
Goodwill Industries of Alberta operates as an independent, community-based, non-profit organization, providing job placement, job training and career supportive services for those with a disability. With one out of every five employees at Goodwill, our organization has one of the highest employment rates of Albertans with disabilities in the province.
From humble beginnings as the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society, for nearly 60 years we have helped thousands find purpose through employment, as we are a people business, strengthening communities and lives for the better.
Led by a volunteer Board of Directors, these community minded individuals oversee the governance of the organization as we continue to create a better tomorrow. Our tremendous success showcases how those who donate, shop and support Goodwill are in fact, making such a profound difference, day in and day out.



Career Connections is where Goodwill’s mission of helping Albertans with disabilities comes to life.
Headquartered on Whyte Avenue in downtown Edmonton, this progressive program supports people with disabilities in locating and maintaining employment or volunteer opportunities. Individuals are assisted with identifying their employment goals, employment preparation, job search, and employment coaching with an overall goal of independence.
In 2021, a task force was created to determine our path forward, as we looked to support more people than ever before. This task force looked inward to create opportunity, by leveraging current networks and introducing additional programming for those we serve.
This led to the introduction of the Goodwill Volunteer Hub, Opportunity Accelerator Program, a Student Accelerator Program and a variety of business partnerships throughout the province.
Employment
Overall, the Career Connections program served 178 people across all platforms in 2021. This created 41 NEW paid employment positions with Albertan enterprises, including 12 NEW paid employment positions within Goodwill Industries of Alberta. This is UP 178% from 2020. In total, 84 Albertans with disabilities gained paid employment through 97 different paid positions.
Volunteer Opportunities
Building key partnerships through the Goodwill Volunteer HUB was a catalyst of GOOD things on the horizon for the volunteers in the Career Connections program. It began with the United Way, creating kits for people in impoverished areas in the Capital City Region and led to a relationship with the Mustard Seed in Edmonton creating The Providing Aid Cooperatively Project. The PAC project looks to get basic supplies into the hands of vulnerable community members who require these items immediately. It also highlights how two non-for-profits can provide for their mission, working together to support the greater good of the community.
While the innovation of the Goodwill Volunteer HUB helped create more hours for individuals looking for experience, other organizations helped utilize this wonderful workforce and 51 NEW volunteer positions were created last year. A total of 137 volunteers passed through our doors and found opportunity.
Opportunity Accelerator
Introduced in 2021, the Opportunity Accelerator Program (OA) is an agile employment service delivery model that will support Individuals with disabilities (age 16+) with employment support. Individuals can expect individualized employment supports, which can include: career discovery, a person-centered Plan (PCP), job search, skill development through workshops, certifications, and coaching, in-demand employment placement, employment coaching, etc.
In the inaugural year, the OA program enrolled 66 individuals, (34% ABOVE capacity) with 45 graduates and 31 people earning work placement opportunities, reaching 60% ABOVE initial projections.
With the high expectations and successful results of this program, Goodwill also introduced a Student Accelerator Program, designed with many of the same attributes, this program is targeted specifically for those in high-school. In it’s first year, Goodwill had 7 enrollments and a 100% graduation rate, with 3 students earning work place experiences as a result of the program.
Goodwill @ Work
Goodwill @ Work is composed of micro social enterprises that focus on creating opportunity for people with disabilities, training, and sustainability. These enterprises are based out of the AMAZING Edmonton Impact Centre and includes: Commercial Services, Repair For GOOD, the Goodwill Coffee Cart program, We Shine Crew and the assembly of products.
Furniture upcycling at Repair For GOOD created 1400+ hours of employment, with 900+ volunteer hours. Our dedicated cleaning staff at We Shine Crew totaled 2011 hours and handing out free coffee through the Goodwill Coffee Cart program created 500+ volunteer hours.
In total, Goodwill @ Work programs served 31 different people with either paid employment or meaningful volunteer opportunities. Currently at Goodwill, 2 positions in leadership roles are occupied by people with disabilities.



At Goodwill, we believe in accountability and continuous improvement for everything we do. Keeping our goal of increasing waste diversion from the landfills through repurposing, upcycling, and recycling donated products while creating sustainable employment for those with disabilities, Goodwill has managed to increase our sustainability efforts to new levels in 2021. This has been accomplished through new partnerships, energy conscious facility upgrades, and new and improved recycling initiatives to better serve the province of Alberta.
Quantum Lifecycle
When we speak about sustainability, we focus on the environment and the social economic impact. Thanks to a key partnership with Quantum Lifecycle, we have been able to responsibly recycle electronics, with Quantum Lifecycle donating $0.01 per pound directly to Career Connections, generating $10,694.44 for mission services. This is a perfect example of how we can help the environment and help those with a disability to find meaningful employment at the same time.
ENERGY Star Score
An energy performance score helps energy managers assess how efficiently a building uses energy relative to similar buildings. Rating the energy efficiency of a building is a complex process, involving ranking a building’s energy consumption patterns alongside a peer group, normalizing for factors such as local climate and occupancy, while using a 1-100 ENERGY Star scoring system.
The amazing Goodwill Edmonton Impact Centre is an active member of the City of Edmonton’s Climate for Change program and the Energy Star Portfolio Manager program, as part of Goodwill’s Sustainability Action Plan. The amazing Goodwill Edmonton Impact Centre received an Energy Star Performance Score of 97 out of 100!
Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation
Goodwill is a Community Champions Partnership grant recipient which consists of collecting beverage containers at all of our locations, Thrift Stores and Donation Centres, across the province. With help from this grant, Goodwill was able to recycle more bottles from their sites than the year previous.
Efforts like this help create a lasting impact in our province and will provide meaningful employment opportunities for Albertans for years to come.
Cigarette Waste Recycling
In partnership with Terracycle, Goodwill runs a cigarette butt recycling program at the amazing Edmonton Impact Centre as part of the Sustainability Action Plan. In 2021, we recycled 8,255 lbs of cigarette butts!
Soap for Hope
In September, Goodwill looked at how we could divert feminine hygiene products, perfumes, nail polish and more, which led to a partnership with Soap for Hope, a non-profit organization based in Calgary. Soap for Hope uses these items to create hampers in support of vulnerable populations in Calgary and the surrounding communities. Goodwill was able to divert 26 bins of product totaling to a whopping 1072.2 lbs in just 3 months!
Soap for Hope is currently serving over 100 facilities with that number to increase over 2022 and from their efforts and partnerships such as ours, they were able to divert 14 school buses of product from the landfill in 2021!
As a result of these initiatives and Goodwill’s commitment to sustainability Goodwill continues to divert 86% of all items from local landfills. This means that 19,627,882 kilograms were diverted from the landfills, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE!



A Remembrance Reunion
In November, a military family was re-united with personal heirlooms on Remembrance Day. This all started with a donation we received at our Calgary TransCanada Goodwill Thrift Store.
A shadow box filled with medals, patches, and a black and white photograph of two soldiers showed up at our donation centre. Unsure of who it belonged to, we knew we needed to do some research to try and find a respectful resting place for them.
The Medals
In our research of each medal and patch, we found that the medals dated back to World War 1 and 2!
What to do with the Medals?
Starting with the Canadian Forces in Calgary, and further sleuthing, we found an obituary for one John Thomas Hearson, born in Nottingham Yorkshire, England, and settling in Wayburn, Saskatchewan. The originally recipient of the medallions. This led to living descendant, Mr. Kelly Hearson, P.Eng who resided in Manitoba.
A quick email with photos was sent and one of the men in the photo was identified, “that’s definitely Grampa in the photo; he was not a tall man :D. Thank you very much for this!” Kelly proclaimed.
The Reunion
The medals were packed safely away in a re-purposed box to ship out to Winnipeg, Manitoba where the medals were reunited with John Thomas Hearson’s grandson, and his own son’s medals, which Kelly has on display at his home.
On Remembrance Day we will reflect and appreciate what we have and the life we get to lead thanks to our selfless veterans.
The Mayor of Goodwill
Known as the Mayor of Goodwill, Andre Molik began his journey at Goodwill as an apprentice in 1979. Two years later in 1981, he officially became an employee. On Wednesday August 11, 2021, Andre, will celebrate 40 years with an organization that has given him an opportunity through the power of work.
Born with cerebral palsy and a learning disability, Andre has succeeded and has made a tremendous impact at Goodwill within the Goodwill @ Work and Commercial Services division.
“I love what this company does for people with disabilities,” says Andre. “I love it, I don’t want to leave. It’s just an amazing place to work for!”
Starting out on the Goodwill assembly lines, putting together bingo cards, fixing bicycles and other various workshop related activities, Andre has elevated his craftmanship to support Goodwill’s Cleaning Cloths and Telus Netco wires at Commercial Services. There is no quit in Andre and he looks forward to celebrating 40 MORE years at Goodwill.
Good luck Andre and congratulations!
Since 1963, Goodwill has become one of the largest employers of people with disabilities in Alberta, with about 30% of the workforce having a disability. This is a commitment to enhancing people’s lives through meaningful employment.
Global News Network
Need some Good in your Life? Try a Good Four Minutes.
Goodwill began on a journey to bring GOOD news into our lives because research shows that continually taking in bad news hurts your everyday mentality, leading to negative psychological effects.
These GOOD news stories will help everyone start out each morning with happiness, joy, and love to increase your well-being for the rest of the day! It’s a GOOD feeling with GOOD news!
Goodwill Industries of Alberta partners with 630 CHED, News Talk 770 in Calgary, and Global Edmonton to spread some GOOD news throughout the region. Not only can you experience, and share the GOOD when you visit any of our retail and donation locations across Alberta, but you can also now start your day with a smile.
These stories are all about FUN, SMILES and INSPIRING stories from around the world, with the help of Global, CHED and 770, at 7:50a.m each weekday.
Make your mental health a priority and set aside time to reflect on the GOOD! (Even if it is just 4 minutes).


It all begins with a donation. A donation provides opportunity, success, innovation and so much more. With community partners who celebrate the impact a donation can make, it enables more positive social economic impact than ever before.
In 2021, community donations came from across the province including various community and volunteer led donation drives. While all these drives played a significant role in helping our organization support more people with disabilities than ever before, three organizations stood above the rest in terms of service and contributions to our mission.


Kevin MacDonald | Chair
Committee: Chair, Executive Ex-Officio, All

Jodi Tomchyshyn London | Vice Chair
Committee: Chair, Finance and Audit Executive

Terri Muhlbeier
Committee: Secretary/Finance and Audit

Werner Pietrzyk
Treasurer/Finance & Audit Chair

Evan Kay
Committee: Governance Chair

Steven Trottier
Committee: Governance

Paul Osbaldeston
Committee: Governance

Erin Skinner
Committee: Governance

Leeca Sonnema
Committee: Governance

Kashmir Gill
Committee: Finance & Audit

John Panusa
Committee: Finance & Audit

B. Elizabeth Romo Rabago
Committee: Governance

Wendy Ivey
Committee: Finance & Audit

Dale Monaghan
President & CEO

Thanks to the generosity of Albertans province-wide, Goodwill received 837,649 donations, the MOST EVER received in one calendar year!
With total retail sales at $33,514,059, Goodwill has been able to re-investment more into our mission than ever before, with 90% being reinvested.
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF ALBERTA (REGISTERED SOCIETY)
T3010 Charity Return

Goodwill Industries of Alberta is a non-profit charitable social enterprise that depends on support from community and corporate Albertans. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the following supporters.
ALCOR FARMS LTD | ANNE MONTGOMERY PROF CORP | BLISS HAIR DESIGN |
---|---|---|
CANADIAN TIRE JUMPSTART CHARITIES | CHARITABLE IMPACT FOUNDATION | D&J ELLIOTT |
DIAMOND HILL ACRES | DRADER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES LTD. | EDMONTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION |
JLL REAL ESTATE | LARRY BROWNOFF | LORI MITCHELL |
OLD STRATHCONA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION | OPTIMIST CLUB OF BEVERLY | PETER LOUGHLIN |
PROSITE CONSULTING LTD | QUANTUM CHEMICAL | QUANTUM LIFECYCLE PARTNERS |
QUANTUM TECHNICAL | ROTARY CLUB OF SPRUCE GROVE | ROTARY CLUB OF ST ALBERT |
ROTARY DISTRICT 5370 CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | SHELL CANADA PRODUCTS | SUNCOR |
UNITED WAY OF THE ALBERTA CAPITAL REGION | VIEWPOINT EXECUTIVE SOLUTIONS | VISION CREDIT UNION |
WALTER & JEAN MYNDIUK | WIRING BY NARAYAN LTD. | YOU CAN RIDE 2 |