Goodwill’s 3^rd annual Hippie Dash returns to Gulfport

In 1969, Woodstock was an iconic cultural event billed as 3 Days of Peace & Music.  Goodwill-Suncoast and USI will bring back some of that groovy feeling in the form of the Hippie Dash for Peace, Love & Goodwill. The event includes an 8K and a 5K run, a Flower Child Fun Run for little hippies, and a laid-back one-mile Walk, Woof & Roll for walkers, dogs and strollers. The 3^rd annual Hippie Dash is expected to bring more than 1,000 hippies to downtown Gulfport!

This year’s Hippie Dash is going down Saturday, May 19, beginning at 8 a.m. The groove begins in the heart of Gulfport’s super funky downtown waterfront district at 5500 Shore Boulevard South. A DJ will spin tunes from the counterculture era, and all runners are encouraged to wear their most far-out threads for a chance to win Best Dressed Dude, Best Dressed Dudette and Best Dressed Flower Child awards. Participants in the Walk, Woof & Roll can dress their dogs up for a chance at a pooch prize too! After the race, participants can hang out in the Gulfport Casino, enjoy free munchies and beer, view the vintage VW bugs on display and wander through Gulfport’s outta sight downtown!

High-achieving hippies will be stoked to know the 8K and 5K runs are chip-timed events on certified courses. All participants will receive a fab T-shirt and a super-cool medal. Award medals will be given to the first-, second-, and third-place finishers in each age group of the 8K and 5K. If runners can only be there in spirit, there are virtual options for each race.

Come together right now! Register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Gulfport/HippieDash

Groovy businesses in the community are sponsoring this year’s event. USI is the presenting sponsor. Other sponsors include Publix Super Markets Charities, Hawkins Construction, Inc., Lokey Automotive Group, Piedmont Companies, Inc., Tampa Bay Times, Doubletake Studios and the Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center Foundation.

All proceeds benefit Goodwill’s programs for adults with disabilities and for people with other barriers to self-sufficiency. Can you dig it?

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. The organization’s successful donated goods retail operation helps support its human services in 10 counties in West Central Florida including employment services, training and job placement for people with disabilities, a children’s literacy program, affordable apartment communities for seniors and people with disabilities, and community corrections programs. For more information, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3)

CLEARWATER, FLA. – Dozens of employers with a wide variety of jobs to fill will participate in a community job fair hosted by Goodwill Industries-Suncoast. The event will take place at the EpiCenter at St. Petersburg College, 13805 58^th St. North, Clearwater, 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., May 9.

Job seekers who pre-register for the fair will receive early admission, plus access to a wide array of free job-related services – such as resume development and interview techniques – through Goodwill’s Job Connection Center. Participants can also enroll in Goodwill’s new Back To Your Future program, a free service designed to help job seekers plan their career goals and map out steps to reaching those goals.

 The Job Fair will also feature virtual interviews and “meet and greets” with some of the area’s top employers, plus a Job Trends discussion panel at 11 a.m.

Both employers and job seekers can register to attend at www.goodwill-suncoast.org/community-job-fair

This is one of dozens of job fairs being hosted by Goodwill agencies across the nation during Goodwill Industries Week, May 7-13. Every year during the first full week of May, Goodwill agencies across the United States and Canada celebrate the power of work through local events and promotions.

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. The organization’s successful donated goods retail operation helps support its human services in 10 counties in West Central Florida including employment services, training and job placement for people with disabilities, a children’s literacy program, affordable apartment communities for seniors and people with disabilities, and community corrections programs. For more information, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org. Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3)

Grand Opening celebration includes great prizes for shoppers!

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc. announces the opening of a new store in Hillsborough County. The newest Goodwill retail location is at 1407 US Hwy 301 in Tampa, just north of the Selmon Expressway. The 12,000-square-foot-store joins Goodwill’s new 200,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center at the same address.

The grand opening celebration will take place Saturday, April 28 and Sunday April 29. Doors open at 9 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday and shoppers can register all weekend long for raffle prizes such as new Amazon Fire TV sticks, Apple iPads and a Samsung 65-inch smart TV. The winners of the Fire TV sticks and iPads will be announced Saturday evening and the winner of the TV will be announced Sunday evening. Shoppers don’t need to be present to win, and the winners will be promptly notified.

Like Goodwill’s other clean, well-organized stores, the newest Goodwill is sure to appeal to a wide cross-section of value-conscious shoppers. The store will be stocked with donated clothing, furniture and household items, as well as a wide variety of brand-new products.

Besides being a bargain-hunter’s paradise, the store will offer a convenient drive-through donation lane. This will give area residents a place to easily drop off items they no longer need, contributing to a greener community while supporting Goodwill-Suncoast’s services to thousands of people in West Central Florida.

Successful stores are critical to Goodwill’s mission, as retail revenue helps support the agency’s many human services.

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. The organization’s successful donated goods retail operation helps support its human services in 10 counties in West Central Florida including employment services, training and job placement for people with disabilities, a children’s literacy program, affordable apartment communities for seniors and people with disabilities, and community corrections programs. For more information, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3)

Goodwill recruiting for management, sales and processing positions

LAKELAND, FLA. – Goodwill Temporary Staffing (GTS) is having a job fair on Thursday, May 3, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Goodwill Superstore at 5411 S. Florida Ave. in Lakeland

GTS, Goodwill’s full service staffing agency, is recruiting for assistant store managers, sales associates and donations processing associate positions at that store. Full-time and part-time positions are available.

Applicants are encouraged to complete an application at www.sbsgoodwill.com before attending the job fair, but walk-ins are welcome. Employment applications are also available at the store.

Goodwill offers a comprehensive benefits package and is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and a drug-free workplace.

If you have questions, please call Goodwill Temporary Staffing at 727-577-6411.

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. The organization’s successful donated goods retail operation helps support its human services in 10 counties in West Central Florida including employment services, training and job placement for people with disabilities, a children’s literacy program, affordable apartment communities for seniors and people with disabilities, and community corrections programs. For more information, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.