New Goodwill Site Burned for a Cause

Jan. 22, 2013 - PRLog -- Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. is burning down the house, but it’s all for a good cause. The future location of a Goodwill Retail & Donation Center, 2819-2827 Lee Blvd, was used for training exercises January 9 through January18 by the Lehigh Acres Fire Control & Rescue District. While no live fire was used, water-based smoke was distributed to create multiple scenarios.

“Our objective was to allow crews to function as they would on an actual incident by coordinating incident command, radio communications, scene safety, forcible entry, search & rescue, and more,” says Captain Ralph Ketron, Lehigh Acres Fire Control. “The benefits created from this have been limitless. The reason I say that is because we do not have the luxury of a training facility in Lehigh that our men and women in uniform can use on a weekly basis.”

The training also offered the public an opportunity to get a first-hand look at what the Lehigh Acres Fire Control & Rescue District does when an incident occurs.

“We had citizens stop by to watch their tax dollars hard at work,” continues Ketron. “We are professional firefighters who take our jobs seriously and love what we do. We owe it to the citizens of Lehigh Acres who we have sworn to protect through training. It allows us to be the best that we can possibly be when called upon.”

Demolition at the former realty location is set to begin by the end of January; Goodwill will then begin the rebuilding process.

“We are more than happy to have had the Lehigh Acres Fire Control & Rescue District use our new location for training,” says Madison Mitchell, spokesperson for Goodwill. “This was another great opportunity for Goodwill to assist the community we serve.”

The relocated store will employ an additional 16 employees and will have enough space for the Retail & Donation Center, a drive through donation area, and space for a Goodwill Job-Link location which will assist individuals with employment services.

“The current location is around 4,000 square feet and does not have a Job-Link Center or a drive through donation drop-off,” explains Mitchell. “At this new location we will be able to build up to 20,000 square feet and really customize it in a way that will optimize the shopping experience for our customers and make it very convenient for our donors and clients.”

The new facility is planned to open in the second half of 2013.

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. operates 26 Retail & Donation Centers in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, and Glades counties to provide funding for its mission of helping people with disabilities and other disadvantages become more independent.  Supported programs include Job-Link resource centers, youth mentoring and career guidance, transportation assistance, income-sensitive housing for people with disabilities and senior citizens, and the L.I.F.E. Academy Charter School.

For more information about Goodwill’s programs and services in Southwest Florida, please visit http://www.goodwillswfl.org

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