hardy court grand opening celebration on august 20th & birdies for books golf classic on august 27th
August was a busy month for Goodwill of South Mississippi, with two major events just one week apart: the grand opening of our new Hardy Court store in Gulfport and our inaugural Birdies for Books Golf Classic. While the events looked very different, both celebrated the same thing, community coming together to create opportunities across South Mississippi.
August 20th: A Bigger, Better Goodwill for Gulfport
On August 20, Goodwill officially opened the doors to its new and expanded Hardy Court location at 573 Courthouse Road in Gulfport, moving just a few doors down from its previous location into the former Big Lots space. The larger location offers more room to shop, expanded space for donations and employees, and something especially important to Goodwill's mission, a new community meeting room that can be used for workforce training and other mission services.
The community came out in a big way to celebrate the opening. The morning included a ribbon cutting with local chambers, vendors and community leaders, giveaways and plenty of excitement as shoppers waited for the doors to open. Local businesses also helped make the celebration special, providing coffee, donuts, popcorn, lemonade and other treats throughout the day.
More than simply opening a larger retail store, the expansion gives Goodwill additional space to serve the Gulfport community and further its mission of helping people learn, work and reach their goals.
Just one week later, Goodwill traded the ribbon-cutting scissors for golf clubs as teams gathered at Windance Country Club on August 27 for the inaugural Birdies for Books Golf Classic.
The tournament benefited Goodwill Reads, Goodwill of South Mississippi's childhood literacy initiative. Through Goodwill Reads, volunteers visit local classrooms to read with students, and children receive books of their own to take home, helping encourage early literacy and a lifelong love of reading.
The inaugural tournament brought together businesses and community partners for a day of golf, contests, prizes and a silent auction, all in support of expanding the reach of Goodwill Reads throughout South Mississippi.
A special thank you goes to our Storybook Sponsors: Delta Utilities, Ireland Companies, Wilson Marketing and Arbel Group.
Our Tee Sponsors included Coast Electric, Freedom Distribution, Arbel Group, Regent Products, Hancock Whitney, Singing River Health System, Howard Industries, Delta Utilities, Parkway Plaza, Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, Wilson Marketing, Gollott Seafood, South Mississippi Planning & Development District, Omega Protein and Florida Wholesale Sunglasses.
Teams participating in the inaugural tournament included Gallagher, Huntington Bank, Coca-Cola UNITED, Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, Allen Beverages, Team McGivney, Hancock Whitney, Interior/Exterior and Verizon.
The tournament's silent auction was also made possible through generous donations from Beau Rivage Resort & Casino/Fallen Oak, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, Pearl River Resort/Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, IP Casino Resort Spa, Island View Casino Resort/Windance Country Club and Mississippi Aquarium.
From opening a bigger space where people can shop, work and learn to teeing off in support of childhood literacy, these two events represent different pieces of the same Goodwill mission.
Neither would have been possible without the employees, volunteers, businesses, organizations and community members who continue to support Goodwill of South Mississippi.
Whether we're creating spaces for workforce development, putting books into the hands of local children or finding new ways to serve our neighbors, we're proud to be part of a community that continues to show up for one another.
Thank you to everyone who helped make both milestones a success. We can't wait for what’s next!
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