GCFLearnFree will launch a new Reading Project in April. Click here for a sneak preview.
Bargain Outfit of the Week
Do you ever wonder what type of bargains are available at our GCF Donation Centers & Stores? Our new feature, the Bargain Outfit of the Week, will give you hints of what you might find in our 29 locations throughout eastern North Carolina. Click here to check it out.
GCFLearnFree.org Offers A New
Adult Literacy Game
It’s a game that lures you in with excellent graphics and audio. But it is much more than a game. Word Match is a learning tool for adults needing to improve their literacy skills, challenging them to match a common word with a picture.
Some of the images are easy and some make the learner think before choosing. While playing, the learner is also building his language skills. Word Match is a new feature found in the Everyday Life section of GCFLearnFree.org®, the free online computer and life skills training program operated by Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina (GIENC®).
“Literacy problems are barriers to employment for many adults in this country,” explained Dennis McLain, president of GIENC®. “This game, that helps people develop and expand their vocabulary, is another literacy component found in the Everyday Life section of GCFLearnFree.org®.”
The lack of literacy in the United States is a very real problem. 22% of people tested in the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) scored at the Basic level in document literacy, representing 44 million Americans that do not know how to apply their basic literacy skills to everyday life.
The GCFLearnFree.org® Everyday Life project uses interactive, situation-based lessons to teach functional literacy skills. This new approach to learning allows learners to apply their basic literacy skills to real-world situations so they can gain the confidence and skills to be successful.
Monthly Safety Meeting Features Fire Extinguisher Training
Because safety is a priority at GIENC, employees at the GIENC headquarters and at each of the GCF Donation Centers & Stores participate in monthly safety meetings featuring topics addressing workplace safety. 
The May safety meeting focused on fire safety. At GIENC headquarters, firefighters from Durham County talked to employees about fire safety and then taught them the proper use of fire extinguishers.
News Available Now in the Winter Issue of the GCF Report
The Winter GCF Report has news about GCFLearnFree.org, which recently welcomed its millionth member; an honor for GIENC President Dennis McLain; our long-range plan to build new stores, the Nature Center; our contribution to the North Carolina Baptist Men's Disaster Relief fund for work in Haiti and a tribute to Vernetta Shaw, our jewelry repair volunteer who passed away in January.
