SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2018 | 3A
G ENERAL N EWS
Community turns out in strong show of ‘Goodwill’
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
Hundreds of customers lined
up Thursday morning for the
opening of Goodwill Industries
new retail location at 1310 High-
way 101.
Members of the leadership
team of Goodwill of Lane and
South Coast Counties joined
Florence City officials, staff and
more than 200 from the com-
munity who turned out for the
highly anticipated opening of
the relocated Goodwill store.
Goodwill’s stated mission is to
enhance the dignity and quality
of life for individuals and com-
munities by strengthening com-
munities, eliminating barriers
to opportunities and by helping
people in-need to reach their
full potential through learning
and the power of work.
The completely refurbished
Goodwill building, previously
owned by Rite-Aid, had been
empty for the past several years
and was highlighted by the City
Council as one of the strategical-
ly important spaces in the city to
have occupied and operating.
Mayor Joe Henry was the host
of the opening ceremony and
said he believes the event is a
major step forward in the city’s
growth.
“The Rite-Aid building is
one of six catalyst sites identi-
fied early on in our city coun-
cil workplan when we became
a ‘City in Motion.’ We have fo-
cused much time and resources
on these sites, but more to those
in Old Town than to the Rite-
Aid site,” Henry said, “... other
than the outstanding support
given to the Goodwill people by
our City staff, I cannot say that
we worked hard enough on the
Rite-Aid building. Fortunately,
the Goodwill organization rode
in and saved the day with a truly
amazing success.”
The excitement for the new
Goodwill store was apparent
on the faces and in the full carts
of the public that attended the
opening. It was also echoed by
President and CEO of Goodwill
Industries for Lane and South
Coast Counties, Jim Martin,
who was extremely pleased by
the turnout for the opening and
the enthusiasm of the commu-
nity.
“The turnout for today’s rib-
bon cutting was incredible and
we greatly appreciate the support
we have received from Mayor
Henry, City Council President
Greene and Councilors Preisler,
Lacer and Woodbury, Chamber
of Commerce President Bobby
Jensen and Executive Director
Bettina Hannigan, and the staff
with the Florence Planning De-
partment,” said Martin. “It’s been
a privilege to work with the City
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MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
More than 200 community members, along with local and county dignitaries, waited out-
side of the new Goodwill location Thursday morning for the center's grand opening.
on this project and turn what
was once a vacant structure on
Highway 101 into a beautiful lo-
cation for our donors, shoppers
and the Florence community”
The refurbished building has
been completely updated and
not only has a large, well-stocked
retail area but an adjunctal of-
fice that brings an important
additional element to the store: a
Job Connections service for area
residents.
“An important part of the
new Goodwill facility is its em-
ployment center, which will
have a dedicated staff to pro-
vide employment counseling
to many underserved people in
our community,” Mayor Henry
said. “Not only will they hire
and train 25 to 30 employees in
their store, they will help them
to learn the skills necessary to
transition to other employment
in the community. In their dis-
cussion they will touch on the
issues of affordable housing and
hopefully find partners that can
help to fill that need.”
Libby Schafermeyer, spokes-
person for Goodwill of Lane and
South Coast Counties, thinks
the Job Center is one of the most
important ways that Goodwill
can help to fulfill its mission of
service to the community.
“Our Job Connections ser-
vices, located inside the Retail
Store and Donation Center, will
provide individuals in Florence
with access to one-on-one per-
sonalized service designed to
address individual employment
needs during the job search,
effective resume and interview
skills coaching, and referrals to
local employers based on em-
ployment goals, experience and
skills,” Schafermeyer said. “We
also provide assistance with the
application and interview pro-
cess, follow-up on job search
progress, and access to com-
puters, email, fax machines and
telephones.”
The hundreds of individuals
that were there for the opening
of the store were followed by
many hundreds more during the
store’s first day of business, sell-
ing tens of thousands of dollars
in merchandise, much of which
is donated by the members of
the communities they serve.
Goodwill CEO Jim Martin
summed up the experience of
the day’s opening with a smile,
“The Florence community
once again demonstrated their
incredible support for Goodwill.
We are extremely grateful for
the donations we receive and the
opportunity to turn those dona-
tions into employment and job
training opportunities.”
PAC introduces two new ‘Art Exposed’ artists
One of the joys of public art
is the opportunity for the public
to be introduced to new artists
as well as new work from well-
known artists.
With the “Art Exposed” Out-
door Gallery program, public
spaces are being made available
on a rotating basis for artists to
share their vision and display
their extraordinary work in
Florence.
Two of the newly selected
artists for this program recently
installed their work along Bay
Street in Old Town.
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“Copper Leaf Tree”
by Pancho Clark
Clark’s work “Copper Leaf
Tree,” made of steel and copper,
was installed in Old Town Park
and is a perfect fit for that loca-
tion with its bright shiny copper
leaves glistening alongside the
other vegetation in the park.
“The copper leaf tree was
inspired when I was commis-
sioned to build a tree with glass
leaves,” Clark said. “The instal-
lation at the Kadison Mansion
in Hollywood California was
a huge success and admired by
all. When I was asked to submit
a sculpture designed to be in-
stalled on Bay Street, I thought
the tree with copper leaves
would be appropriate for our
area. ”
The roots, trunk and branch-
es of the tree are hand-forged
in Steel. The leaves are hand-
forged in copper and the leaf
pattern is ground on the surface
to reflect light. The wire used
to attach the leaves is made of
stainless steel beryllium.
Clark is a local artist and is
best known for his metal sculp-
ture and musical instruments,
but he also works in wood and
stone.
He grew up on the West Coast
of California and, at age 18,
traveled to Europe and studied
the arts in Spain. Returning to
New York several years later,
he became a master welder in
the shipbuilding industry. From
there he became diverse in the
broad field of metal, from jew-
elry and silver-smithing with
the Native American Indians
in New Mexico, to kinetic and years, Reimer has applied his
large sculpture and architectural knowledge of working metal to
design and application.
the art of transforming railroad
track into contemporary sculp-
“Transformation”
ture.
by Paul Reimer
He is one of the very few art-
“Transformation,” made of ists in North America with the
recycled railroad track, was in- expertise to create art using this
stalled at the Eastern end of the highly specialized and technical
Interpretive Center, next to the process.
Waterfront Depot Restaurant. It
These two works, along with
is fitting that this work is placed the others in the “Art Exposed”
next to a building that was a for- program, are for sale and will be
mer railroad depot.
displayed for two years, unless
“This artwork represents the sold, in which case they will be
transition from an industri- replaced with another work by
alized economy to a ‘greener’ the same artist (if possible).
economy where we take care of
If the artist isn’t able to replace
our environment in order that it the location with a new work,
may sustain us for generations another piece will be installed
to come,” said Reimer.
after a “Call to Artists” is imple-
Reimer lives and works in mented. The City of Florence
Cranbrook, British Columbia, Public Art Committee (PAC)
Canada. He began his career will contuinue to offer fresh art-
as an artist-blacksmith at age work to the public through this
15 and, over the past 29 years, program.
has worked on numerous large-
To learn more about Public
scale residential commercial Art or how to get involved, visit
and public art projects.
the City of Florence PAC web-
Reimer’s sculptures are col- site: ci.florence.or.us/bc-pac.
lected by art enthusiasts in many
Pick up a copy of the Florence
countries around the world. He Art Passport for a self-guided
takes inspiration from a vari- tour of this project and others at
ety of sources: architecture and the Siuslaw News office or at a
design, culture, history, rela- participating location.
tionships and nature. In recent
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