Goodwill GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program to Present Community Information Days January 14 and 15 During National Mentoring Month

JOHNSTOWN, PA, January 10, 2011—In conjunction with January being National Mentoring Month,Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley , Inc. will hold its GoodGuides Community Information Days on Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 at four of its Goodwill retail stores in Richland, Westwood, Ebensburg, and Somerset. Goodwill has planned the two‐day event to provide individuals with information on its Goodwill GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program with the goal of attracting a large pool of volunteer mentors. The information days will be held Friday from 3:00–7:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM–to 2:00 PM.

The GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program is a national mentoring initiative operated locally by Goodwill through a grant by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. It’s designed to help youth between the ages of 12–17 who may have barriers to success. The program focuses on helping youth to build career plans and skills as they prepare for school completion, postsecondary training, and productive work by providing them with structured and supportive relationships with adult mentors.

Goodwill began operating GoodGuides in January 2010 and has made more than 60 successful matches, but there are many more youth waiting for mentors. “We have youth who are reaching out do us, so we need more members of the community to learn about GoodGuides and become volunteer mentors to help these youth,” said Phyllis J. Bandstra, Goodwill President and CEO. “Guiding a young person toward a promising career, showing a young person that you care, and convincing a young person that he or she can actually be excited about the future because he or she now has a goal and a purpose is just what GoodGuides is all about. We want the youth to become self‐sufficient contributing members of society,” Bandstra emphasized.

Goodwill offers all mentors a complete GoodGuides Orientation and Training that teaches the importance of the Structured mentoring program and how they can make a difference in the life of youth. Mentors are asked to volunteer four hours per month or one hour per week for at least one year. Goodwill is also seeking community members and businesses to organize career talks, workshops, and company tours, and to provide educational guidance. GoodGuides serves youth in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties.

The locations of the four Good will retail stores where the Good Guides information days will be held include theRichland Goodwill at 1326 Eisenhower Boulevard; WestwoodGoodwill at 1715 LyterDrive; Ebensburg Goodwill at the Walmart Plaza, 300 Jamesway Road; and Somerset Goodwill at 1606N. Center Avenue. For all store locations and addresses, visit Goodwill’s website at www.goodwillsouthcentralpa.org.

For more information onGoodGuides, please contact CindyO’Connor, GoodGuides Program Manager at(814) 536‐3536, ext. 304 or goodguides@goodwilljohnstown.org. To learn about Goodwill’smany services and programs,visit www.goodwillsouthcentralpa.org.

Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1962 to empower individuals and families with employment barriers to achieve their fullest potential in the community through work services. Headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, GICV serves individuals with disabilities and disadvantages, dislocated workers, youth, and other job seekers throughout south central Pennsylvania in the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and a portion of Westmoreland by providing education and career services as well as job placement and postemployment supports. GICV is a community-based member organization of Goodwill Industries International, a 179-member network in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Learn more at www.gicv.org.