What’s New

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) will have FREE Income Tax Preparation at several Goodwill locations:

• 281 & Bitters
  Monday- Thursday, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
  Fridays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.


• De Zavala & IH-10
  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.
  Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  Sundays, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.


• Fredericksburg Rd. at Vance Jackson
  Monday - Thursday, 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.
  Fridays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.


• Laredo (IH 35 at Mann Rd.)
  Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
  Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

VITA volunteers are IRS certified members who can help navigate your income tax return through credits, deductions and possible tax savings available to you. For more information, dial (210) 924-8581.

If you love saving money AND spoiling your loved ones for V-day, we have some sweet deals for you!
Check out some of the cupid-worthy deals we found at the Commerce location...
For your love bird... a retro throw pillow for $1.99!

Or you could "spice" things up in the kitchen with an aphrodisiac cookbook!

Save some green on your flowers by buying them from your local grocery store and pairing with a red vase, like this one...

And for your little valentine, take a look at this adorable peek-a-boo book!

Want to get creative? Try to find a vitamin holder, like this, and put love notes in each capsule leading up to February 14th!

Have you found some sweet Valentine's Day deals? Share with us on our Facebook page or send us a tweet!

Our partner, Christus Santa Rosa, will be providing mammography screenings to women (with or without insurance*) at any of the following Goodwill locations:

• Goliad & SE Military: Tuesday, January 31st, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Culebra & 1604: Friday, February 3rd, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• New Braunfels: Wednesday, February 8th, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

*Please note: These are by appointment only. Please call 704-4100 or 704-4221. Patients must meet the following requirements:

• Must be at least 40 years old
• Have a doctor's order for a mammogram
• Not have had a mammogram in the past year
• Not have had lumps, skin changes, missing masses or be breastfeeding

For details, please call (210) 924-8581 or 704-4100.

Thinking about changing your career this year? We can help, from GED preparation to medical and IT certification programs. Good Careers Academy can help you gain the skills needed to get ahead in 2012! Some classes are completed in only eight weeks. That means you could be working before your friends even complete this semester. Classes currently enrolling include:

• Certified Nursing Aide
  • Approx. 9 Weeks
  • Classes Start Feb. 13^th
• Pharmacy Technician
  • Approx. 10 Months
  • Classes Start Feb. 13th
• Computer Support Specialist
  • Approx. 25 Weeks
  • Classes Start April 16^th
• Clinical & Administrative Medical Assisting
  • Approx. 10 Months
  • Classes Start Feb. 27^th
• Supply Chain Associate
  • Approx. 12 Weeks
  • Classes Start March 20^th

We partner with the Alamo colleges to make sure your class credits will transfer if you decide to pursue a different degree later on. You may even qualify for tuition assistance. If you would like more information on Good Careers Academy, click here or call 210.924.8581. You can also ask us a question on our Facebook page or send us a tweet.

Before any bins and containers can even be bought, there are a few things that need to happen first:
1. What is your vision for your room? If you don't know what you want to do with it, it's harder to focus your efforts. When you're not sure of your vision, you can at least start out with "what do I NOT want it to look like?"

2. Who is going to use the room and for what functions will the room be used? Develop zones based on these answers. Think big-box stores: when you need something, you know that there's a section of the store for that. The same needs to happen in any room.

3. What are your boundaries for storage? How much space are you willing to give to your books, your crafts, your clothes, or whatever the space might be? Space is finite. You need to decide how much of it you will use for storage and how much of the walls and floors you want to be able to see.

4. Schedule time for your decluttering based on how you work. Do you work best in 4-hour marathon sessions or 15 minutes at a time? Whichever way works for you, get it on your calendar. If it's there, you'll do it.

5. If the amount of stuff in an area overwhelms you, cover everything with sheets and focus on one square foot at a time. Walk into the room, turn to the right of the doorway, and start with that first square foot. Slowly work your way along the wall, uncovering the sheets as you go.
By planning ahead and having a vision for your room, decluttering becomes much easier. As you start to get organized for 2012, be sure to donate your gently used household items to your local Goodwill! Click here to find a donation station nearest you.
- Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO, CPES, is an Organizing and Productivity Expert. As a Certified Professional Organizer and Certified Productive Environment Specialist, the owner of LivingOrder San Antonio (www.LivingOrderSA.com) helps clients get control of their stressful living and working spaces by teaching them how to understand their core issues causing disorganization and thereby prevent it in the future. She coaches clients in person or via telephone, conducts informative organizing workshops for larger groups, and is an organizing expert for Rubbermaid Personalized Organizing Powered by The Clutter Diet. Helene is the author of Less Stress for Teachers: More Time & An Organized Classroom.

Goodwill of San Antonio is committed to a highly skilled workforce in 2012. One of the first steps to changing your life in the new year is your Diploma or GED! What if we told you that Goodwill offers FREE and flexible GED preparation classes for the community?

In the fall of 2011, Goodwill launched its own GED Preparation program headed up by Beatrice Fox, a 16 year education veteran. The program is offered Monday through Thursday at our downtown Commerce location and Fridays at our Bitters location. Class times range from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, if we determine that you only need certain subject areas of study, we will recommend you only attend certain hours. Therefore, it is very important that you call for a pre-interview so we may determine what you need to focus on.

"Don't assume it's too late or too hard to restart your education," Beatrice says. "Classes are going on all day, you simply need to call and we will figure out what you need to study. This way, we uniquely prepare all people for GED testing."

Call Beatrice at (210) 924-8581.