ABVI-Goodwill Opens New Call Center
With Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

  Rochester, NY (November 20) – The Association for   the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI)-Goodwill   Industries of Greater Rochester, Inc. held a grand   opening and ribbon cutting ceremony today for its
  new Call Center building, a project that consolidates   the agency’s two call center operations into one new,   efficient, state-of-the-art building.

Participating in today’s special event were Dr. A. Gidget Hopf, President and Chief Executive Officer of ABVI-Goodwill, New York State Senator Joseph Robach, New York State Assemblyman David Koon, Carlos Carballada from the City of Rochester, and staff representatives to Senator Schumer and Congressional members Louise Slaughter, Eric Massa, Christopher Lee and Daniel Maffei.

The Call Center project is part of the organization’s major expansion plan and strategic future vision. The larger Centennial Campus expansion is a $9 million project that will enhance the agency's ability to continue to deliver on its almost 100-year-old mission of providing programs, services and jobs to people who are blind or visually impaired as it moves into its next century of service. Phase One of the project consolidates the two Call Centers into one building and expands that program to meet the growing demand for the call center business enterprise.

“Since its inception in 1998, ABVI-Goodwill’s Call Center has become one of the premiere programs of its type in the Northeastern United States,” said Dr. Hopf. “The Call Center has consistently demonstrated ongoing excellence in operations, technology, training, contract procurement, corporate and community partnerships and, most importantly, in offering challenging and rewarding career opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.”

ABVI-Goodwill’s Call Center offers business-to-business and business-to-consumer inbound and outbound calling campaigns. The two centers combined handle more than 33,000 calls per month for a variety of federal, state and local governmental agencies and business and commercial contractors, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Lead Information Center Hotline, National Industries for the Blind, Healthy New York, New York State Department of Labor, and many others.

ABVI-Goodwill’s Call Center is also the regional provider of the 2-1-1 program. 2-1-1 provides 24-hour, 7 day a week access to trained counselors ready to provide information and referrals to human service agencies and programs and responds to questions about mental health issues, crisis counseling, emergency food, shelter, clothing, or other health and human service needs.

Most importantly, the call center provides challenging, rewarding career opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. With adaptive technology, these individuals are able to work in an interesting environment with competitive wages, challenging assignments, and opportunities for growth and advancement. The call center employs 53 people – the majority of whom are blind or visually impaired – and this building expansion positions the program to continue to expand to meet the growing demand for these business services and provide more jobs for people who are blind or visually impaired or have other challenges to employment or independence.

# # #

The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI)-Goodwill Industries of Greater Rochester, Inc., founded in 1911, has a mission to prepare and empower people who are blind or visually impaired to be self-sufficient and contribute to their families and communities.  Through a variety of entrepreneurial business initiatives, including manufacturing, call center, food service and Goodwill retail operations, the agency is able to support this mission and provide programs, services, career training, and employment opportunities to people who are blind or visually impaired or have other barriers to employment or independence.