Amy Ofenbeck had a promising career as a television news anchor when she first moved to Southwest Florida. But those dreams were put on hold in 1997, when she suffered a grade-five brain aneurysm. She was just 26 years old.
Tag: Vocational Rehabilitation
My Story: Matthew McCurry
Goodwill Industries of Tenneva (Kingsport, TN) program participant and employee Matthew McCurry shares how his life has changed since being introduced to the organization.
Help End the Nation’s Prison Dependency Problem
In 1971, while struggling to find an exit strategy from the Vietnam War, President Nixon declared a new war – the War on Drugs. He proposed fighting this war on both the supply side, by cracking down on drug pushers, and on the demand side by investing in strategies to rehabilitate people who were dependent on drugs. Unfortunately, drug abuse remains a serious problem. However, tough sentencing for drug-related crime has done little to deter those on the supply side. Instead, incarceration rates have steadily increased from just under 200,000 people in state and federal prisons in 1971, to more than 1.5 million in 2013.
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My Story: Lisa Smith
Sixteen years ago, I was a professional vocalist on my way to landing a recording contract. However, my life took a dramatic turn when I was rear-ended by a drunk driver. The near-fatal wreck left me paralyzed from the waist down.
Lincoln’s Words Remind Us of Our Duty 150 Years Later
At the end of President Lincoln’s second inaugural address, he implored a war-weary nation “…to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan….” All the country was aware of the sacrifice. From big cities to small rural towns, there was either direct destruction because of the civil war or their soldiers had been lost or wounded in battle. As in most of his addresses to the nation, Lincoln spoke to both current and future generations.
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Not Losing is the New Winning
Perhaps it can only be true in Washington, DC, that not losing is considered winning. In the face of mounting debt, a stubbornly high deficit, and an economy still struggling to grow fast enough to add enough jobs, Congress is keeping a tight grip on spending.
How to Discuss a Criminal Background with Employers
There are many challenges people can face in finding employment (education, health issues and lack of transportation to name a few), but having a criminal record is one of the most significant. Here are some universal best practices about how to best communicate your criminal history.
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Are These the Droids You’re Looking For?
This week, I saw a 15 minute video on YouTube, called Humans Need Not Apply. In summary, the video postulates that we are experiencing a “robot revolution,” wherein advancement in automation that performs physical labor and make decisions could profoundly impact a wide range of occupations representing approximately 45 percent of our workforce.
My Story: Steven Ikehara
After my stroke I lost a lot of confidence because you lose the ability to do a lot of things you were able to do before. Working at Goodwill has been good for my recovery. I have improved my physical abilities like walking and using my right hand. I hope to continue my recover and look forward to one day being able to work without my disability being a factor.
My Story: Cherise Turner
Goodwill helped me get out of the Welfare to Work program and become self-sufficient by helping me train and providing the tools needed to apply for and obtain a job. Over the past several years Goodwill has taught me work ethic and gave me opportunities to grow by allowing me to attend seminars, help out
