EATON — Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley hosted a grand opening on Thursday, Nov. 2, with a celebratory ribbon cutting at the new Goodwill Store coordinated by the Preble County Chamber of Commerce.

The new retail store is located in the Eaton Center, at 1617 N. Barron Street in Eaton.

City, county, chamber and GESMV officials were on hand to welcome Goodwill to Eaton and shoppers to the store.

PC Chamber Executive Director Karen Moss and board member Tara McCafferty shared information regarding this newest chamber member and the importance of Goodwill’s services. Both Eaton Mayor Joe Renner and Preble County Commissioner David Haber welcome the organization and the retail store to Eaton and the county.

GESMV President and CEO Lance Detrick was on hand to welcome those in attendance and shared a few of the services GESMV provides beyond the store: employment services, a recovery and employment program, behavioral health programs, a medical equipment loan program, child screening services, and more. GESMV provides employment opportunities for over 700 people with disabilities.

Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley, along with Goodwill Stores, support people with disabilities and other disadvantages to achieve independence, a GESMV press release noted. “For every revenue dollar retail outlets receive, 87 cents goes to GESMV programs,” it concluded.

According to Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley, through community clothing donations and Goodwill Store sustainability initiatives, the organization has kept more than 17.4 million pounds of textiles out of area landfills.

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.