Goodwill partners with Albany, Tifton technical colleges to provide scholarships, educational support

COLUMBUS — Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers Inc. has partnered with Albany Technical College and Southern Regional Technical College to provide scholarships, training and educational support.

Through this new partnership, Goodwill will offer scholarships to individuals attending Albany Tech and Southern Regional Tech who plan to further their education. The scholarships will be funded by round-up donations, which are optional monetary donations received once a purchase has been made at a Goodwill retail store.

All round-up dollars are used to fund GED or secondary education scholarships for individuals in the community. Albany Tech is offering the new scholarships to individuals in the home health aide certification program, while Southern Regional Tech is offering scholarships in its manufacturing-ready employees program as well as for 40 hours of soft skills training provided by Goodwill.

Eligibility for the scholarship is based on financial need, and the schools can also refer deserving individuals. This partnership announcement comes during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week — which is being recognized through Saturday.

The National Coalition for Literacy states that 36 million adults are considered to have low literacy skills. Through this week, the organization is working to raise awareness about the value of adult education and family literacy with the goal of leveraging resources that support basic education programs for adults.

“Through continued partnerships with technical colleges throughout the community, Goodwill is dedicated to supporting and empowering the community through education, training and employment opportunities,” officials with the organization said in a news release. “The programs and scholarships Goodwill offers show how generous donations and round-up dollars are used to fund the mission of ‘Developing People. Changing Lives. Building Communities.’”

Individuals who are interested in continuing their education or would like more information about available scholarships can contact their nearest Goodwill Career Center.

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers is one of 159 independent, community-based Goodwill nonprofits across the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Columbus, GoodwillSR serves 50 counties throughout east Alabama and east Georgia, providing employment readiness training, computer access, educational assistance, skills workshops and more to spur job placement and economic stability.

“We can provide these and other programs thanks to the continued donations of giving patrons,” the organization said in the news release.

“We use the revenue generated in GoodwillSR stores to fund the majority of our community services.”

For more information about Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers, visit goodwillsr.org.

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