Anonymous Donor Gifts $150,000 to Goodwill of Southern Nevada

Goodwill of Southern Nevada received a generous donation of $150,000 from an anonymous donor and will have the chance to provide additional funding to its work program for students with disabilities.

The anonymous donor reportedly has given previous funding to Goodwill of Southern Nevada that helped upwards of “600 students from 35 different Las Vegas area high school Special Education classes,” according to 8 News Now.

Included in Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s program is a summer camp for students. The camp’s aim is to enlighten students about the different career paths awaiting them beyond high school graduation, according to 8 News Now.

Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s Student Work Experience Program (SWEP) is back in action this year after a year off due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to 8 News Now. The program provides disabled youth with the opportunity to develop and furnish job skills in a working environment.

“The goal of the program is to provide students with a real-work experience environment and an opportunity to gain job skills,” Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s website reads. “These students volunteer once a week at a designated store for one to two hours.  Under their teachers’ supervision, they assist with retail and/or processing tasks depending on their individual level of functionality.”

SWEP is part of multiple programs under Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s Community Based Training (CBT). CBT is a partnership with The State of Nevada Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR) and uses real work environments to evaluate works skills that participants with disabilities already have, and aims to develop new skills that will be critical to successful employment, according to Goodwill of Southern Nevada’s website.