Pittsburgh-based Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania has purchased its Lawrenceville campus for $4 million and is in the midst of a $10 million fundraising campaign aimed at generating funds to expand and enhance programming, officials said.

Goodwill and public officials gathered Friday to celebrate the charity’s 100th anniversary and announce the purchase of two buildings it has leased since 2010 from Downtown-based Rubinoff Co.

“So many of you have helped us by supporting the first phase of our $10 million capital campaign whose purpose is to increase our self-sufficiency, strengthen our infrastructure and enhance our workforce development efforts,” said Michael Smith, Goodwill’s president and CEO. “To date, Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania has raised more than $7 million that allowed us to purchase our Lawrenceville campus.”

The campus consists of the two buildings, one on 52nd Street housing its workforce development center and the other at 51st Street, which is being leased to three tenants as a revenue generator. A thrift store, now in the 51st Street building, is soon moving to the other building.

Goodwill provides job training, employment placement services and other community programs in eight southwestern Pennsylvania counties through sales of donated clothing and household items at more than 30 thrift stores across the region.

Last year, it placed 582 people in jobs with 371 separate companies, according to officials.

The organization has been in Pittsburgh since 1919, starting with a facility in the Strip District. It moved to the South Side in 1967 and in 2010 began leasing the Lawrenceville campus.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said Goodwill’s workforce development program is important.

“We’re going to need a whole new workforce because as people in the baby boom generation start to retire we don’t have the generation to take over, and the work of Goodwill is going to be so much more important,” he said. “If we ever want to see the full potential of our region, just like we want to see the full potential of a person, we’re going to have to search and create a workforce, and the first place we need to look is home.”

Goodwill loaded items into a time capsule that will be opened in 2045. The items included a copy of Goodwill’s seven key values, a pen used to sign purchase documents for the campus, two bags used in thrift stores (one plastic and the other a tote bag) and notes from employees and clients describing what Goodwill means to them. Goodwill is ending the use of plastic bags in its stores.

State Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, loaded items into the capsule.

“Congratulations Goodwill for celebrating 100 years,” she said. “Here’s to 100 more years.”

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