Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette Announce $5,000 Gift from Bill and Melinda Gates

PORTLAND, Or. -- Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette (GICW) today announced a $5,000 gift from Bill and Melinda Gates to provide scholarships for students with disabilities and special needs who do not qualify for government-funded rehabilitation programs.

"In order to decrease the employment gap for individuals with disabilities, Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Wilamette created two vocational-training programs: Business Information Systems Training (BIST) and Office Technology Training (OTT)," said Michael Miller, president of GICW. "These programs provide individuals with disabilities with the opportunity to gain marketable skills."

The BIST program prepares students for careers in the information systems industry through hands-on, personalized instruction. Since the program's inception in 1992, more than 90 percent of BIST's students have successfully secured employment at an average starting salary of $30,000.

Goodwill's OTT program prepares students for careers in bookkeeping, accounting and administrative support. More than 30 students a year benefit from the modular instruction and flexible open enrollment of the OTT program.

Currently, both programs can only accept students whose training is approved and paid by third-party funding sources. With public funds decreasing, these agencies are not able to serve the needs of every applicant.

GICW's goal is to raise $250,000 through foundation, corporation and individual support, for an endowment fund that will provide scholarships for students with disabilities. The Technical Training Scholarship Fund will extend life-changing opportunities like OTT and BIST to people who might remain permanently locked out of mainstream society because of disability or special need.