A history of helping

Goodwill site at MountainView is the valley's busiest

Craig L. Moran/ViewGoodwill of Southern Nevada donation ambassadors Jesus Romero, left, and Mike Gulasarian work at the donation drop-off site at MountainView Hospital, 3100 N. Tenaya Way, Dec. 3. Craig L. Moran/ViewResident Carol Bellomy, foreground, is assisted by Goodwill of Southern Nevada donation ambassadors Jesus Romero, left, and Mike Gulasarian as she drops off her fifth load of clothing donations at the Goodwill trailer located in the parking lot of MountainView Hospital, 3100 N. Tenaya Way, Dec. 3. The northwest Las Vegas site has collected more than 650,000 donations for Goodwill in the past 12 years, according to the nonprofit. Craig L. Moran/VIewResident Pat Terry prepares to drop off some donations to the Goodwill site at MountainView Hospital, Dec. 3. Advertisement

Residents who live near MountainView Hospital can pat themselves on the back. At a time of record unemployment, they're helping Goodwill of Southern Nevada turn gently used items into jobs.

The area's donation site is at the southeast corner of Cheyenne Avenue and Tenaya Way, at the hospital at 3100 N. Tenaya Way, and is the busiest of the nonprofit group's 22 locations. The money brought in from selling donated items supports the organization's main mission -- to train people and get them working.

"We turn used things into jobs," said Steve Chartrand, president and chief executive officer of Goodwill of Southern Nevada.

Donations made at the northwest site represent more than 27 percent of Goodwill's total donations. The profits from donations at the site have enabled Goodwill to help more than 1,000 people start new careers.

Goodwill of Southern Nevada provides education, employment and training for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. More than 20 percent of its own employees have documented disabilities.

Documents show that in 2008, donations enabled Goodwill to train and provide job-placement services to a total of 4,396 people. Its Career Connections center, located inside the Goodwill store at 1280 W. Cheyenne Ave., teaches skills such as typing and software proficiency.

Goodwill of Southern Nevada recently received $77,000 from United Way of Southern Nevada to help build a second Career Connections center, which was set to open on Dec. 7 inside the Goodwill store at 3345 E. Tropicana Ave.

"United Way's funding will allow us to assist local citizens with disabilities and other barriers to employment by placing them in jobs that will help them live fulfilling lives," Chartrand said.

Key to Goodwill's mission is selling donated items in its thrift stores.

Records show that the MountainView Hospital drop-off site has received more than 650,000 donations since it was set up there 12 years ago, with more than 50,000 of those donations from this year alone. When donations from the other Goodwill drop-off sites are factored in, Chartrand said, that number jumps to well over a million.

The statistics refer to how many drop-off visits were made by donors, not how many bags of items were dropped off.

Chartrand credited the high numbers of the northwest site to its highly visible location and the generosity of area residents. He also said the hospital's sponsorship was at the core of the site's success.

"We couldn't do what we do without MountainView Hospital," he said.

Besides hosting the site, MountainView's health care employees and physicians are contributors.

Mike Gulasarian, Goodwill donation ambassador, works at the drop-off site with a crew of four. He estimated donations increase around the holidays by 5 percent to 10 percent.

"We get extremely busy just before New Year's," he said. "People want to donate before their taxes are done."

He said the last-minute rush on the final day of 2008 resulted in 600 donations.

"In terms of condition, we ask that people give what they'd give to their neighbor," Chartrand said.

Irene Mortillaro, a secretary who lives near MountainView Hospital, said she donates items about once a month. She's also given monetarily.

"I just think how lucky I am, and it's the holidays," she said as she handed over bags of items.

A sweep truck keeps in radio contact to pick up large items, sometimes as often as four times a day, workers said.

"We are fortunate to live and work in an area where so many people give back," said Will Wagnon, chief executive officer of MountainView Hospital.

MountainView is partnering with Goodwill yet again for the ninth annual Gift of Lights celebration at Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road. Now through Jan. 3, residents who make a donation at MountainView's drop-off center or at any other Goodwill location in the valley will receive $2 off admission to the Gift of Lights. For more information, visit www.giftoflights.com.

Contact Summerlin View and South Summerlin View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.

Drop off donations

Goodwill of Southern Nevada's northwest Las Vegas donation drop-off site at MountainView Hospital, 3100 N. Tenaya Way, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 214-2000 or visit www.sngoodwill.org.