This Veteran’s Day, Goodwill is honoring one of its own team members with its first Carol and Tommy Moore Veteran of the Year Award.
After 20 years of military service and earning a four-year degree, Sheila Gilmore never imagined it would be difficult to get a job. She had a 15-year employment gap on her resume, which reflected the time she was a stay-at-home mom, and the journey to find employment was rocky, but never gave up on her job search. Her perseverance as well as her dedication and passion for serving others helped her achieve her career goals despite the set backs.
Sheila Gilmore joined the U.S. Army in 1983 and retired in 2003 having achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class. She was always determined to achieve excellence, which is why she went to night school to obtain a bachelor’s in psychology while serving her country. Once retired from military service, Sheila worked to be the best role model to her family.
In 2005, she moved to Greenville, SC, where she was to begin an inspection job. When the full-time mom learned the new job had been changed to third shift, however, she realized taking the job would not in the best interest of her family. Finding employment that would also balance with the needs of her family became a challenge, and Sheila was unable to find work suitable to her schedule.
Two years later, tragedy struck when Sheila’s oldest son was in a severe car accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury. He needed full-time care and physical therapy, so she became his around-the-clock caretaker. Doctors told Sheila that her son would never regain his memory, but she refused to accept this prognosis and devoted herself to rehabilitating her son. Sheila helped her son fully recover, and now he owns his own trucking business.
After 15 years out of the workforce raising her children and rehabilitating her son, Sheila again looked for work and found more challenges than she’d anticipated. She applied for jobs in industries both in and out of her professional field as she looked for someone to take a chance on her. She hoped to find a hiring manager who would focus on her skillsets rather than her time out of the workforce. In 2019, Sheila was hired as a retail associate at a Goodwill store in Greenville, and things started changing for the better.
Sheila found doors opening before her after accepting her new role with Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina. She dedicated herself to performing all duties to the best of her ability, and was quickly asked to become a PAL (Partner Associate Leader) peer coach to new associates. Sheila was a role model to other associates and a reliable peer leader to her managers. After a year, she was promoted into the ecommerce division, received a pay raise and learned a whole new side of retail. Since that time, Sheila has become a go-to for her managers and a leader to her peers.
Not content to simply perform her job duties, Sheila also volunteered for the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Employee Resource Group, where she participated on committees and helped drive DEI principles in the organization. Sheila continues to grow and develop and seek out new challenges within the organization, volunteering for projects and taking advantage of development opportunities.
“When I look back at the obstacles I encountered regarding employment, it was God’s will for me to work at Goodwill. Serving others is the best thing in life and helps you to have a selfless and humble mindset,” Sheila says.
