Nicole Suydam’s Post

It’s been such an exciting week! Directly following our Goodwill OC centennial gala, I headed to LA for our annual Association of California Goodwills conference with 75 other colleagues from across our state. As I talked about in my opening remarks as Chair of the association, we are on a journey to “Drive Change Together.” Its like being on a fun road trip with your favorite people! Road trips allow you to be vulnerable to learn and grow with your friends while you adjust to the unexpected road conditions or cars breaking down. Ultimately, every road trip is focused on a destination- which for us is striving to strengthen our mission for years to come. We heard a great presentation from fellow Goodwill CEOs Brian Itzkowitz (thank you for traveling from South Carolina!), Tim O’Neal and Pete Marcus,MBA about emerging threats to our social enterprise thrift stores. They made a great case for ways we can urgently grow and defend our businesses to ensure we remain relevant for years to come. It was an honor to lead a panel discussion on sustainability with four leading experts— Director of Cal Recycle Zoe Heller (appointed by Governor Newsom), Joanne Brasch (California Product Stewardship Council), Jessica Matlock (Senator Newman’s office) and Julie Bryant (SF Bay Goodwill). We discussed SB 707- the new law for Extended Producer Responsibilty for textiles and how Goodwill is already part of the solution as we champion reuse and resale in local communities. A big thank you to Patrick McClenahan, President & CEO of Goodwill SoCal, for hosting our group with a fun tour of their operation and the innovative work they are doing in LA County and the IE to transform lives through the power of work. I’m grateful for the relationships and collaboration Goodwill OC has with all the CA Goodwills! We are truly “Driving Change Together” for all Californians who benefit from our mission. I’m excited for where our “Road Trip” takes us next. 💙

Wow! I’m feeling beyond grateful this morning! My team envisioned a Centennial Gala for Goodwill OC that emphasized our mission with lots of inspiration and fun and that’s exactly what happened and MORE!🤩 Our theme- “100 Years of Working Wonders” - shined bright last night. We didn’t have a celebrity— our mission and our 100 years of impact was the featured star of our celebration. We hosted the event at our main campus in Santa Ana (our location for 50+ years) - transforming our Marketplace (outdoor outlet bins) in the back of our property into a magical and creative space for our guests to experience a celebration like no other. We even used our trucks and clothing bales as a big part of our creative, colorful and decorative experience. During my speech, I shared Oscar’s story and how he overcame his limitations and found his purpose working at Goodwill. While most people only saw his limitations as a person with a disability, he now has a career and a future and told me, “I’m like a kid with a dream!” I shared our bold goal and strategic vision to double our impact and footprint in OC in the next decade. I asked our guests to become our advocates and ambassadors to help us open the doors we need open to make our vision possible. So many people approached me after wanting to help. Our guests and supporters were so generous! We crushed our fundraising goal. The space between limitations and possibilities- We call that WONDER! Doubling our stores and donation centers is important because that’s where the real wonder lives. It’s not just about a place to donate your things or shop for a good deal. It’s truly the start of a career path. It’s 1:1 coaching, work experience in our stores, job training and career development- all towards helping people achieve careers with good paying jobs- either at Goodwill or other companies. Ultimately, we see people prosper with confidence and purpose. I’m SO proud of my team— CJ Calderon, Danielle Sheets and our event producer extraordinaire Patricia Gamboa. They imagined, planned and executed a flawless, magical and successful night of fundraising that is definitely a career high as a nonprofit lifer. I’m also grateful to our two Board Members and event Co-Chairs Suzi Conroy Brown and Cynthia Quimby. They were champions for making this evening successful and introducing us to many new supporters. And what a dream to have the Disneyland Resort as our presenting sponsor! They brought their special magic with a video that commenced our program featuring our partnership and the many ways they support our mission. With the support of our community we will not only achieve our Bold Goal in this decade, but will continue Working Wonders for our next century of service! Let’s do this together OC! 🙌💪💙 (BTW- My dress was thrifted on ShopGoodwill.com from a Goodwill in Pennsylvania. Edward Lada, Jr. from your Goodwill!)

Well…this was a big surprise to wake up to today! (See post below). My team and I are so excited to celebrate Goodwill OC’s Centennial Anniversary tonight. We are honored to lead this mission of helping people overcome their limitations and find their purpose through our workforce development programs. Grateful for awesome friends like Julie Hudash who are always lifting people up with their positive energy and kindness. 🎉💙

Love this good news as we prepare for our Centennial Gala Celebration tomorrow! Grateful to the readers of The OC Register for not only naming Goodwill OC “Best Thrift Store”, but “Best Charitable Organization” in OC too. A big congratulations to our amazing team at Goodwill OC who works so hard everyday to create a great place to shop, donate and support. 🎉💙

Grateful for the community’s support naming Goodwill OC “The Best Thrift Store” in the OC Register for three years straight! 💙

Can’t wait for our Centennial Gala next Saturday! We are sold out. 🎉🤩. Check out my video below for how this event will impact our mission and Bold Goal to Double Our Impact & Retail Footprint in OC.

Enjoying Octane OC’s High Tech Awards! Proud to have ShopGoodwill.com as a finalist in the Best Consumer Technology Innovation. ShopGoodwill was founded by Goodwill of Orange County 25 years ago this year. This is an innovative social enterprise that only supports the Goodwill mission across the country, but creates job and career opportunities for people with barriers to employment. Last year this business generated over $350,000,000 million (yes, those zeros are correct) in gross merchandise value nationwide to benefit local Goodwill missions. Congratulations to Bill Carpou and Linda DiMario on a fun event!