Nearly 90 years into its mission in the Tri-State, Evansville Goodwill Industries is getting a major boost in the form of a new base of operations.
The regional arm of the national charitable organization opened for business in Evansville on May 12, 1935 on Northwest First Street. In the time since, it has grown to include a flagship store at 500 S. Green River Road and expanded services in a 28-county area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.
With community needs growing, Goodwill responded by purchasing the 180,000-square-foot former Sears at Washington Square Mall in 2020 and renovating it into a new headquarters, education center, and retail space.
As young as 18 and as old as 72, students come to Evansville Goodwill Industriesโ Excel Center for the same reason โ to complete an education. The second-floor space of what once was a Sears store now is being used to change lives. Students arrive to take math, language arts, or other courses needed to finish their Core 40 high school diploma.
The Excel Center currently has 135 students enrolled, and hundreds more are in the application stage. Five teachers are on the staff. There are plenty of other supports onsite, such as a spacious childcare center and life coaching.
Perhaps best of all, itโs free. Thatโs critical โ many students in the program earn less than $25,000 and have multiple people in their household, according to David Blaize, Director of Excel Center Evansville Southeast.
