I’M PROUD OF THE COMPANY I KEEP!
"Good Feet formed a partnership with Goodwill Industries of Denver in 2006 to help keep Colorado teens in high school while preparing them for productive lives after they graduate. That’s why I’m proud to have my name associated with Good Feet.”
Ed McCaffrey Former Football Great
GOODWILL AND GOOD FEET
COLORADO COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The popularity of Good Feet stores along Colorado’s Front Range has been gratifying. In a brief span of just three years, stores have been successfully opened in Aurora, Denver, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Park Meadows, Thornton and Westminster. All seven stores continue to thrive as thousands of Coloradoans with achy feet have been transformed into satisfied owners of America’s number one arch support.
To Good Feet Colorado, the question now became “How can we pay back the people of Colorado for the successes they have helped us achieve?” After considerable research and soul-searching, the answer was revealed, and Good Feet formed a partnership with one of the most respected non-profit organizations in Colorado, Goodwill Industries of Denver.
The Goodwill mission statement says it all in words that are at once uncomplicated and comprehensive: Our job will be done when every person in the community has the opportunity to live his or her full potential and to attain personal and economic self-sufficiency. Goodwill Industries was perceived to be the perfect partner for Good Feet, and the relationship was formed in March of 2006. Through the act of formalizing this partnership, Good Feet affirmed its unequivocal endorsement and support for the Goodwill slogan “We put people to work.”
Goodwill has many community outreach programs, but it was the nationally recognized School to Work Program that captured the attention of Good Feet Colorado. School to Work helps over 17,000 at-risk students in 29 Denver metropolitan high schools stay in school and prepare for a productive future. It is the intent of Goodwill programs to reverse the dismal graduation rate (approx. 60 %) in Colorado schools. And in fact, it is doing so. The overall graduation rate for seniors participating in Goodwill’s classroom-based programs was 96% for the 2006-2007 school year.
To support Goodwill, Good Feet Colorado created an innovative program involving all seven of its Front Range stores. Large collection bins have been prominently placed in each store, and customers are urged to donate their old shoes in order to receive a 10 percent discount on their purchase. Additionally, Good Feet incorporates the Goodwill message into virtually all of its media advertising in Colorado, extending knowledge to those who might otherwise be unaware of Goodwill’s community-wide programs. In 2007, Good Feet Colorado expanded its community involvement still further with the introduction of its Annual Good Feet Colorado Scholarship Program to help disadvantaged high school seniors advance to college.
Goodwill’s School to Work Program is making remarkable strides in raising student graduation rates, but much remains to be done. Both Goodwill and Good Feet recognize how much is at stake. The young graduates-to-be of our Colorado high schools will ultimately become the backbone of our workforce. If we are to prosper as a community, we must have a workforce that is competitive, an economy that is vibrant and stable individuals that each contribute to our success. Goodwill and Good Feet Colorado are committed to helping make these goals a reality.
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Hi Eric , 
Thank you again for the LaBreea's Good Feet scholarship. Being her College Bridge Mentor has been a very rewarding experience and during the summer we worked together on exercises that focused on College Time Management, Healthy Life Choices, Money Management and College Study Skills.
So far, her transition from high school to college has gone really well. We hit a few bumps along the way including some issues with her financial aid package and registration but after multiple visits to the Metro Administration offices together, we were able clear everything up. She is already making new friends around campus and she has introduced herself to all of her professors in order to build rapport with them early on. Weʼre so proud of what she has achieved and overcome! I have attached a couple photos of LaBreea from the Goodwill Summer Luncheon earlier this month. Please let me know if I may be of any further assistance and thank you for your support!
Have a Great Holiday Weekend,
Nona Urban
Volunteer Coordinator
Goodwill Industries Denver
If you would like to learn more about volunteering with Goodwill Industries of Denver, visit www.goodwilldenver.org or call 303-650-7733.