GOODWILL Success Stories
After falling in love with Goodwill’s mission, Samantha’s goal is to help others
With a violent felony on her record, Samantha thought she would never find employment. “I would see why people wouldn’t hire me without talking to me,” she said. But as a requirement for drug court, Samantha had to have a job and work 40 hours per week. She applied to...
Once a danger to society, Mike is “on course to be successful”
Mike grew up a product of divorce and addiction. Before he was 24 years old, both of his parents and his two brothers had passed away. An addict himself, Mike lost his only other support system when his wife filed for divorce after 25 years of him relapsing. The...
Austin is making the most of his second chance
Austin had nothing but a prison jumpsuit, shoes and his family’s good graces when he was released from prison on Feb. 28, 2020. Ready to change, he went back where he grew up in Fletcher County, but no one was willing to give him a second chance. He tried moving to...
Jennifer says Goodwill “has given me my life back”
Jennifer said she gets emotional when she thinks about where she was just a couple years ago. As a result of her addiction, she was sleeping behind dumpsters on the streets of Louisville. After a stint in prison, Jennifer said she couldn’t find or keep employment even...
Cindy has her “own independence” thanks to Cars to Work
Cindy happened to be at one of our stores while someone was talking about the Goodwill Cars to Work Program, which offers auto loans to individuals who wouldn’t normally qualify. After hearing about it, it didn’t take her long to set an appointment with her soon-to-be...
Alejandra found a support system at Goodwill
At Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, we are proud to celebrate our Latinx and Hispanic American employees during National Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond. Alejandra, a member of our New Circle team, moved to the United States from Mexico 19 years ago. She joined our...
Patricia is reaching her career goals through SCSEP
Patricia enrolled in our Senior Community Service & Employment Program (SCSEP) and was assigned to train as a retail sales clerk at Thrift Shop Our Place. She completed her professional resume, practiced mock interviewing and began building a professional...
Thanks to RISE, Wesley has a new lease on life
Wesley spent 28 months in prison and wasn’t sure where to turn for employment after he was released. While at the Men’s Addiction and Recovery Center in Bowling Green, Wesley graduated from our Reintegrating Individuals Successfully Every Day (RISE) Program, which...
Morgan’s journey to store manager
Morgan was a mother of two by the time she had graduated high school. Through the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP), she was introduced to Goodwill. Morgan advanced all the way to store manager at our Berea location. She said her main motivation was her...
Goodwill is the “foundation” for Mehgan’s success as store manager
Mehgan was in nursing school until she entered a relationship with a heroin user. At that time, she had two children. Her next four children were born in active addiction. “Being pregnant doesn’t make you not a drug addict,” Mehgan tearfully admitted. She described...
Ashley’s journey from homelessness to assistant manager
By the time Ashley was 11 years old, she was already drinking alcohol and using marijuana. At 17, she discovered she was pregnant. “My child’s father and I had to grow up extremely fast. His dad passed away and my mom was in prison,” Ashley explained. Ashley welcomed...
Jerrica is “happy to be able to smile again”
Jerrica was born with Stickler Syndrome – a group of hereditary conditions characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, eye abnormalities, hearing loss and joint problems. Her childhood was riddled with surgeries, and her 18th birthday was tainted by more...
Three Frankfort Goodwillers advancing in and out of work
Our Frankfort store, located at 121 Arrowhead Court in Frankfort, was recently honored as one of our “Fab 5” stores for the second quarter of 2021, meaning it was among the top-five stores in its region for the quarter. Each of Frankfort’s amazing Goodwillers...
Regina’s “life was so dark,” but she found her second chance at Goodwill
Regina was a nurse for 25 years before she found herself addicted to pain relievers and lost her license. It was then she turned to street drugs. “I used meth for two years straight,” she said. “My life was so dark. I lost my mom. I lost my home. I lost custody of my...
Tara overcomes her past with help from Goodwill
Tara struggled with drug and alcohol abuse for 20 years. During that time, she was charged with driving under the influence five times and was in and out of jail as a result. She also had three children, but because of her addiction, she hasn’t always had custody of...
With Goodwill, Brandy says she has “a purpose”
Brandy grew up a standout student in Lexington and went on to attend the University of Kentucky on scholarship. But as a freshman with almost no support system, she struggled, and eventually, she chose to leave Lexington for Brooklyn, New York. There, she said she...
From being “set free” to hitting “rock bottom,” Regional Manager Joshua Jones’ story of pride
If you're familiar with our Bowling Green stores or our nonprofit organization in general, you may be familiar with Joshua Jones, our regional manager of retail for the west region. What you don’t know is his story of pride and perseverance that led him where he is...
Cory “lost everything,” but Goodwill helps him feel “reborn”
When you walk into our stores and interact with our employees, you see friendly faces, smiling underneath their masks. What you don’t see are the stories behind those friendly faces. If you’re dropping off donations at the Shively location in Louisville, Cory will...
Betty connects with SCSEP to find the right fit for her
Betty, a Lincoln County resident, originally entered Goodwill’s Senior Community Service & Employment Program (SCSEP) in March 2018. The program is designed to connect older job seekers with local agencies for paid, on-the-job training. Betty was job trained for...
Billie is finally “loving life” again
Billie Wise had worked her entire adult life and found value in being employed. In 2003, her life took a turn for the worse. She experienced a loss of a family member and was injured while working, which lead to disability. She then lost her daughter to a catastrophic...
