Goodwill® Launches Social Enterprise In Finland To Serve People With Disabilities

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Oct 30, 2014, 12:46 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Goodwill Industries International today announced its partnership with the SOTEK Foundation to launch its fourteenth international social enterprise, which expands Goodwill's presence to Finland. Established in 2004, SOTEK provides job training and placement services for people with physical and intellectual disabilities and other challenges to employment in the Kotka-Hamina region of Finland. Through this partnership, Goodwill Suomi (Finland) opened its first store, located at Tikankatu 10, 48600 Kotka, and will open two additional stores in the region of Kymenlaakso which is located in Southeast Finland by the end of the year.

SOTEK provides services for 400 people each day at its 14 locations, serving approximately 800 people per year. Services provided in the community include workforce training, rehabilitation, coaching and placement with a goal to improve individuals' ability to work and function in society. SOTEK also places people in work through government contract services and donated goods retail stores.

"We are so excited to partner with the SOTEK Foundation to develop the Goodwill social enterprise model in Finland," said Cindy Cho Kim, Director of International Development. "This partnership demonstrates SOTEK's strong commitment to its mission to help the people of Kotka and Hamina receive the training and services they need to enter the workforce. SOTEK is making an investment in its community by investing in their ability to create sustainable impact. We are confident that the first Goodwill store in Finland will be very successful and we look forward to the opening of the second store in Hamina on November 20^th."

Finland's population of 5 million and its strong culture of donation and recycling makes it a great addition to Goodwill's international portfolio. Through the Goodwill model, SOTEK plans to build its capacity to deliver mission services and strengthen local communities.

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,000 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Goodwill also builds revenue and creates jobs by contracting with businesses and government agencies to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2013, more than 9.8 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 83 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services.

To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

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SOURCE Goodwill Industries International