Rockville, MD. — Every 45 seconds of every business day, someone earns a good job thanks to Goodwill®. A global network of community-based organizations, Goodwill Industries has been helping people find work since 1902. We train people in a variety of fields, based on the belief that the power of work can help build strong families and vibrant communities.
Never has the economic energy that comes through work been more important, as the nation continues to struggle with a sluggish economy and high unemployment. In the past year, roughly 2 million people have been served by Goodwill’s employment and training programs.
- Christopher Haynes admits that he was at the end of his rope when a West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services counselor referred him to Goodwill. Although he held a Regents BA degree from Marshall University and had worked there for nine years as a web designer and newsletter creator, he’d been let go as a result of downsizing. He arrived at Goodwill in January 2009, after being without a job for seven months. Christopher enrolled in the Medical Office Skills Training program with an eye toward the growing opportunities in that field. Five months later he held Certified Medical Administrative Assistant credentials and was certified in Microsoft Word 2007. After an internship at Pro-Imaging, he was hired by the Mildred Mitchell Bateman Hospital in August 2009.
- When Rosangela Baczewski returned to the United States after spending 10 years in her native Brazil teaching English, potential employers treated her as if she had been unemployed the whole time. “I was getting very anxious. I didn’t think I was going to work again,” says Rosangela, 51, whose most recent U.S. job experience was in the accounting field. An encounter with Goodwill at a job fair quickly changed her direction. Rosangela credits Goodwill’s Hospitality and Tourism job training program for preparing her for a job interview – and employment – at the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark.
- Anthony Washington was standing on a busy sidewalk in Chicago in 1991, waiting for the bus and talking with a friend, when a pickup truck crashed into him. Anthony lost his right leg in the accident and fell into a deep depression as he went through recovery and rehabilitation. But in 1998, Anthony moved to Indianapolis and enrolled in Goodwill’s education programs. Anthony has worked for Goodwill since 1999 and currently is employed as a donation clerk at a Goodwill retail warehouse, where he assists callers with inquiries on donating clothing and household items to Goodwill. “Goodwill helped me,” Anthony said. “It was hard for me to get employment with an artificial leg. They gave me a chance to start again.”
