By Bill Kelso, Chief External Affairs Officer at Goodwill Southeast Georgia
At Goodwill, our mission is to create opportunities for individuals to achieve personal and economic independence through work. Our retail stores and business operations aren’t the end goal-they’re the engine. They power our mission programs – where people access no‑cost training, career development, and wraparound services that help remove real barriers to employment.
What makes this work possible is partnership.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Goodwill Kentucky Opportunity Campus alongside fellow Goodwill leaders, board members, and community partners. What stood out wasn’t just the scale of the campus-but how intentionally it was designed around collaboration.
Here are three best practices that made their model work-and that any community, including Savannah, can learn from.
First, co-location matters.
Kentucky’s campus brings workforce training, career coaching, and critical support services together in one place. That physical proximity isn’t accidental-it reduces friction for individuals navigating multiple systems and increases alignment among partners.
Second, employers are at the table early-and often.
Training pathways were built with real workforce demand in mind, shaped by employers who helped define skills, credentials, and outcomes before programs launched.
And third, shared purpose drives shared accountability.
Public agencies, nonprofits, educators, and businesses weren’t operating in parallel-they were aligned around a common goal: helping people succeed while strengthening the regional workforce.
Our visit was part of a broader effort to listen, learn, and explore what might be possible here in Savannah and across Coastal Georgia. We’re energized by the strength of our local partnerships, and we’re asking thoughtful questions about how we might build something that reflects our community’s needs, assets, and aspirations.
The Opportunity Campus conversation in Savannah is still unfolding-but one thing is already clear: meaningful workforce solutions don’t happen in silos. They happen when leaders come together with intention.
Learn more at Goodwill Southeast Georgia’s 2026 Annual Meeting
Goodwill Southeast Georgia will host its 2026 Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 7, bringing together education, healthcare, and workforce leaders to discuss economic mobility and Goodwill Southeast Georgia’s commitment to local implementation of the Community Opportunity Campus model.