Good Willy

Anyone my age, or close to my age may remember a familiar image from a series of television ads that ran in the mid-sixties. It was a time when television sets were a piece of furniture with fine wooden appointments and great workmanship on the cabinet of the set, like the old black and white Zenith at our house. Some of you will remember the era. If you do, then you probably also remember a cartoon image of a young boy named Good Willy. Good Willy was pictured as a boy in a wheelchair, all smiles, in overalls, wearing a cap on his head and holding a lunch bucket- eager to get to work. This animated character appeared in public service ads from Goodwill Industries. The ads encouraged the hiring of “handicapped” people. There were also some live-action ads (again featuring people in wheelchairs), but the real poster boy for Goodwill Industries and their campaign to “hire the handicapped” was Good Willy.

If you remember that time, then you also know that the sixties weren’t the kindest of times for the disabled, the disenfranchised, or minorities. It was a time when the social consciousness of the country was just beginning to come alive- but it wasn’t the tidal wave of change we eventually ended up with. At that time the handicapped were more pitied than valued, and certainly never considered a viable part of the workforce. Then, we used words like “cripples” or “shut in’s” to describe those who weren’t up to the physical perfections the powerful Madison Avenue types were convincing us defined “All-American”. If you don’t believe me, just check out an episode or two of the great television series “Mad Men”. The less than perfect were hidden away and devalued in every way. That is, until Goodwill Industries pioneered the effort to bring disabled people into view, and convince the business world that the disabled could be a valuable part of the national workforce. Goodwill’s efforts, and the living proof offered by millions of disabled workers over the decades since, have changed the complexion and nature of the modern workforce. Today we think nothing of seeing, or working side-by-side, with people of all sorts of abilities and disabilities. The image of Good Willy helped make that happen. 

About a month ago I began working for Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest. I took a job as the Regional Manager for Workforce and Family Services. That job is essentially managing the programs and staff that assist Goodwill participants to find work, or connect with other services in the community. I have to admit that when I accepted the job my image of Goodwill was largely informed by that old concept from my days as a kid, seeing Good Willy commercials on daytime TV, and occasional forays into Goodwill stores. Then too, I’m sure most of us have had the experience of donating our old household items and clothing to Goodwill- and perhaps doing a little shopping in the stores. The Goodwill name is synonymous with the second-hand store model. I won’t recount the origins and history of the Goodwill model, but it’s fascinating and easily researched via the Internet.

I must also admit that my new experience of working for Goodwill Industries has been a true eye-opener. I was shocked to see how the organization has changed, evolved, and grown compared to my antiquated notions from Good Willy’s day. Today Goodwill Industries continues to perfect the retail and production models they’re known for. But that’s just a piece of the overall picture that makes up the organization. To be sure Goodwill is still a leader in providing employment to people of all abilities, but they have widened their scope to include services to a whole range of other folks in the community, going well beyond the days of Good Willy. 

Today Goodwill uses a modern corporate structure to support a wide variety of services in the community most of us aren’t aware of. The image of the eager boy in the wheelchair is still alive, but now that image would include potential aero-space industry employees doing technical testing for high-tech job placement, U.S. military veterans seeking employment after their service, young kids from our neighborhoods involved in Mentoring Programs and partnerships with businesses (large and small) seeking qualified workers . Goodwill Industries is one of the leading contractors with government (Federal-State-and Local) to fulfill their mission of putting people back to work. You see, Goodwill doesn’t just take in your used goods to provide work to a few disabled people, fixing and re-selling that old lamp- Goodwill reaches well beyond those stores and collection centers to the very heart of the economy.  Last year Goodwill Industries placed over a 189,000 disadvantaged or displaced people in good paying jobs nation-wide.

If I sound impressed and a bit proud- that’s because I am. I also want to emphasize again how private enterprises like Goodwill Industries are part of a very intricate web combining government and private non-profit organizations to meet the needs of so many of our neighbors. Those who endlessly clamor for huge cuts to government programs aren’t telling you the whole story. That’s because the whole story is complicated and interwoven with services most of us value, and want to see continued. But those notions don’t fit nicely into a political ad. The truth is that many of the folks you assume are beneficiaries of great organizations like Goodwill could not be served unless those agencies partnered with government. Even a model as time-tested and well known as the Goodwill model still needs to affiliated with government to do the work they do. There are many similar agencies, like Volunteers of America and Catholic Charities all working together to create a fabric that helps our country and helps those in our country who just need a hand to join the mainstream. Thinking back to the days of Good Willy is a great reminder that we can’t go backwards in our efforts to include all of our neighbors in the effort to spread human dignity.

Thanks for looking in.