My Story: Stephanie Gayle

In April 2010, I entered Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit’s Beyond Jobs program and can truly say my life has not been the same since.

When I came into the program, my two daughters and I were coming out of a rough situation. Their father and I separated, and we were going back and forth from family and friends’ houses just to have somewhere to lay our heads.  It was a hard year for my family, so I enrolled in the Beyond Jobs program.

After enrolling, I began to attend developmental training classes to prepare me for the workplace. While managing my family situation with my commitment to bettering myself, in June 2011 Beyond Jobs staff offered me a job working at Goodwill Industries as a trainee.

I was very excited for the opportunity. I began working on the line, packaging license plate brackets with screws and instruction papers. While employed, I met with a Beyond Jobs financial adviser, created a budget and began to save money.

Shortly after being employed, I was able to move my family into our own place. It was so rewarding to see the joy on my daughters’ faces when they were able to have their own room and bed to sleep in at night. I became determined to do whatever is necessary to maintain my family’s stability.

After taking on several part-time jobs, I landed a full-time position a little over a month ago. I am currently working at the newly opened Goodwill retail store in Dearborn, MI. It feels good to know all my hard work has paid off.

Goodwill’s Beyond Jobs program helped me with financial literacy, home support, job search and placement, resume development and helped me maintain my job. Without this program, I don’t know where I would be. I am so thankful for what this program has done for me and my family.

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