GOODWILL Success Stories
Story Behind the Stores: Zenobia
Zenobia, a 56-year-old Lexington native who comes from a background of poverty and domestic abuse, has spent more than 40% of her life in jail. She was released from her most recent stint in April of 2020. She was breathing but said she felt lifeless. Zenobia was...
Story Behind the Stores: Claudette Collins, Power of Work
Some people are inclined to believe everything happens for a reason. Claudette Collins, a participant of the Power of Work program, is one of those people. A 49-year-old Lexington native, Claudette was introduced to one of her many reasons while working toward a...
Story Behind the Stores: Charles
Previously a greeter at Walmart, Charles was laid off and in search of a new employment opportunity. He was referred to the Senior Community Service & Employment Program (SCSEP), operated by Goodwill. Through SCSEP, Goodwill matches eligible individuals age 55 and...
Story Behind the Stores: Kevin
For 40 years, Kevin read the classic novella, A Christmas Carol, but could never relate to the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge – until 2018 and 2019. In those two years, he buried five people he cared about. “I went from a $40,000 career to destitution in one day,”...
Story Behind the Stores: Abdullatif
Abdullatif Dalati fled his home country of Syria nearly a decade ago, amid the ongoing civil war. He spent time in Turkey before relocating to Louisville in 2015. Abdullatif is the latest in a long line of family members to become a chef and own their own restaurant,...
Story Behind the Stores: Mindy
We are excited to announce Mindy as our new retail merchandising manager! Mindy’s path to this position wasn’t always an easy one. A former pharmacy technician, Mindy suffered from undiagnosed Celiac disease. “It felt like I was constantly being stabbed,” Mindy...
Story Behind the Stores: Latoya
Latoya endured a difficult divorce in 2014. A single mother of three children, she struggled for years as a result of that hardship. In 2018, she realized it was time for a career shift. A friend informed her of an open cashier position with our Paducah team. She...
Story Behind the Stores: Charlotte
For five years, Charlotte found herself in an abusive relationship. Once she had enough courage to exit that relationship, she ended up marrying a person who was abusing drugs. His substance use was causing fights, and Charlotte submitted to the "if you can’t beat...
