Goodwill Gives Back

Goodwill team members Laura Schneck and Nicole Olson volunteered at Prairie Loft Center for Outdoor & Agricultural Learning, supporting the organization’s annual Harvestfest — a community celebration rooted in outdoor education, agriculture, and sustainability.

Prairie Loft’s mission is to connect people of all ages to the land through hands-on learning experiences that promote environmental stewardship, agricultural literacy, and meaningful community connection. Those values closely align with Goodwill’s commitment to strengthening communities, expanding opportunity, and creating a more sustainable future — both socially and environmentally.

During Harvestfest, Laura and Nicole helped set up the event before it opened and assisted with children’s craft activities throughout the day, helping create a welcoming space where families could learn, explore, and celebrate the season together.

“Volunteering at Harvestfest was such a rewarding experience,” said Laura Schneck.
“We helped set up before the event opened and spent much of the day working with kids on crafts. It was incredible to see how excited they were to learn, create, and connect with nature in such a fun, hands-on way.”

Goodwill’s mission-centered approach to sustainability extends beyond reuse and recycling. Through programs like Goodwill Gives Back, employees are encouraged to support local nonprofit partners whose work strengthens communities, promotes learning, and builds long-term resilience.

By volunteering at Prairie Loft, Laura and Nicole helped support an organization that is cultivating curiosity, environmental awareness, and connection — values that mirror Goodwill’s belief that strong communities grow when people are empowered to learn, contribute, and thrive together.

At Goodwill, service doesn’t stop at the workplace—it extends into the community, where awareness and action can change lives.As part of Goodwill Gives Back, our Behavioral Health Services team and day services program participants joined the Red Sand Project, a global initiative taking place across all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries. The project uses a powerful yet simple symbol—small grains of red sand—to represent people who “fall through the cracks” of society and are vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking.

By pouring red sand into the cracks of sidewalks and public spaces, participants make the invisible visible. Each grain is a reminder that behind statistics are real people—individuals whose lives are shaped by circumstances often beyond their control, and whose safety depends on community awareness, prevention, and compassion.

For Goodwill, this initiative aligns deeply with our mission to help people with barriers reach their goals and improve their quality of life. Human trafficking disproportionately impacts individuals already facing instability—those experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, mental health challenges, or social isolation. These are the same barriers our Behavioral Health and mission services work to address every day.

Participating in the Red Sand Project was not only an act of awareness, but a call to action. It reinforced the importance of education, vigilance, and collective responsibility in protecting our neighbors—especially those most at risk. It also reflected Goodwill’s CARE values in action: Community, Accountability, Respect, and Empowerment.

Our team helped shine a light on an issue that is often hidden, reinforcing the importance of compassion, education, and collective responsibility in building safer, stronger communities.

To learn more about the Red Sand Project and how communities around the world are taking action against human trafficking, visit:
🔗The Red Sand Project