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GRAND RAPIDS - Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids, Inc. will expand its cultural competence and diversity efforts to the individuals it serves through a $120,000 two-year grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek.

The new initiative, known as ‘Diversity Works!,’will have a direct impact on the nearly 400 employees of Goodwill through diversity trainings and a concerted effort of promoting a culture of inclusion throughout the agency. “This program will not only help employees appreciate differences in one another, but will also impact our retail customers and individuals in our job training programs,” said Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Jill Wallace.  “’Diversity Works!’ will give our employees the tools to successfully guide the diverse participant base that we serve who have various barriers to employment.”

Goodwill Store customers and individuals participating in Goodwill’s job training will benefit from the knowledge that staff will have acquired to provide services while being culturally sensitive to the needs of people from diverse backgrounds.  Cultural Competence and Micro-Inequity Training will be provided to Goodwill staff by an outside contractor who will also help craft a strategic diversity and cultural competence plan for Goodwill, as well as a plan for evaluating its effectiveness.

“We are excited to receive this important grant that will help us succeed as an employer,” said Wallace. “It ultimately helps the community by recognizing diversity through the services that our organization provides to many different individuals, whether it’s through our career center, training programs, or retail locations.”

The ‘Diversity Works!’ program is a two-year initiative that will begin this spring.