Rockford Goodwill Recycling Program Creates
Jobs for Adults with Disabilities (9/24/08)

To help the environment and create more employment opportunities for people with disabilities, Goodwill Industries® of Northern Illinois has teamed up with Illinois Growth Enterprises (IGE) to develop a computer recycling program. The Rockford Goodwill® retail stores will serve as collection locations, and IGE will operate the computer refurbishing and demanufacturing.

If the donated computers can be repaired, volunteers with IGE’s Computers for Schools programs will refurbish them and donate them to local schools and nonprofit organizations. Computers that cannot be repaired will be demanufactured by adults with disabilities working in IGE’s production facility. 

“This is another opportunity for our thousands of donors to connect with those in need through giving,” said the Goodwill’s President and CEO Sam Schmitz. “It is especially gratifying for us to work with another not-for-profit in meeting the needs of our community through this collaborative effort.” 

By teaming up with IGE, the Goodwill was able to tap into an existing computer recycling program rather than starting from scratch. Similar to Goodwill, IGE’s helps people with disabilities receive on-the-job training, earn a paycheck and improve their quality of life. 

For more information, contact Schmitz.