Memphis Goodwill was founded in 1927 as a territory of the nationwide Goodwill Industries movement. Today, Goodwill employs more than 800 people in the Mid-South with disabilities or who face significant barriers to employment. Work matters. A steady job transforms a life, a family and the community.  Memphis Goodwill's mission is to change the lives of people with disabilities and other barriers to employment through the power of work, education, and empowerment.More than 800 employees gain valuable job experience, job continuity, and self-fulfillment in positions at 17 Goodwill stores and 39 Attended Donation Centers. Many employees face significant barriers to employment defined as any physical, emotional, mental, social , educational or economic condition. .The Excel Center operated by Goodwill Excel Center Midsouth, Inc. is a tuition-free school for adults to earn their HS diploma. MGI modeled the program after Indianapolis, Indiana, which has graduated nearly 1,000 adults who have significantly increased their annual earnings and job opportunities. The Excel Center program offers day and evening classes, drop-in child care and transportation assistance. Life coaches are assigned to each student to support them and to connect them with community support services. The founder of Goodwill, Rev. Edgar Helms, believed that self-reliance leads to dignity--a hand up, not a handout. At Memphis Goodwill, Inc., we are thankful for those who donate their goods as it enables us to create jobs, employ those with barriers to employment and provide additional mission services like Goodwill Job Centers and The Excel Center.