NEWS

Goodwill, Crosby Scholars Form Strategic Affiliation

7/2/2012

Winston-Salem NC

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Inc. (“Goodwill”) and Crosby Scholars Community Partnership (“Crosby Scholars”) announced the formation of a strategic alliance, which became effective on July 1, that establishes Crosby Scholars as an independent affiliate of Goodwill.  The rationale for the affiliation includes the close alignment of the organizations’ missions and the enhancement of financial support for the future growth of Crosby Scholars. The affiliation continues Crosby Scholars’ separate corporate status and name, as well as its separate 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.  There are no changes in the staff at Crosby Scholars, and its organizational model for helping students prepare for college remains fully intact.

“This dynamic affiliation with Goodwill will be instrumental in helping us expand our programming, create synergies that improve delivery of services and generate innovative approaches to engaging the community and the people we serve,” said Crosby Scholars’ Executive Director Mona Lovett, who was appointed to the new position of President and CEO of Crosby Scholars, also effective on July 1.  “This is a logical alliance between two organizations with shared goals.  Crosby Scholars’ mission is to remove barriers to college, and Goodwill’s mission is to remove barriers to employment – lack of education is increasingly becoming the primary barrier to employment .”

The affiliation is not based on financial need; both organizations are fiscally sound.  Crosby Scholars’ affiliation with Goodwill, and the resulting additional funding Goodwill is providing, will help Crosby Scholars reach and sustain its goal to grow from 7,000 students served in 2011 to 10,000 it anticipates will be served by 2015.

In addition, the affiliation, which was unanimously approved in June by the Boards of Directors of both organizations, offers the opportunity for potential future geographic expansion of the Crosby Scholars model within Goodwill’s 31-county northwest North Carolina territory.

Crosby Scholars is nearing completion of its Your Investment, Our Promise capital campaign, to which Goodwill also pledged substantial support.  Crosby Scholars will continue to generate financial support through its annual fund, grant writing and fundraising events, including the long standing, highly successful, annual Crosby Scholars Invitational Golf Tournament.

“Our current capital campaign is more than 90 percent complete and is expected to support Crosby Scholars’ anticipated growth for the next five years.  Long term, Goodwill’s support will help facilitate the expansion of our program,” said Crosby Scholars board chair Michael Rogers.  “Such ongoing support by Goodwill will allow us to continue providing free participation in Crosby Scholars for all students throughout Forsyth County.”

 “As Goodwill continues to remove barriers to work for the clients that we serve, we have been proactive in developing a formal affiliation with Crosby Scholars that helps remove barriers for middle and high school students to pursue higher education,” said Goodwill President and CEO Art Gibel.  “This affiliation strengthens both organizations’ ability to reach and support middle and high school students, as we help them understand and recognize the significant role of education as they prepare for future employment.”

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