Cities to compete in support of Goodwill

Elyria and Lorain will compete in the Goodwill City Challenge to see who can collect the most donations.

For the third consecutive year, the cities of Elyria and Lorain will go head-tohead for the Goodwill City Challenge to see who can collect the most donations.

The city employee competition runs from May 8-12, according to Goodwill Industries of Lorain County CEO Barb Hanck.

“This is my first year being involved, but I think it is a great idea,” Hanck said.

The challenge coincides with celebrations around the country in honor of Goodwill Industries International Week.

The challenge will be interesting because in 2015, the city of Lorain was named the City Challenge winner and the city of Elyria won in 2016, Hanck said.

“I’m excited because both Lorain and Elyria won in the past,” she said. “So, it will be interesting to see who will win this year.”

Each city will collect donations at five of their facilities.

Lorain’s workforce consists of 430 employees compared to 550 employees at the city of Elyria.

In 2015, the contest between the two cities generated more than 5,000 pounds of donations to support the job training services.

Last year’s challenge, produced nearly 3,500 pounds.

The donated items will be sold at Goodwill retail locations across the county to produce funds for its programs.

Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda and Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer will be recognized May 17 at the Spitzer Center at Lorain County Community College, 189-199 Innovation Drive in Elyria, when the 2017 winner will be announced.

Ritenauer said he looks forward to the friendly competition, even comparing it to baseball.

“I’m a baseball fan, so this is like the three-game series, it’s called a rubber game,” he said. “We are looking to get that two out of three and return the trophy to Lorain.

“Aside from the competition, this is a great cause and I am happy to be apart of it.”

Brinda could not be reached for comment.

Goodwill’s mission is to provide employment, job training and job placement services to individuals experiencing disabilities and other challenges to employment.

In 2016, Goodwill provided job-related assistance to nearly 2,000 residents.

Funding to support these services is derived from revenue from seven retail stores in Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, Lorain, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, and Vermilion, as well as from Goodwill’s recycling and business services programs.