As the season changes and wardrobes change, so do storefronts’ displays and decorations.
With the help of members of UT’s chapter of the National Retail Federation, the Goodwill store on 17th Street shed its old window paintings in favor of a more timely theme.
Samantha Pohlot, AmeriCorps VISTA member assisting Goodwill, organized the event and gave students the opportunity to give back to their community by helping the local non-profit attract more patrons during the busy holiday season.
AmeriCorps, a volunteer group that works in service of different communities with the support of the U.S. government and other donors, seeks to better the country and the lives of citizens through volunteering and acts of assistance on many different scales.
Amaya Linsey, junior in retail and consumer sciences, participated in the window redecorating and said the project was done to better help the store welcome guests into the holiday spirit.
“Today we’re changing it to more of a holiday season theme, more of a Christmas winter wonderland theme,” Linsey said.
This particular act of service has been seen before at the Goodwill location, with this painting acting as an encore to the one done around Halloween.
“This is our second time,” Linsey said. “The first time we did more of a Halloween theme, more of a fall setting.”
Pohlot said her hopes for the program were to create a meaningful relationship between the Goodwill location and the university.
“We want to develop a relationship with the retail and consumer sciences department so that they can meet their needs for service learning projects, and we can meet our needs in telling people what our mission is,” Pohlot said.
Goodwill’s website said its mission is to “enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.”
According to Goodwill’s annual report, the non-profit organization said it supported approximately 37 million people through Goodwill opportunities for building careers in 2015. Of these people served, 61,000 were veterans, and 316,000 described themselves as having a disability.
Pohlot intended for the program to enrich students both personally and professionally by being an impressive point on their resumes.
Linsey said she had never participated in the project before, but she loved the experience.
“I’ve never done displays before, so just having the chance to develop ideas to find ways to attract more customers here, especially UT students, is a great experience,” Linsey said.
Pohlot said she was hopeful of the future relationship between UT and Goodwill and implored students to volunteer, regardless of their experience.
“Even if you’re not involved in the retail and consumers sciences, come out and paint with us and get dirty,” Pohlot said. “You can know absolutely zero about how to handle a paintbrush, and you’ll learn.”
Students begin to paint the Goodwill located on 17th Street with a holiday theme on Dec. 1, 2017.
