I was broke, homeless and suffering from very low self-esteem. The library became my best friend; it was there that I noticed a banner, which bore the name “Senior Community Service Employment Program.” I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but in smaller print below, I noticed the word “employment.”

I mustered up a bus ticket and made my way down to Goodwill Industries^® of Central Indiana and was introduced to Albert Strader. Albert was my first point of contact during the Goodwill experience. Soon after orientation, Albert learned that I had computer skills, a good speaking voice and I was very much a people person.

Doyle McGee works as a community employment specialist for WorkOne East.

In March of 2007, Goodwill sent me to an on-site interview at WorkOne West, and 21 days later, I signed a contract to work as a volunteer in their customer service department. Goodwill offered services such as Dress for Success that helped me obtain the clothes necessary to be functional in an office environment. They also provided transportation.

On December 23, 2007, I was presented an offer of employment by the state of Indiana as an intermittent claims taker. Things went well, and in September of 2008, I was upgraded to a customer service representative.

In 2009, I was named Goodwill’s achiever of the year, and I was promoted and transferred to the WorkOne East office as a community employment specialist. I get the opportunity to set an example that is worthy for others to follow, and to give them a purpose and cause in life.

I was working with the Mayor’s Office for the Reentry of Ex-Offenders (M.O.R.E)  in Philadelphia and I was referred to Goodwill Industries^® of Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia for their 7^th Street project.  I worked with the Dell Reconnect program, sorting and packaging parts. Goodwill taught me how to be a leader — not just in the workplace, but also in life too. I learned, despite whatever kind of job I was working, to make it the best job that I could for myself and for my family. I learned communication skills and how to conduct myself with employers.

Clarence Smith works on a computer at Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia

Since I left Goodwill^®, I’ve been working in a lot of different areas, but everything has been in computers. I’ve been working as a telecommunications technician, where I got my certification through M.O.R.E. I enrolled myself in computer service technology courses. I’m finishing school in March and I’ll be a certified computer repair technician. I’m also currently working as a counselor at The Bridge. We mentor children who have been affected by drugs and alcohol.

I see myself doing so much better and so much more than what I’m expected to do. Many people look at people with criminal backgrounds and think that we’re just going to continue to get in trouble and that we don’t know what it is we want with our lives. Everything that I’ve been through and learned has taught me to succeed in life and to never let anything hold me back.

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ROCKVILLE, MD — The economy is showing signs of recovery, but a new survey from the National Association for Business Economics shows that job growth will likely be slow for the next couple of years. People who are already dealing with long bouts of unemployment need help to find jobs and take care of their families. By donating clean, gently used clothing and textiles during the semi-annual Goodwill Sale at Bon-Ton stores, donors can help those individuals obtain job training and employment and receive a discount on new merchandise at the same time.

The Goodwill Sale at Bon-Ton stores will take place from Wednesday, March 10, 2010, through Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Consumers who donate clothing and textiles at Bon-Ton will receive a discount coupon for every item donated. The coupon can be used at Bon-Ton locations for 20 percent off apparel, shoes and accessories, and 15 percent off cosmetics, fragrances and home store merchandise. Certain items, including electronics and toys, qualify for a 10 percent discount.

Donations will be sold in Goodwill stores, where the revenues fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based services for people with disabilities, those who lack education or job experience and others facing challenges to finding employment.

“Donating items you no longer need to Goodwill is a simple act of charity anyone can do and directly benefits people in your local communities,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “Your donations allow Goodwill to provide the job training services that people need to build their careers, be independent and create a positive impact on their communities.”

Every customer who donates at Bon-Ton during the Goodwill Sale is contributing an “Act of Goodwill” to help others. People who pledge their support for Goodwill’s mission and register their commitment on the www.millionactsofgoodwill.com website, will receive an exclusive 25 percent discount in-store coupon.  Those who register on the website will also have a chance to play the Spin to Win game and be entered in the $1,000 cash prize sweepstakes.

As people clean out their closets this spring, Goodwill and Bon-Ton ask donors to carefully decide what they do with items they no longer need. The Goodwill Sale generates millions of pounds of donations for Goodwill, a nonprofit organization with a long history of strengthening families and communities. Every 42 seconds of every business day, a person served by Goodwill earns a good job, allowing them to pay for household expenses like food and child care, as well as allowing them to make long-term economic investments such as education or purchasing a home or car.

“The Goodwill Sale is more than a major sale event for our company; it enables Goodwill to help those who need it most in our local communities,” said Bud Bergren, president and chief executive officer of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.  “The successful partnership between Bon-Ton and Goodwill gives people an opportunity to help their neighbors who are building their job skills and careers.”

I did an internship at the Giant Eagle grocery store, which included classroom studies and on-the-floor training. I learned about the job skills I needed to work there. After finishing the program, I was given the opportunity to apply for a job, and I got hired.

Travis Derouaux works at the Giant Eagle grocery store.

I started out doing carts and after a short while, I was promoted to hot foods. I have learned to cook, and work in the cold case and salad bar. I also worked in customer service.

Without Project Opportunity, I would not have been given a chance to work at Giant Eagle and been able to show I am a hard worker. I love my job and I am proud of myself and everything I have accomplished. Goodwill Columbus and Project Opportunity have changed my life.

Read more about Travis in the Fall 2009 edition of Working! magazine.

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Goodwill® and its independent headquarter agencies nationwide will work closely with MLT program Fellows — a group of highly qualified undergraduate and MBA students — by offering them internships at Goodwill, mentorship, guidance and assistance in creating and developing career paths. The goal is to gain access and introduce motivated students to the nonprofit arena as a potential place to work. A group of community-based Goodwill agencies will participate in this first phase of a pilot program that could eventually expand to other Goodwill agencies across the country, based on the findings from the pilot.

“Through our work with Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Goodwill will connect with up and coming leaders who have the skills and passion to grow our mission of finding career opportunities for people who need it most in local communities,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.

Since 2002, MLT has been the leading source for minority talent in academics and in business. Its formalized training programs work to prepare Fellows for admission into the top colleges, business schools and leadership positions in corporations, nonprofits and entrepreneurial ventures. MLT Fellows learn the hard and soft skills necessary to become high-impact business and community leaders.

“Goodwill will help us to create invaluable career opportunities and paths for our Fellows,” said Ian Hardman, MLT’s CEO. “At MLT, we encourage our Fellows to not only pursue careers with America’s leading companies, but also with leading nonprofits that give back to their communities and help those who need it most. For the leaders of tomorrow, there is no better opportunity to gain exposure to this career path than through working with Goodwill.”

At the Seattle Goodwill^®, I was able to take job interview and coaching classes, and I had a great supervisor at the time in the production department that really focused on discipline. I gained the confidence to interview at The Seattle Times where, nine months earlier, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to go in and feel like I could contribute. Because of my Goodwill experience, I got hired and I stayed there for fourteen years.

Now, I’m an insurance agent at PEMCO insurance, and I’m loving it. The focus is on being a team player and celebrating the diversity of our customers that come from various backgrounds. At Goodwill, I met wonderful people from all backgrounds, and that experience has really helped me.

While I credit Jesus Christ with opening up all doors in my life, I give Goodwill the credit for giving me the confidence to walk through them. I never envisioned that, this many years later, I would still be reaping the rewards of my decision to join the Goodwill program many years ago. Jobs change lives and I was able to get a great job and a career because that door was opened.

I was a good citizen. I had a house, I had a car, and I had two dogs and cats. Through my years I watched my father drink alcohol every morning, and I picked up on that through my life. I drank it all away. I lost everything. I had nothing but the shirt on my back and a backpack that had a few clothes in it.

I spent almost two years being homeless before finding my way to TX, where I ran into some people at the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation who brought me into Goodwill Industries^® of South Texas.

David Beiter unloads donations from a car at Goodwill Industries of South Texas.

When I got to Goodwill^®, I met other people just like me working their way to get back into a normal situation, and I found a case manager, Michael Jones, who really helped me a whole lot. I found that I can be close to being normal again and that’s what I really want. These people showed me how to do it. I’ve learned to cope with things. I can get through life struggles now and it’s not a problem.

My Goodwill family is just tremendously good to me and good to all the clients that come to Goodwill, and I appreciate that so much. I’m glad to have met people here—they turned my whole perspective on life all the way around. I now can do this. When people tell me I can’t do things, now I can laugh at them and say, “Yes, I can do things.”

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While I was with Goodwill, I did a lot of growing. They helped me get my self-esteem back, and made me appreciate life more. With their help, I was able to get back on my feet and pursue the dreams I have for myself. Today, I have a vehicle and no longer have to depend on the bus to get to work every day. I went from a shelter to my own apartment. Now I am happily married in my new home.

Ora Harris sorts donated clothing at Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina.

I went from looking for a chance to work to having a full time job that I enjoy and working with people who really care about me. I am so excited to be working for Goodwill and helping other people who have the same challenges I once did.

I thank God that Goodwill gave me a chance to work, and I thank all of my coworkers at Goodwill. I have really enjoyed working here and I’m thankful that they have recognized all of my hard work. The best is yet to come!

Watch a short video about Ora Harris.

Through six existing Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) locations, Goodwill^® currently provides on-the-job training for older workers, ages 55 and older, including veterans, people with disabilities, and others who face challenges to finding employment. The Green Capacity Grant will fund the “Goodwill SCSEP Goes Green” project, an initiative to educate staff at SCSEP locations so that they can expand their programs, readying program participants for employment in two of the nation’s fastest growing sectors: green construction and sustainable agriculture.

“To adapt to the new green economy, workers need to add a whole new set of skills,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “These range from the principles of land management and water conservation techniques to specialized knowledge such as the construction and installation of solar panels.”

The project will work to orient program participants to the new green economy at six existing Goodwill SCSEP locations: Albuquerque, NM; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Washington, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Roanoke, VA; and Tacoma, WA.

“Goodwill has a long record of creating employment opportunities for individuals,” said Gibbons. “The Goodwill SCSEP Goes Green project will help these workers take the next step by finding a foothold in the new green economy.”

After I got involved in church, doors really started opening for me. I was introduced to the Goodwill’s VP of Contract Services Don Baker, who then introduced me to my supervisor Cathy Stewart. That’s where my Goodwill^® journey began.

Mel Yawn prepares auction listings for shopgoodwill.com at Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana.

I started working with the shopgoodwill.com^® e-commerce department and I have been there for about four and a half years. I learned to write descriptions, and I now am able to do all the jobs within the department. I’ve learned responsibility, and I now train the new employees.

I was able to change my life around. Since I have a job, I am now able to live on my own. I use transportation through friends and a local service. I am really involved in my church, and I’m able to get out a lot more and enjoy life.

Goodwill has really helped me out and opened a lot of doors for me. It’s really become more like a friendship than a job. Goodwill lives by its motto of improving people’s lives through the power of work — they’ve been doing exactly that for me.

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