Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc.

The Cycle of Good Starts With You.

We’re a local nonprofit on a mission to help people, families, and communities thrive through the power of relationships, education, and work across our tristate community.

Serving Southwestern Indiana, Southeastern Illinois, and Western Kentucky.

Powered By The Cycle of Good

You Donate.

You clear out clutter, keep items out of landfills, and turn your goods into local opportunity.

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You Shop.

Every treasure you purchase is an investment in our local community.

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Opportunities Are Created.

Retail revenue is transformed into free adult education, job training, employment services, and family support.

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Communities Thrive.

Families are supported, neighborhoods benefit, and the Cycle of Good continues.

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Connie Ralph, President and CEO of Evansville Goodwill Industries

Welcome Neighbor!

Goodwill is a promise: that people matter, potential is worth investing in, and communities are strongest when we show up for one another. What makes Evansville Goodwill special is you. Our donors, shoppers, team members, and partners.

Thank you for keeping the Cycle of Good moving forward.

With gratitude,

Signature of Connie Ralph Connie Ralph President & CEO
Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc.

Our Community in Action.

These stories are happening every day because of community support. Every milestone, fresh start, and moment of progress is powered by people who believe opportunity should be within everyone’s reach.

Rooted in Our Community. Focused on the Future.

Founded in 1935, Evansville Goodwill has grown alongside the communities we serve.

While our programs and services have evolved, our commitment has remained the same: to meet people where they are and walk with them toward what’s next.

As needs change, we listen. As challenges emerge, we adapt. And as opportunities grow, we grow with them.

Community members and staff at the Southwind store grand opening in Evansville

90 Years of Opportunity in the Tri-State: Evansville Goodwill Milestones, 1935 to Today

Historic Evansville Goodwill truck
Evansville Goodwill History
1935
Evansville Goodwill History
1935

Planting Seeds in Evansville

Evansville joins the growing Goodwill movement, opening a store at 112 N.W. First Street. Donation bags are distributed through local churches, Boy Scouts canvas neighborhoods collecting clothing and furniture, and a local company lends a truck to haul donations.

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  1. Evansville joins the growing Goodwill movement, opening a store at 112 N.W. First Street. Donation bags are distributed through local churches, Boy Scouts canvas neighborhoods collecting clothing and furniture, and a local company lends a truck to haul donations.
  2. In January 1937, floods submerge two-thirds of the city. Goodwill responds by housing evacuees, storing furniture for displaced families, and preparing meals in partnership with the Salvation Army.
  3. In January 1938, a fire destroys much of Evansville Goodwill's building and inventory. On March 25, leaders sign a new lease at 18 Locust Street. Volunteers and donors rally to help replace what was lost and operations resume.
  4. The Women's Guild forms to serve as liaisons between Goodwill Industries and local church women. By year's end, the group grows to nearly 1,200 representatives and raises funds while gathering donations of much-needed equipment.
  5. A second store opens at 200 S.E. Fourth Street, allowing the Locust Street location to increase plant operations. That year, Good Willie also joins the Goodwill family.
  6. A new Goodwill store opens at 2227 W. Franklin Street.
  7. Donation pickups begin in Henderson, Kentucky, and surrounding communities.
  8. A new store opens at 930 Division Street and a campaign headquarters launches at the 18 Locust Street location.
  9. Goodwill opens a contract shop providing jobs for individuals with developmental disabilities and launches a recreation club for people with disabilities. Pickup locations expand throughout surrounding communities.
  10. A new store opens at Kentucky and Division Street, Goodwill pays out its one-millionth dollar in opportunity wages, and four collection booths are placed in area shopping centers.
  11. The Women's Auxiliary (formerly known as Women's Guild) organizes a style show featuring donated clothing transformed into fashionable new outfits.
  12. Goodwill opens its first Kentucky location in Owensboro. The iconic Smiling G logo is also introduced and becomes a recognizable symbol of the Goodwill movement.
  13. Goodwill opens locations in Tell City and Downtown Evansville. The Old Courthouse Mart in Evansville features an antique room and a used bookstore.
  14. Evansville Goodwill receives funding from the Indiana Rehabilitation Services Board to expand rehabilitation services in Vincennes.
  15. The first Mobile Attended Collection Center launches.
  16. Evansville Goodwill purchases 500 S. Green River Road.
  17. E.G. Will's opens at 500 S. Green River Road, providing on-the-job food-service training for individuals with disabilities.
  18. The Goodwill Family Center opens at Buena Vista and Kratzville Road, providing transitional housing for up to 19 families along with employment assistance, childcare, transportation, and counseling.
  19. Goodwill expands recycling partnerships while services in Vincennes receive a three-year CARF accreditation.
  20. Goodwill launches the first annual Ducks on the Ohio, where 14,529 rubber ducks race on the Ohio River in support of Goodwill's homeless shelter.
  21. Goodwill opens a new building at 1450 Willow Street in Vincennes, combining retail, administration, processing, and enterprise space.
  22. Goodwill's tenth retail store opens in an 11,000-square-foot facility at First Avenue and Uhlhorn.
  23. Goodwill absorbs the Resource Agency for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, expanding interpreter services, case management, vocational rehabilitation, job placement, sign language classes, and interpreter development. Another store also opens in Mount Vernon, Illinois.
  24. Two new stores open, including one in the Fairlawn Shopping Center and another on the West Lloyd Expressway.
  25. Goodwill celebrates the grand opening of a new store in Owensboro, Kentucky, off Parrish Avenue.
  26. Evansville Goodwill joins Shopgoodwill.com, bringing unique donated merchandise to an online auction marketplace.
  27. More than 200 employees and community members gather to celebrate the opening of Goodwill's 15th store in Boonville, Indiana.
  28. Goodwill celebrates the grand opening of a new store in Tell City, Indiana.
  29. Evansville Goodwill receives U.S. Department of Labor funding to expand the Senior Community Service Employment Program and help older job seekers build skills and reenter the workforce.
  30. A new location opens in Washington, Indiana. Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke also designates August 5, 2020, as Evansville Goodwill Industries Day in honor of 85 years of service.
  31. Evansville Goodwill opens GoodSkills Academy, providing free computer classes and digital-skills education to community members.
  32. Evansville Goodwill establishes a renewed mission, vision, and values centered on helping people, families, and communities thrive through relationships, education, and work.
  33. The Excel Center® Evansville Southeast opens as a free high school for adults with wraparound support. Goodwill also expands retail, adds an Outlet store, and moves into a new headquarters.
  34. The Excel Center Evansville Southeast celebrates its first graduating class.

Stronger Together.

Lasting change doesn’t happen alone.

We work alongside schools, employers, nonprofits, civic leaders, and community organizations to expand access to education, employment, and support services. We’re incredibly grateful to local community partners who help extend our reach.

Through partnership, the Cycle of Good reaches further, creating pathways to opportunity that no single organization could build on its own.

Partner With Us Bring your organization, resources, and ideas into the Cycle of Good.

Evansville Goodwill Industries serves 28 counties across 3 states — Southwestern Indiana, Southeastern Illinois, and Western Kentucky.

There’s a Place for You Here.

Community looks different for everyone.

Some people support the Cycle by donating or shopping. Others join by working with us, volunteering their time, advocating for opportunity, or partnering to strengthen services.

However you engage, you are part of the community that makes this work possible.

Evansville Goodwill is more than an organization. It’s a network of people moving good forward.

Graduates of The Excel Center Evansville Southeast in cap and gown