Martin Foundation Grants $15,000 to Goodwill SWFL for Mobile Services

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Aug. 30, 2016 - PRLog -- Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc® has received a $15,000 grant from The Martin Foundation, Inc. of Naples.  The grant will be used to operate the Mobile Job-Link, a mobile outreach center that aids people living underserved areas in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties.

The Mobile Job-Link is a modified Winnebago Adventurer RV, outfitted with twelve computer stations, wireless internet access, and a wheelchair lift for accessibility. Through the mobile unit, Goodwill provides employment services, health screenings, financial literacy education, FAFSA application assistance, free VITA tax preparation, and Affordable Care Act registration to people with transportation barriers.

"By taking our services on the road, the Mobile Job-Link helps us reach people in rural, underserved areas," says Goodwill's Vice President of Community Support Services Fred Richards. "Many people with disabilities and disadvantages in these communities don't have transportation to access the services they need to become more independent.  The Mobile Job-Link brings these services to their communities."

The center is on the road 15-20 days every month, and also appears at community events, job fairs, food distribution events, and health fairs.

"Since its launch in 2014, the Mobile Job-Link has touched the lives of more than a thousand people who are unemployed or underemployed," explains Fred Richards, vice president of community support services for Goodwill (http://www.goodwillswfl.org).  "Through The Martin Foundation's grant, we can ensure that the Job-Link will impact even more people in the future."

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties. The organization is committed to helping people with disabilities and disadvantages by offering life-changing opportunities to achieve independence.  Goodwill's programs in Southwest Florida include Job-Link centers, small business training classes, disability-accessible housing, the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy charter school, community outreach services and more. In 2015, more than 42,000 Southwest Floridians turned to Goodwill for assistance through these programs.

For more information about Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, visit http://www.goodwillswfl.org.