LAWRENCEBURG, KY. – For Kentuckians facing unemployment, financial instability, a criminal record, or other barriers to employment, finding the right resources can be overwhelming. And in communities like Anderson County, there may be organizations ready to help, but residents don’t always know where to find them or how to connect with them.
Kristen Holden knows that firsthand.
A Goodwill Kentucky career coach serving Anderson County, Kristen once found herself rebuilding her life after years of domestic violence, addiction, and incarceration. As a single mother of three, she struggled to find employment because of her background. Then she found Goodwill Kentucky.
What started with a part-time job as a hanger grew into a career that took Kristen through positions including team lead, assistant store manager, and store manager. Goodwill Kentucky’s tuition reimbursement helped her pursue a bachelor’s degree in addiction counseling. Through Goodwill Kentucky’s GoodSmiles program, Kristen also had the opportunity to restore her smile. Today, she uses her lived experience to help others overcome barriers, connect with resources, and build a path toward stability.
“I am living proof of Goodwill’s mission,” Kristen said. “I am not who I used to be because Goodwill gave me the chance to become who I was meant to be.”
Kristen has completed all terms of her probation and paid every court cost and fee. She has a valid driver’s license and a vehicle financed in her name. Her home and everything in it belong to her, and she no longer worries about coming home from work to find the utilities shut off.
“I’ve reached milestones that may seem small to some, but to people who have lived through what I have, they represent stability, dignity, and independence,” Kristen said.
Now, Kristen is working to make sure more people in Anderson County understand that Goodwill Kentucky offers more than a place to thrift.
As a member of Leadership Anderson County, Kristen has heard directly from community members about the need for greater awareness of the resources available locally. She recently participated in a nonprofit roundtable in Woodford County that brought organizations together to share information and identify ways they could better connect residents with available services.
Kristen now hopes to bring a similar initiative to Anderson County by creating a collaborative network of nonprofits and community organizations that can collect, organize, and share information about local resources so residents have a clearer place to turn when they need help.
For Goodwill Kentucky, the effort represents its mission: helping Kentuckians find pathways out of poverty. Through its Opportunity Centers and Career Services programs, Goodwill Kentucky connects Kentuckians to resources and support related to employment-readiness, reentry, workforce development, education, transportation, housing, financial and digital literacy, and more.
Kristen’s story is an example of what can happen when those resources are paired with opportunity—and she wants to make sure others in Anderson County know that help is available.
“I want people to know that Goodwill is here to help them see what is possible,” Kristen said. “Sometimes people just need someone to help them find the next step and believe they can take it.”
For more information about Goodwill Kentucky and its impact on the communities it serves, visit GoodwillKY.org. For interview inquiries, please refer to the media contact above.
About Goodwill Kentucky
For more than 100 years, Goodwill Kentucky has helped Kentuckians find pathways out of poverty through the transformative power of work. Operating in 103 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, Goodwill Kentucky places over 3,000 Kentuckians into jobs each year through its 1,400-plus employer partners and its own retail stores. These life-changing opportunities are made possible through donations to Goodwill Kentucky stores and community support. The organization reinvests approximately 90 cents of every dollar earned in its retail stores into job training and workforce programs. When you give to Goodwill, you do a lot of good.