Kim relocated to Kentucky from Florida where she last worked as a housekeeper. She faced many barriers that needed to be addressed – specifically emotional challenges that left her nearly paralyzed – before becoming employable. Because of these challenges, she remained unemployed for more than six years.
Kim was looking for a job when she visited a local thrift store, Twice as Nice. The store manager, Sue, is a seasoned partner of Goodwill’s Senior Community Service & Employment Program (SCSEP)* and recognized that Kim could benefit from training offered through the program. From there, Kim was referred to a SCSEP career coach, Connie.
Kim started training in March of 2020, hopeful to gain skills and hold down a job. She wanted to work in retail but lacked the confidence and experience for her desired job goal. Through SCSEP, Kim started training workplace essential skills, such as punctuality and problem solving. As her skillset grew, so did her confidence
Kim learned all aspects of the daily operations of the store, such as processing donations, customer service and cashiering. She interacted with customers and vendors alike in a warm and professional manner. She was doing so well, Sue offered her the assistant manager position! Kim accepted the position and began her employment in March 2022.
Kim said, “Sue coached me and showed me strengths I could enhance to make me feel more confident. Being active within the store and community helped me become a better version of myself – a different person.”
As one coworker put it, “Kim inspires others. She has come a long way since she started. At first, she was withdrawn and not interested in making friends at work, but soon enough, the friendly people and atmosphere chipped away her tough exterior to reveal the extremely kind person she is inside. Over time, Kim has shown her strong work ethic and dedication to helping others through her actions at Twice as Nice. She has proven herself time after time to be dependable, reliable and skilled at her job. She makes her work atmosphere a fun place to be and is always willing to lend a hand.”
*SCSEP is designed to link low-income, older workers to on-the-job training that can help them move into paid employment. For more information about our SCSEP program, visit www.goodwillky.org/scsep.