Funds will further Goodwill’s Tierney Center for Veteran Services resources for vets and their families, including career transition and workforce development skills
TUSTIN, Calif. – May 30, 2018 – Goodwill of Orange County announced today it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Wells Fargo to continue its mission to serve Orange County veterans and their families at the Thomas T. & Elizabeth C. Tierney Center for Veteran Services.
This generous donation by Wells Fargo will allow Goodwill to expand its comprehensive, holistic approach to serving local warriors and their families, as well as conduct outreach to serve and support more of the local veteran population. The grant will support critical services available at the Tierney Center, including vital job placement programs, career counseling, workforce development skills courses, education services and more.
“We are tremendously grateful for Wells Fargo’s support of the Tierney Center and our mission to help veterans and their families as they transition back to civilian life,” said Everett ‘Denton’ Knapp, Jr., Tierney Center for Veteran Services Director. “With their help, we are better equipped than ever to make a sustained difference in the arena of veteran services and provide critical support to the more than 130,000 veterans living in Orange County.”
The Tierney Center, located in Tustin, works one-on-one with every veteran to help set goals, navigate available resources and make the process as easy as possible. With hundreds of partners and resources in the community, the Tierney Center is the conduit to meet any and all veterans’ needs. Centrally located in Tustin, the center is within a two-hour drive for 60 percent of veterans living in California.
“Strengthening the families that are the backbone of our nation’s military is a top priority for Wells Fargo,” said Jack Toan, Vice President of Community Relations, Wells Fargo. “We’re proud to support Goodwill of Orange County in providing direct support to veterans as they transition back to civilian life and help them achieve their education and career goals.”
This is the fourth grant Goodwill has received from Wells Fargo for its pioneering work with local veterans.
Goodwill of Orange County is proud to partner with Wells Fargo to connect unemployed and underserved veterans to the training and education they need to secure and retain jobs with livable wages.
About Goodwill of Orange County
Goodwill helps people who are facing barriers to find and keep jobs, which provides purpose, pride, and dignity. Founded on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to achieve the independence that work provides, Goodwill is most recognized for being the conduit where donated goods are sold in America’s favorite thrift stores to generate the revenue that provides the services to those who face employment challenges. Celebrating its 90th year in 2014, Goodwill of Orange County has supported hundreds of thousands of Orange County residents since its inception by creating and providing quality training and employment services to empower its program participants to be productive and independent. The nonprofit organization has dozens of programs that support this effort, including the Goodwill Rogers A. Severson Fitness & Technology Center, Orange County’s only facility specially designed for people suffering from chronic illnesses and physical disabilities; its global approach to serving veterans and their families, Goodwill of Orange County Tierney Center for Veteran Services, which helps former service members and their families find resources and services to meet and serve their unique needs, including housing, job placement, education, and wellness; and its Assistive Technology Exchange Center (ATEC), which provides access to more than 1,000 state-of-the-art technology devices for children and adults with disabilities. These are just a few of Goodwill of Orange County’s innovative programs that have served those facing barriers in Orange County for the past nine decades. In 2012, Goodwill was named one of Orange County’s Most Trusted Brands. To learn more about Goodwill of Orange County, visit ocgoodwill.org.
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Media Contact: Nicole Morrison, (949) 200-6110, nmorrison@cornerstonecomms.com