‘Meeting them halfway.’ New Columbus center opens, creating workforce opportunities

A new workforce development opportunity has opened in south Columbus.

Goodwill of the Southern Rivers hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for its first Opportunity Center location in Columbus at 1850 S. Lumpkin Road. The Opportunity Center expands on services offered at their midtown Columbus Career Center at 2601 Cross Country Drive.

The Goodwill Opportunity Center offers services aiming to “remove barriers” to education, job training and direct employment, according to the news release.

Jack Warden, president and CEO of Goodwill of the Southern Rivers, told the Ledger-Enquirer this project was a “long time coming.” He said it took five to six months for the center to be renovated and described the opportunity as an “investment” for the organization.

Warden declined to disclosed the project’s cost.

“It feels really good that we were able to make this happen and make it more convenient for people out of the city to be able to access the services,” he said.

The Opportunity Center offers workforce development for low-income communities, at-risk youth and military veterans. The center houses the Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program, a career-focused mentoring program for at-risk youth, and Goodwill’s BRIDGE program, which helps adults earn their GED.

“When we look at the zip code of the people we provide those services to, a large percentage of them live in this part of town, so now we’ve met them halfway,” Warden said.

Brian Fitzpatrick, the Opportunity Center manager and lead career coach, emphasized the center’s programs as a way for people to find meaningful employment.

“People often need somebody to come alongside them,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer, “They don’t necessarily need somebody to tell them what they need to do with their life, but [people] need someone to come alongside them, to help them think, help them dream, help them plan, and then help them take action. That’s what the Opportunity Center is all about.”

The Opportunity Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.

South Columbus community talks impact

Community members in south Columbus also expressed excitement about the center’s opening. Darrick Bell and Elias Klaif, pastors at the Southside Baptist Church, told the Ledger-Enquirer that the Opportunity Center can be a source of hope for at-risk youth.

“Younger people who think they don’t have a chance can come to a place like this and feel hope,” Bell said. “They get a second chance.”

Klaif said this opening also sends a good message to other businesses that want to invest in south Columbus.

“It shows that we can have things in this neighborhood that are just as beautiful as in any neighborhood,” Klaif said.

“We don’t want to carry the same banner of ‘that’s the bad side [of town]’,” Bell added.

The services offered at the Opportunity Center are free for community members. They are funded by sales from Goodwill stores, according to the news release.

“Thank you for investing in us,” Bell said. “We’re also going to reinvest in ourselves.”

This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM.