My Story: Danny Lewis

Danny Lewis is a recipient of the 2016 Triad Goodwill Rookie of the Year Award. The 2016 Triad Goodwill Rookie of the Year Award Program by Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina, Inc. (Triad Goodwill) honors those individuals who have exceeded performance expectations for a first-year employee.

I have not always been the person I am today. I do have a past. My past brought me to places that I didn’t want to be, kept me longer than I wanted to stay, and cost me more than I wanted to pay. However, my past is what brought me to Goodwill.
While serving my prison sentence, I was excited to find out that I could attend programs and classes that were offered. The certificates that I earned helped me to turn my life around because when I was released from prison, I had very few options and no job prospects. Luckily, I heard about the Jobs on the Outside (J.O.T.O.) program. The free week-long program provides employment preparation training and job search, and J.O.T.O. changed my life. The people there worked with me to organize all of my certificates and put them in order on my resume. I currently work three jobs, including in the kitchen and cafeteria at Triad Goodwill in Greensboro.  I also mentor others and speak to current inmates and every class of J.O.T.O. at our location. Just putting a smile on somebody’s face – I look forward to it every single day!
Now life has changed and things are better. I have a roof over my head, a car and a lot of other things, all because of Goodwill. The people at J.O.T.O. taught me how to reinvent myself. I am not defined by my past and I have a future. You can achieve your goals and live a life full of hope for yourself and then share that hope with others you meet.