Courtesy Photo Courtesy photo Clients use computers in a Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley classroom, located in Frederick.

According to George W. Kessinger, president and chief executive officer of Goodwill International, the president's budget calls for:

n a 15 percent cut in combined funding for adult, youth and dislocated worker programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act

n a 33 percent cut to a community employment program for older workers

n a 54 percent cut in the Office of Disability Employment Policy

n a 46 percent cut for ex-offender programs under the U.S. Department of Labor.

The cuts could have profound and lasting consequences for millions of people, Kessinger said in a recent press release.

The local Goodwill supports the national organization's position on these cuts, said Dan Kurtenbach, the local organization's president and chief executive officer.

"Although our Goodwill does not receive funding from these specific sources, many of the 160 Goodwills nationwide do receive funding from the agencies projected to receive cuts," Kurtenbach said.

In addition, Goodwill's partner locally, Frederick County Workforce Services, runs the local one-stop service center, he said.

"This agency will receive cuts to their Workforce Investment Act-funded programs which will reduce resources, and thereby services, available to our community," Kurtenbach said.

Goodwill helps people build self-confidence and gain personal and financial independence through work, Kessinger said. It is North America's leading nonprofit provider of education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities, Kessinger said.

Last year, local Goodwills collectively provided employment and training services to more than 930,775 individuals, according to Goodwill International.

Frederick 's Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley provided employment and training services to 1,861 people, Kurtenbach said.

Every 56 seconds of every business day, Goodwill places someone in a job, Kessinger said.

"That person might be the teller at your bank, the teacher's aide at your child's school or the administrative assistant in your office. Unfortunately, job training programs like the ones these people completed could be in jeopardy if the proposed cuts go into effect," Kessinger said. "By investing in the American worker, we invest in the American economy."