Anita Coverdale dedicated significant time to caring for her brother before his passing in 2021. Facing financial and emotional hurdles following his death, Anita relocated from Arizona to Indiana. A regular shopper of Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana’s retail locations, she applied and secured a position as a retail associate at the Noblesville Goodwill store the same year.
Specializing in textiles, Anita prepares accessories such as purses, belts and hats for the sales floor. She appreciates the supportive atmosphere at Goodwill, viewing her colleagues as more than just coworkers.
"It’s like a family,” Anita said. “I have a good time when I’m at work.”.
Still grappling with her brother's loss, Anita sought financial support and turned to her Goodwill Mission Coach. These life and career coaches work with Goodwill’s employees and students, helping them develop a path to their personal and professional goals and providing support and accountability along the way. Anita's Mission Coach aided her in addressing her financial needs and challenges.
Together, they assessed her finances and credit score, established budget goals and met personal savings objectives.
"When I first met my Mission Coach, I noticed their dedication to meet with everyone,” Anita recalled. “They were very attentive to me and my concerns.”
Currently, Anita has enhanced her credit rating, settled her land taxes and reached some of her savings goals. She has also learned the importance of prioritizing her own well-being before taking care of others.
"My Mission Coach was genuinely interested and dedicated to helping me,” she said. “They helped me get back on track.”
Mission Coaches also utilize outside resources to help Goodwill’s employees and students meet their goals. For example, Goodwill partners with Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, which offers the people we work with resources and tools for purchasing a home, including a down payment match up to three times what an individual saves.
At Goodwill, we change lives by empowering people to increase their independence and reach their full potential, making financial health and literacy a foundational component of success. In addition to Mission Coaches, Goodwill’s employees have access to other financial tools to help them meet their short-and-long-term goals.
Goodwill supports financial stability and future retirement goals for employees by providing a retirement match of up to 6%. This is automatically applied to qualified employees who are contributing to the plan themselves. Qualified teachers at Goodwill are eligible for a 9% retirement match through the Teachers Retirement Fund (TRF). Additionally, for the previous two years, we have made end-of-year lump sum contributions to eligible employees.
Employees also have free access to Elements Financial, a credit union membership that includes benefits like lower rates and fees on borrowing, higher return rates on deposits, wellness resources, financial workshops, product solutions and more.
To apply for a job at Goodwill, visit our website.