I was on welfare for a long time, but had always hoped to return to work. I began looking but had no success due to my age and prolonged inactivity. It was through my agent at Emploi-Québec that I heard about Goodwill Renaissance Montreal in Quebec.
Category: My Story
My Story: Tony Murray
After my accident, I was unable to work for several years. In November 2012, I felt like it was time for me to go back to work, so I came back to Goodwill to see if I could get a job. The agency hired me to be a cashier in one of the Goodwill retail stores, and a couple of months later, I was employed at the Barksdale Air Force Base Commissary as a shelf stocker.
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: Nick Marich
I injured my back on September 19, 1995. I was a heavy equipment mechanic, and I was put out of work because I couldn’t do that type of work anymore. From that point, I got hooked up with an outfit called Rehab Services, a place that helps people with disabilities find employment. I went down and talked to this woman, and she basically hooked me up with Goodwill Industries Vocational Enterprises here in Duluth, MN. I currently work in the store.
My Story: Samuel Morales
After successfully serving in the U.S. Army for 21 years, I retired and was ready for a second career. I had experience in Medical Supply Logistics; however, I found myself leaving the military without a degree or certification, and wondering if I would be able to find a job. My military experience unfortunately did not
My Story: Seth Greenwood
For the first 20 years of my life, I made a series of bad choices. I was a father at the age of 14 years old. I was incarcerated several times. It was a continuous cycle until the age of 20. At that point I was incarcerated for six years (until June 2010). During my
My Story: Christcell Grant
Coming into Goodwill, my life was kind of miserable. I was overcoming a lot of distractions as far as getting to work and staying on the job. I needed a whole lot of things done with my health. Those were the challenges I faced, a lot of addiction with alcohol and drugs. I was getting a
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
My Story – Jean Edmond
I went to VR (the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) and Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers). They helped me fill out the application and interview and get the job at Goodwill. When I got the job here, I felt really happy.
My Story – Ryan Barleston
At Goodwill, I learned to come to work on time and work on my reading skills. In 2010, I got a job working at U.S. Security, and now I am doing security work at many locations. I love my job. I am very happy. I am more serious and motivated and a good role model for my four-year-old son.
My Story—Paul Rosenstock
The message I would have for employers is to be open minded. I do understand that there’s a huge stigma attached to people who have been incarcerated. That stigma, a lot of times, is generated by what people know, which is unfortunately what they see on television and what they read in the newspaper. That only portrays a very small part of what people who have been incarcerated are.
