Goodwill Hawaiʻi Aims to Raise $100K For Employment Services

Courtesy photo.

Goodwill Hawaiʻi announced that its annual fundraiser Goodwill Goes GLAM! presented by Bank of Hawaiʻi Foundation will transition this year from its usual in-person event to a special one-time televised program airing July 21, 6:30 p.m. on KGMB-TV.

Hosted by Hawaii News Now talent McKenna Maduli, the “Goodwill Goes GLAM! – Special Home Edition” will feature a fashion show with local designers Kini Zamora and Anne Namba, entertainment by Jake Shimabukuro, and an online shopping component, to benefit Goodwill’s job training, placement and support programs.

“We’re pleased to have the opportunity to bring the Goodwill Goes GLAM! program to a wider audience and raise funds for our employment programs which have been inundated by local residents impacted by the recent economic shutdown,” said Katy Chen, president of Goodwill Hawaii. “We are grateful to Bank of Hawaii, Hawaii News Now, Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian Bank, HMSA, Hawaiian Electric, HEMIC, Island Insurance Company, and Cox Fricke LLP who have stepped up to continue their support of this event and the work Goodwill does in the community.”

The 30-minute “Goodwill Goes GLAM! – Special Home Edition” variety show will feature all of the same elements of the typically four-day event held at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, including a made-for-television version of the highly anticipated GLAM! Fashion Show with past fashion show producers Kini Zamora (’15 and ’16) and Anne Namba (’19). Bargain hunters will have the chance to purchase Zamora’s and Namba’s Goodwill finds as well as browse from hundreds of other designer fashions and one-of-a-kind items online at Goodwill’s e-commerce site ShopGoodwill.com/Hawaii.

Goodwill’s mission to help people with employment barriers reach their full potential and become self-sufficient is more critical now than ever before. With Hawaii having one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, Goodwill Hawaii has stepped up to answer the community’s call for help with:

• Applying for unemployment benefits, emergency financial aid, and alternate health care coverage.
• Accessing other resources from childcare to food to support themselves and their families.
• Financial literacy, job readiness and digital skills trainings to prepare for their return to work and/or advance in their career and earn higher paying wages.

Goodwill Hawaii has experienced a 100% increase in the number of people trying to access services and have helped more than 700 Hawaii residents who have been displaced or furloughed from work as a result of COVID-19.

As a nonprofit organization, Goodwill relies on the revenue generated by its retail operations and other financial endeavors to support its employment programs and other free community services, including tax filing assistance, youth mentoring, and supports for adults with disabilities. For more information about Goodwill’s programs and services, click here.