Wheels to Work Campaign
Goodwill initiated its Wheels to Work Campaign to provide reliable ways for our program graduates get to their jobs. Our goal for this campaign is to raise $92,500 in donations to purchase 25 used vehicles for individuals who are able to drive, and two wheelchair accessible buses to transport those who cannot drive to jobs and vocational programs.
You can help us raise this money in one of two ways: (1) by sending a monetary donation to Attention: Wheels to Work Campaign, Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley, 400 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701; or (2) by donating a vehicle to Goodwill's Wheels to Work fundraising campaign.
If you are interested in donating your car to help out with our Wheels to Work Campaign, it will be subject to our regular car donation process: the car will be sold at auction and the proceeds will go directly to our $92,500 goal at your request. To donate a vehicle, please contact Suzie Harrison at 301-662-0622 Ext. 208.
In the coming months, Goodwill will be partnering with a fellow non-profit agency to recommend people for an application process to purchase a used vehicle at a very reasonable price. If you need a vehicle and would like to be considered, please contact Cindy Freeman at 301-662-0622, ext. 205.
The Need for Reliable Transportation
Many individuals who graduate from Goodwill programs have already overcome barriers in order to obtain a job, only to encounter another significant barrier: lack of transportation. Most Goodwill clients either have to rely on the Frederick County bus line (which has a limited route schedule) or on family members to take them to and from work. These transportation limitations force them to take local and sometimes lower-paying jobs, even though they have developed valuable jobs skills through their training with Goodwill.
To those Goodwill graduates who are able to drive, your donation to Goodwill's Wheels to Work Campaign could mean:
- More job choices
- Higher-paying careers
- A more independent lifestyle
- Other positive life changes due to self-reliance
Ninety percent of the participants in Goodwill’s vocational services program for individuals with developmental disabilities rely on the Goodwill wheel-chair accessible bus to take them to and from work everyday. The aging Goodwill bus is on the verge of breaking down and cannot withstand the strain of our growing vocational services program. Without the Goodwill bus our vocational services clients could not get to work or participate in vocational programs that have changed their lives. In order to keep up with our vocational program needs, Goodwill must replace our old bus with two new wheelchair accessible buses.
Please make a monetary or vehicle donation to our Wheels to Work Campaign, so that individuals in our community who have worked hard to overcome barriers to employment will have reliable transportation to get them to and from work. Thank you for your support!