If you’ve ever visited the Goodwill Kentucky West Louisville Opportunity Center, chances are you were greeted with a smile from Wayne.
When Wayne first connected with Goodwill in February 2024, his life looked very different. He was experiencing homelessness and eventually turned to a local Salvation Army shelter for help. It was there that someone told him about Goodwill Kentucky’s Another Way program.
Through Another Way, Wayne was connected with services that provided the support he needed to change his life, including housing. He found steady encouragement and direction from program leaders, Sharon and Shaun. With their guidance, Wayne began to see achievable milestones ahead of him.
“They heard my story, about my kids and my situation, and they asked, ‘How would you like to be an outreach specialist?’” Wayne recalled. “I told them I would love it. I told them I would never let them down, and I would never be late. The 10 months I was working that job, I was never late.”
In less than two years, Wayne moved from outreach specialist to lead peer support specialist, and later into a career coach role. Along the way, he completed peer support training, became a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), and earned certifications in CPR, mental health, and Google AI. He also had his record expunged and participated in the Last Mile to Work program, where he was matched with a bicycle to help him get where he needed to go. Today, he’s enrolled at Indiana Tech studying organizational leadership.
“I’m still trying to expand my horizon,” he said. “Like I always say, when I started, I thought Goodwill was just a store. But it’s more than that. It’s a hand up, not a handout. I just keep pushing every day. I tell folks, ‘Hey, I can relate.’ The clients look up to me, and I just try to help in any way I can.”
As a career coach, Wayne helps others who are facing the same barriers he once did.
“It makes me feel like I’m making a difference,” he said. “This is my calling; this is what I’m supposed to do. God has a purpose for everybody. This is my purpose.”
Wayne says his family is proud of who he has become, something that means more to him than any title. He is expecting to become a father again later this year.
“It makes me feel good to make them proud,” he said. “Because I used to be out in the streets. Now they don’t have to worry about me. I want to thank Goodwill for giving me an opportunity. They gave me a chance, and I’ve been trying to strive since then.”