United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, Goodwill of Southern Arizona Open Fourth Youth Reengagement Center
United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and Goodwill of Southern Arizona have opened the fourth Goodwill Youth Reengagement Center, the Goodwill Impact Youth Center, at 2990 W. Ina Rd. in northwest Tucson. Last April, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona donated $200,000 to Goodwill of Southern Arizona to open two more RECs. This most recent opening is the second of those two.
With the grand opening of the Ina Rd. Goodwill Impact Youth Center, the greater Tucson area now has four RECs; one in Downtown Tucson on Fourth Avenue, the second in South Tucson at the intersection of Silverlake and Kino Parkway and the third on the east side on 22nd Street. Since 2019, the centers have served over 5,000 youth in the community. With over 9,000 visits to the centers in past year, they are looking to expand that number to over 12,000 with the addition of the newest northwest location.
Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, Inc. and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona first established a partnership in 2018, with the shared vision to address Tucson’s growing population of opportunity youth (youth ages 16-24 who are disconnected from work and from school) by providing education, training, employment, and wrap around supports to reconnect them with the workforce and help them develop a pathway to success. Since this partnership’s inception, Goodwill and United Way have served over 5,800 youth and young adults throughout Pima County. This partnership has opened the doors for Goodwill to establish a thriving reengagement program in Tucson, leverage private grant dollars and internal revenue to expand their wrap around programs and supports, and meet the evolving needs of the program participants.
“What we started last year with our commitment to our partners at Goodwill of Southern Arizona continues now and into the future,” said Tony Penn, president and CEO of United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. “With the grand opening of this fourth center, geared toward at-risk and unemployed youth, we are working to provide greater prospects for them in academic development, training, and access to many other resources which will allow them to advance and develop their full potential. And we are so proud of both our partners at Goodwill and the young people of our community who take advantage of these opportunities.”
Lance Meeks, director of community engagement with Goodwill Southern Arizona, noted that this fourth REC “Gives us the ability to reach disadvantaged youth in the northwest part of our community, ensuring that we provide access to these vital services for our youth throughout the greater Tucson area.”
Pictured above from left – Liz Gulick – co-president/CEO at Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, Lance Meeks – director of community engagement at Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, Tucson Chief of Police Chad E. Kasmar, and Tony Penn – president and CEO at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona
