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    100 things to know as Goodwill of Orange County turns 100
    • October 5, 2024

    Goodwill of Orange County is celebrating its centennial year of local service.

    Focused on workforce development, Goodwill has spent the past 10 decades supporting people with disabilities and other challenges to employment.

    With its centennial gala and fundraiser set for Saturday, Oct. 5, here are 100 things to know about the nonprofit organization and the people behind it.

    Founded by Rev. John Winterbourne in fall of 1924, under the auspices of Goodwill Industries of Southern California. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Upon inception, the Goodwill model was about repairing damaged goods for resale. Individuals with disabilities were hired to do this work. The first Goodwill clothing repair workshop in O.C. was originally located in the Winterbourne’s personal home, but was later moved to a rented house on Logan Street in Santa Ana. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Goodwill operated four stores in Orange County – the first in Santa Ana on the corner of West Fourth and Van Ness, as well as in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Stanton. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    Founded by Rev. John Winterbourne in fall of 1924, under the auspices of Goodwill Industries of Southern California. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    1920s

    1. Methodist minister and Midwest transplant the Rev. John Winterbourne establishes the Orange County Division of Goodwill Industries of Southern California in 1924.

    2. An offshoot of Goodwill’s Los Angeles operation, the Orange County branch in Santa Ana employs four disabled people to fix damaged goods for resale.

    3. Goodwill OC relocates from a room in Winterbourne’s home to a rented house on Logan Street.

    4. Winterbourne was also a one-time publisher of the Tustin News, the Costa Mesa Herald and San Juan Capistrano’s The Missionite.

    5. The first store, in Santa Ana, opens at 411 W. Fourth Street, at the present-day Civic Center.

    6. The February 1928 edition of Goodwill News includes the phone number “Santa Ana 2046” to request a burlap bag for castoffs that can be salvaged.

    7. Goodwill’s motto: “Not for Profit but for Service.”

    8. At the time of the 1929 stock market crash, Goodwill OC has four stores – in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Stanton.

    9. Only the Santa Ana store will survive the decade of the Great Depression.

    The Goodwill Women’s Auxiliary formed locally in June 1935. Mrs. Raymond Thompson was First President. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Average hourly wage is 0.24 cents in 1937. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    The Goodwill Women’s Auxiliary formed locally in June 1935. Mrs. Raymond Thompson was First President. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    1930s

    10. In April 1932, Winterbourne is delivering $75 in goods to the Huntington Beach store when a gas leak causes the truck to explode.

    11. Winterbourne can only salvage two tires. He asks the public for the loan of a truck so he can continue supplying Goodwill’s stores.

    12.  Goodwill Industries of Orange County is incorporated on July 28, 1932.

    13. The Goodwill Women’s Auxiliary is formed in 1935 to provide support with fundraisers and other public campaigns.

    14. Goodwill OC transitions from an independent operation managed by Winterbourne to administration under the Southern California division.

    15. In early September 1935, George F. Angne from Los Angeles is named administrative head in Orange County.

    16. Angne announces that the two Santa Ana stores – a second shop had opened on Main Street – will consolidate and operate as both store and workshop at 600 W. Fourth St.

    17. Angne tells the Santa Ana Journal that Goodwill’s 15 workers earn what he calls “opportunity wages,” making about $10 a week.

    18. A local newspaper describes items in a window display: a “cocky Civil War cap,” “a demure calico house frock” and “a woolly black fascinator that once graced a feminine neck when grandma was a girl.”

    19. Goodwill is already a Halloween season go-to, with Angne reminding the public of the store’s large stock of costumes.

    20. The Santa Ana operation gets a visit in October 1935 from the Rev. Edgar James Helms, who in 1902 Boston founded what became Goodwill Industries.

    21. Goodwill Industries of Orange County is formally returned to Los Angeles control in 1936.

    22. Winterbourne, now an assistant to Angne, heads up a theological in-store used book service launched in September 1937 for young ministers.

    23. Goodwill’s average hourly wage in 1937 is 24 cents an hour. A federal minimum hourly wage rate of 25 cents is instituted in 1938.

    24. In April 1938, Goodwill temporarily closes shop to assist the Santa Ana Red Cross emergency relief effort in response to a flood.

    25. A letter sent by the Red Cross thanks the organization for the loan of chairs and desks, as well as trucks and drivers.

    GIOC again becomes autonomous on Oct. 1, 1946. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    First Goodwill “As Is Lot” in the nation opened in 1946 next to the organization’s main workshop in Santa Ana. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    GIOC again becomes autonomous on Oct. 1, 1946. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    1940s

    26. Goodwill OC employs 24 workers by 1944.

    27. Unsold items are offered by the pound when Goodwill opens its “As Is Lot” next to the Santa Ana workshop in 1946.

    28. The “As Is” concept continues as the current-day Goodwill Marketplace, commonly referred to as “the bins.”

    29. The first of its kind in the nation, “As Is” will be replicated around the country.

    30. Goodwill Industries of Orange County is once again autonomous, returning to local control Oct. 1, 1946.

    31. A November ad in the La Habra Star extends a “HAPPY THANKSGIVING” to Goodwill’s supporters, along with a phone number to make contributions.

    32. An August 1949 Goodwill vacation notice in the Star: “For the next 10 days our telephone operator will be away. Will you cooperate by temporarily telephoning your requests for truck calls to Mrs. McBride.”

    First donation collection booth opened at Garden Grove Alpha Beta (at Harbor) on Oct. 3, 1957. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Workshop and Santa Ana store moved to 417 West Fourth Street in 1950. All other stores had closed during Depression. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    More than 190 full-time employees with disabilities on the payroll by 1957. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    First donation collection booth opened at Garden Grove Alpha Beta (at Harbor) on Oct. 3, 1957. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    1950s

    33. The Santa Ana workshop/store moves to 417 W. Fourth St. in 1950.

    34. By 1952, Goodwill employs 75 workers.

    35. The Women’s Auxiliary continues its work, holding a December 1953 sale of dolled-up Christmas dolls. Proceeds go to Goodwill employees.

    36. Expansion renews with second retail site in Norwalk.

    37. Goodwill OC pays its millionth wage dollar on May 2, 1954, and is recognized that year as the nation’s fastest-growing Goodwill entity.

    38. In 1956 and ’57, new stores also open in Costa Mesa, Garden Grove and Whittier.

    39. In the busy year of 1957, board president Gaylord M. Hicks becomes Goodwill OC’s third executive director.

    40. The Santa Ana workshop is relocated in February 1957 to a new building at 2702 West Fifth Street on 2.5 acres purchased by Goodwill. The site remains Goodwill’s main campus and headquarters.

    41. With more than 190 employees by September 1957, Goodwill reaches its second millionth dollar paid. The nonprofit’s average hourly wage is $1.10.

    42. The first donation collection booth debuts at the Garden Grove Alpha Beta near Harbor Boulevard in October 1957.

    43. To mark his death in 1958, the George F. Angne Memorial Chapel is built in the center of Santa Ana’s Fourth Street store. He was 71.

    44. The Costa Mesa and Norwalk stores expand in 1959.

    45. Construction starts in November 1959 on a 5,000-square-foot Fullerton store, the first sales outlet in north Orange County.

    46. The collection booths prove popular, expanding to stores in seven shopping centers by the end of the decade, thanks in part to the Santa Ana Kiwanis Club.

    1960s

    47. Goodwill workers get Christmas bonus checks in December 1960 during a breakfast honoring past board presidents, held at Farm Bureau Hall.

    48. Walter Knott is a prominent member of Goodwill OC’s board of directors in the 1960s. The Knotts remain strong supporters during their lifetimes.

    49. A planning conference for staff in 1961 takes place at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park.

    50. Newport Beach resident Andy Devine, the raspy-voiced character actor whose roles included “Cookie” the sidekick to Roy Rogers, helps Goodwill OC celebrate National Goodwill Week in March 1961.

    51. Goodwill paid out $588,380 in wages to 280 employees in 1961.

    52.  Service clubs – including the East Whittier Rotary Club and Kiwanis clubs in East Whittier and Pico Rivera – sponsor more collection booths.

    53. Swiss Chalet-themed booths are introduced.

    54. Orange County is one of two collection points nationwide selected in 1962 by Goodwill Industries of America to assemble artificial limbs, braces and physical aids as part of an overseas humanitarian outreach.

    55. The Women’s Auxiliary presents a $1,000 check in late 1963 for purchase of a dishwasher and a cooler at the Goodwill plant.

    56. In 1964, 652 people with disabilities are on Goodwill’s payroll.

    57. Over the decade, new stores come to Fullerton, Anaheim, Downey, La Habra, Buena Park, Orange and both the Fairview campus and south Main Street in Santa Ana.

    58. The Garden Grove store relocates in 1962; Costa Mesa and Norwalk stores relocate in 1966.

    59. Goodwill adds two more workshop units in 1963 and 1969.

    60. The James Irvine Foundation awards a $10,000 grant in November 1965 toward additional rehabilitation workshops.

    61. Goodwill OC founder John Winterbourne dies in 1968 at 97.

    The two-story Rehabilitation and Evaluation Center (97,000 square foot facility) opened and dedicated by Governor Ronald Reagan in June 1970. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    The two-story Rehabilitation and Evaluation Center (97,000 square foot facility) opened and dedicated by Governor Ronald Reagan in June 1970. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    The two-story Rehabilitation and Evaluation Center (97,000 square foot facility) opened and dedicated by Governor Ronald Reagan in June 1970. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    1970s

    62. Gov. Ronald Reagan visits in June 1970 to dedicate Goodwill’s first workforce development site, the two-story Rehabilitation and Evaluation Center in Santa Ana.

    63. Reagan announces a $177,116 state grant to fund 12 new trade training courses teaching light assembly, bench work and clerical skills.

    64. In February 1971, Goodwill OC asks for volunteers to sew uniform aprons for its retail workers. Patterns and materials supplied.

    65. In December 1973, volunteers are sought for such Goodwill services as counseling aide, entertainer, hair stylist, movie projectionist, social service and vocational evaluation aides, recreation specialist and nurse.

    66. Goodwill OC partners with local businesses in 1974 to provide jobs for disabled people through its Packaging and Assembly Enterprise. Workers prep sweetener packages for local jails and retool TV remotes.

    67. When Cordelia Knott dies of a heart attack at 84, the family requests contributions to Goodwill OC in lieu of flowers.

    68. George W. Kessinger is named president and chief executive officer in 1977. He previously worked for Goodwill Industries in Missouri and West Virginia.

    First boutique concept called Classic Closet opened in San Clemente in 1987. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    1980s

    69. In May 1980, Goodwill discontinues home pickups and unattended collection booths. It establishes 40 attended donation sites.

    70. The James Irvine Foundation donates $25,000 in March 1981 to purchase trailers for the donation sites.

    71. A new store opens in Westminster.

    72. San Clemente is the locale in 1987 for Classic Closet, Goodwill OC’s first boutique concept – high-class clothes at bargain prices.

    The Assistive Technology Exchange Center (ATEC) opened in May 1997. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Began Deaf Services program in 1992. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    New store opened in Huntington Beach in 1994, re-located Classic Closet in Irvine in 1995 and new store opened in Anaheim in July 1996. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    The Assistive Technology Exchange Center (ATEC) opened in May 1997. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    1990s

    73. The classroom-based Deaf Services program begins in 1992, teaching skills to achieve more independence at home, work and in the community.

    74. From 1994 to 1997, new stores open in Huntington Beach, Anaheim and Lake Forest, which also hosts the Goodwill Keepers boutique.

    75. The Orange store relocates in 1999.

    76. Goodwill Computer Works opens in March 1997. The electronics specialty store is the brainchild of former Northrop Corp. technician and engineer Walter Schorsack, hired by Goodwill a year earlier.

    77. The Assistive Technology Exchange Center, known as ATEC, opens in May 1997. What began with device lending has grown to include such services as assessment and training, tech support and repair.

    78. Goodwill OC marks its 75th anniversary in 1999. That year it launches ShopGoodwill.com, the first e-commerce auction site created and managed by a nonprofit.

    Completed Main Campus Retail Expansion Plan 2006-2008, changing AS Is Sales to Goodwill Marketplace and re-opening 20,000 square foot space for Store and Goodwill Computer Works. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Opened new store in La Habra in 2008. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    1,883 people served and 301 placed into jobs in 2001. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Opened new store at Bristol/Warner, Santa Ana in 2004. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    Completed Main Campus Retail Expansion Plan 2006-2008, changing AS Is Sales to Goodwill Marketplace and re-opening 20,000 square foot space for Store and Goodwill Computer Works. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    2000s

    79. Classic Closet relocates to Huntington Beach in 2000.

    80. By 2001, ShopGoodwill.com has generated $2 million in income. Goodwill OC leader Kessinger is credited as the site’s guiding force.

    81. In April 2001, Kessinger is named chief of the Goodwill Industries worldwide network of 216 offices.

    82. At 67, Dan S. Rogers becomes Goodwill OC’s fifth chief executive.

    83. Fun fact: Rogers was once an All-American basketball player at USC and became UC Irvine’s first head basketball coach.

    84. Multiple new stores are added from 2001-2008: College Plaza in Fullerton, Garden Grove, Bristol/Warner in Santa Ana, Brea, Beach/Lincoln in Anaheim, La Habra.

    85. A $7 million capital campaign leads to the 2008 opening of the Rogers A. Severson Fitness and Technology Center in Santa Ana for people with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses.

    86. The celebration of ShopGoodwill.com’s 10th anniversary in 2009 marks nearly $85 million in site-wide sales since its inception – money generated for Goodwill OC and participating Goodwills around the country.

    Goodwill of Orange County opened Tustin Boutique in 2013 . Above, Goodwill assistant store manager, Amber Bill, and manager Antonio Rocha among the Day of the Dead masks and witch costumes at the Goodwill store in Tustin. Bill has a knack for combining wardrobe pieces and accessories to create striking Halloween costumes.
    (Photo by CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF, Orange County Register)

    Expanded Classic Closet Store to OC Goodwill Boutique concept in 2015. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Opening of the Tierney Center for Veteran Services, a comprehensive resource for all veterans and their family members in 2016. Tom Tierney and his wife Elizabeth Tierney with veterans at the Tierney Center for Veteran Services in Tustin.
    Frank Talarico Jr., CEO and president of Goodwill of Orange County, is far right.
    (Photo by Steven Georges/Goodwill of Orange County)

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    Goodwill of Orange County opened Tustin Boutique in 2013 . Above, Goodwill assistant store manager, Amber Bill, and manager Antonio Rocha among the Day of the Dead masks and witch costumes at the Goodwill store in Tustin. Bill has a knack for combining wardrobe pieces and accessories to create striking Halloween costumes.
    (Photo by CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF, Orange County Register)

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    2010s

    87. Taylor Harkins, a developmentally disabled Goodwill OC employee, moves in 2011 from computer repair to building collectible models from thousands of discarded Legos. The models are a huge hit on ShopGoodwill.com.

    88. Frank Talarico Jr. is named Goodwill OC’s sixth president and CEO in 2012. Founder of the Southern California PGA Foundation, his background also includes consulting for the NFL Players Association and leadership roles at Servite and JSerra high schools.

    89. Leonel Barragan, the voice of Goodwill OC’s public service announcements and longtime Goodwill Marketplace auctioneer, retires in 2015. Barragan had childhood polio. His 45 years at Goodwill was the only job he ever had.

    90. The Tustin-based Tierney Center for Veteran Services opens in 2016. Services include employment and education counseling, housing assistance, legal services and financial guidance.

    91. A $1 million donation from philanthropists Thomas and Elizabeth Tierney was seed money for the center. Donations and community partnerships keep the center free to military veterans and their families.

    92. Actor/musician John Stamos, Talarico’s then-brother-in-law, performs at the annual Goodwill OC gala fundraiser with Mike Love’s Beach Boys in 2014 and 2015, and emcees in 2016.

    93. Talarico’s April 2018 resignation as head of Goodwill OC is announced in a letter from the organization’s board chair.

    94. Nicole Suydam replaces Talarico in October 2018. She is Goodwill OC’s first-ever woman president and CEO.

    95. Suydam spent nearly a decade as Goodwill OC’s vice president of development before leaving in 2012 to take the helm of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

    96. A fully accessible, ADA-compliant website re-do launches in July 2019.

    Feb. 2021 – ShopGoodwill.com surpasses $1 billion in sales. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

    Sept. 28, 2022 – Goodwill of Orange County opened its Training Center for Success, a customized work simulation environment designed to provide hands-on, process-based training, retraining and upskill training to individuals facing barriers to employment. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    Feb. 2021 – ShopGoodwill.com surpasses $1 billion in sales. (Courtesy of Goodwill of Orange County)

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    2020s

    97. A new owner/operator, Reimagine, takes over Severson Center in 2020.

    98. Goodwill OC temporarily shutters its retail outlets and donation centers because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers its trucks to help with food distribution around the county.

    99. ShopGoodwill.com reaches $1 billion in sales in March 2021 and $2 billion a couple years later, on behalf of 130 Goodwills. Thrift stores break all-time records that same year, hitting monthly sales of $6 million four times.

    100. In April 2024, Goodwill OC opens its 25th store – in Fountain Valley.

    Sources: local newspapers, UC Riverside news database, Goodwill OC.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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