Goodwill invites public to vote for ‘Southwest Florida’s Thriftiest’
Southwest Florida- Goodwill’s “So You Think You’re Thrifty” competition has been narrowed down to the “final four,” and the non-profit is asking its supporters to vote in store and online to help pick the “thriftiest” shopper in Southwest Florida.
“We had about forty really great contestants audition for the title,” said Kirsten O’Donnell, public relations director at Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida.
Contestants were required to write an essay and meet face-to-face with a panel of judges from Goodwill.
“We heard some amazing stories. It wasn’t easy at all for us to narrow it down to just four finalists,” she said.
Four finalists
– Karen Arnold, 51, of North Fort Myers
Arnold says that she visits thrift stores a minimum of two times a wee, but if she’s looking for something specific, she’ll hit five or six stores in one day.
Arnold is a very systematic shopper – when she goes to thrift stores, she carries a tape measure and a little black book with the measurements of windows, curtains, bedding, and other items around her house.
She’s used her Goodwill finds to not only furnish her own home, but also the rental properties that she owns.
– Amy Burns, 18, of Sanibel
Burns is a high school senior who says she’s interested in fashion design and vintage clothing, and she discovers plenty of great finds at thrift stores like Goodwill.
Burns also likes thrifting because its green, and often repurposes her purchases, like making beach bags out of old tee-shirts.
– Amanda Gutierrez, 39, of Fort Myers.
When Gutierrez was in high school, she discovered that she could buy designer items on a dime at thrift stores.
As a single mom with three kids, she still watches every penny, and tells us that she plans way ahead, and still uses every spending lesson she learned as a teenager.
She makes purchases for herself, her family, and even buys supplies for her job at Goodwill.
– Randy Selberg, 45, of Punta Gorda
Selberg says he got addicted to thrift shopping nearly 25 years ago, when a friend introduced him to thrifting.
Selberg says that nearly everything in his home is gently-used, from chandeliers, to furniture, to his pool fountain.
When nobody believed that all of his decor came from thrift stores, he started leaving the price tags on everything just to prove it.
Each finalist was awarded a $100 shopping spree and the results were posted on Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida’s Web site: www.goodwillswfl.org.
Visitors to the agency’s Web site can also watch video of each finalist. Voters can then make their selection online.
Ballots are also available in each of Goodwill’s 24 Southwest Florida retail stores.
Voting ends Sept. 30.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a $250 Goodwill gift certificate, lunch with the CEO and the opportunity to appear in an advertising campaign for Goodwill.
Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida Inc. operates 24 Retail & Donation Centers in Southwest Florida to support its mission of helping people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
Proceeds earned from the resale of donated items are used to support Goodwill’s programs and services, including six Job-Link offices, 12 apartment complexes for people with disabilities and for low-income seniors, the Four Wheels for Work vehicle assistance program and a charter school for students with developmental disabilities.