Meet Wes Sawyer, Goodwill Industries International’s 2022 Kenneth Shaw Graduate of the Year.
Tag: People with Criminal Backgrounds
My Story: Michael Blanton
Recently named Goodwill Achiever of the Year, Michael Blanton is a testament of hope to those looking to overcome obstacles and recreate their lives. When he was released from prison with no place to go and no money, Michael had a long road ahead of him.
My Story: Deneal Trueblood-Lynch
Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the power of work. A disability, lack of education, poverty or criminal history should not stand in anyone’s way when seeking employment. But the reality is, many people in our communities face challenges to finding work as a result of their circumstances.
My Story: Fahad
As Fahad looks back on his life, hindsight is 2020. “When I was younger, I was uneducated, so I made mistakes,” he recalls. “I never put a lot of thought towards the things that I did. I was making mistake after mistake without even realizing I was making them, and it came back to bite me.”
My Story: Linda Sutton
Linda Sutton had a difficult upbringing and history of drug use as well as a criminal background. With the help of Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette, she was able to turn her life around and is helping others to do the same.
My Story: Randy
Randy served 10 years in Maine State Prison and when he got out he had only the clothes on his back. Life is tough without a car or a place to call home. Add in a criminal record and a disability and life gets exceptionally difficult.
My Story: Nancy Nance
Previously incarcerated, jobless and living in a shelter -- High Point resident Nancy Nance was out of options. A mother with two kids and one grandchild, Nance was haunted by her past mistakes. Motivated by her children to achieve something with her life, Nance entered Triad Goodwill’s Jobs on the Outside program in 2018, and quickly joined their Work Experience Program immediately after that.
My Story: Sarah Pine
My name is Sarah Pine. I am a single mother of three children, a grateful recovering addict with six years clean, and I have a learning disability. I grew up in an alcoholic home and started using drugs with my mother when I was nine years old.
My Story: Jody Mooney
Within 90 days, I lost everything but my life. I lost my career as an executive with the Jacksonville (FL) Chamber of Commerce, my car and my apartment. I now see how mental issues plus my hedonistic, promiscuous lifestyle led me to this point. I struggled with addiction for a decade.
My Story: Pablo Gaxiola
My name is Pablo Gaxiola. On August 7, 2014, I began the journey that has changed my life. Goodwill of Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA) invited me to attend an orientation for the New Opportunity Work (NOW) program. I came in unsure of what was going to happen with only the smallest bit of hope that something would change. After an initial assessment and orientation I was given a job as an administrative clerk, utilizing experience and skills I learned from spending 15 years in prison.
