services that help people help themselves.

Goodwill Industries - In the Beginning, A Brief History
Goodwill Industries began in Boston's South End in 1902, when Edgar J. Helms accepted a challenge to serve as a settlement worker among the area's poor immigrants. Inspired by compassion for people with disabilities and other disadvantages, he sought a way to improve their quality of life. Helms scoured the wealthier areas of Boston, asking for unwanted clothing and goods. Poor men and women were then put to work, restoring the items and learning trades and skills as they worked. These items were then resold and the money was used to pay the worker's wages. This was the birth of Goodwill Industries as we know it today.

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa - Past, Present and Future

Past:

For 75 years, Goodwill Industries of Tulsa has been known for helping people with disabilities find employment. The Rev. Wilkie C. Clock, pastor of the West Tulsa United Methodist Church, opened the first Goodwill office in the basement of the church, and Goodwill Industries of Tulsa was incorporated on August 3, 1927.

It wasn't long before Goodwill needed a new building to house and employ the several hundred people that were being served. Volunteers built a new building with used bricks that Goodwill workers had cleaned for a penny a brick. Goodwill was headquartered in this building next to the church until 1943 when it moved to the old Brady Hotel, at the corner of Main and Archer.

In December of 1970, Goodwill purchased Stockton's Discount Center at our present location, 2800 Southwest Boulevard, thanks to generous donations from the community. Goodwill expanded and updated our current facility in 1995.

In 1997 Goodwill Industries of Tulsa celebrated 70 years of service to the community. Although many of the programs and services have changed over the years to meet the needs of the community, the basic philosophy upon which Goodwill was founded has remained the same. 

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa celebrated 75 years of service in 2002.  Goodwill Industries International  celebrated 100 years. 

2009 In Review  

Did You Know in 2009, Goodwill Industries of Tulsa..

• provided employment, job training and case management services to over 1,300 individuals with disabilities and/or disadvantaging conditions,
• paid over $7.2 million in wages and benefits to disabled/disadvantaged employees,
• totalled $11.5 million in donated goods sales, resulting in more than $785,000 in sales tax revenue, 
• processed over 18 million pounds of clothing and household items,
• greeted more than 331,000 material donors and 720,000 store customers,
• provided contract packaging services for 15 companies at our East Campus resulting in over 40,467 hours of paid work experience for individuals in training,
• operated 22 donation centers and eight retail stores,
• provided Janitorial Services for 465,000 square feet of office space in the community,
• placed 337 disabled and disadvantaged individulas into jobs in the community earning wages of over $2.3 million and,
• was one of the largest employers of people with disabilities and other special needs in the State of Oklahoma.