Aug. 12 — A newly renovated Goodwill store is opening a first-of-its-kind job training center to help people gain the skills they need to find work.

Ohio Valley Goodwill, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals and families, celebrated the grand reopening of its Fairfield Crossing Goodwill store Thursday. The store renovation also paved the way for southwest Ohio’s first walk-in Goodwill Opportunity Center.

“With this ribbon-cutting to expand resources for the Fairfield community, Goodwill also enters a new era for the organization,” said Mark Hiemstra, president and CEO of Ohio Valley Goodwill.

The Goodwill Opportunity Center will be located next to the Goodwill retail space. The center will offer pre-vocational training to help people gain skills needed to get a job. The center is not open yet, but it should open in the next few months, according to the organization.

“This directly relates to Goodwill’s mission to help people with disabilities, veterans, those struggling with homelessness and others get the opportunity they deserve,” Hiemstra said.

Hiemstra said Goodwill connects people with needed resources as the organization seeks to remove barriers and prepare people for employment opportunities or help them find housing services it can offer.

“So if someone needs to connect with a food bank or needs to connect with work and family services to get daycare vouchers or food stamps, for example,” he said, “Goodwill will offer a direct connection to those resources while continuing to offer our services.”

Fairfield Mayor Mitch Rhodus said the walk-in center will address the city’s ongoing needs because it “offers a range of comprehensive community resources.”

Butler County Developmental Disabilities Board Director Lee Ann Emmons said they share Goodwill’s commitment to helping people “discover their dreams and fulfill those dreams.”

The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports more than 4,100 individuals with lifelong services through partner agencies like Goodwill, which Emmons says is “a trusted partner and we look forward to growing that partnership here in Fairfield.”

The remodeled Fairfield store and donation center are being modernized to streamline shopping and further Goodwill’s mission. Proceeds from Goodwill store sales fund the organization’s programs and services, enabling it to provide job training, career counseling and employment opportunities to those facing barriers to employment.

“Our commitment to eliminating barriers, empowering people and raising human potential remains at the heart of this reopening,” Hiemstra said.