For more than 25 years, Sonjaki Alvies has been part of the Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana family. Sonjaki is an AbilityOne employee,  where she continues to excel in her career working as a janitor at the Federal Aviation Administration Tower (FAA) at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Goodwill is an implementing agency of AbilityOne, a federal program that provides employment opportunities to those who are blind or have other significant disabilities. AbilityOne not only empowers participants by offering meaningful, stable employment, but also helps foster workplaces where unique talents and abilities are valued. Sonjaki has seen firsthand just how impactful Goodwill and AbilityOne has been for her life, both professionally and personally. 

She is proud of her work at the FAA Tower and playing her part in running a smooth operation. She credits on-the-job training opportunities at Goodwill for preparing her to succeed in this role.

“I keep the building together, making it look very nice and clean,” said Sonjaki. “I like Goodwill. And I always will…because they've taught me a lot in how to work janitorial and how to [work] with people.”

Sonjaki has received support through Goodwill’s wraparound services for employees. 

“I have a work coordinator [who] helped me with budgeting, how to pay my rent, how to take care of my kids. Goodwill goes way back for me,” Sonjaki said. 

Each Goodwill site has access to a dedicated Mission Coach on staff. Mission Coaches provide various types of support to employees, such as career coaching, developing personalized plans, monitoring progress and connecting employees to resources.

Sonjaki hopes that others with disabilities will come to work at Goodwill, just as she did. When asked about what advice she would give others considering Goodwill’s employment opportunities, Sonjaki expressed her sincere trust in Goodwill. 

“You can go very far and Goodwill will help you, but you have to want it,” Sonjaki said. “[Goodwill] helps people. I wish people could see how much they really help us. I could be a spokesperson for that, because I’ve lived it.” 

Throughout her career, Sonjaki strives to help others on a similar path as hers. “If someone has a problem and they feel like they got a bad day…I just want to uplift people, because I’ve been there.” Sonjaki is proud of the work she does, but she takes the most pride in how others value and respect her. “People like me,” Sonjaki said. 
On May 11th, Sonjaki celebrated her seventh anniversary working at the FAA Tower. In her free time, Sonjaki enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren, often playing sports together. She also enjoys maintaining a clean home, detailing cars, and traveling with her friends. 

“[Goodwill] impacted my life in so many ways. It’s just everything,” Sonjaki said. “I just like it here because people - they appreciate me.”

For more information on employment and training opportunities at Goodwill, please visit goodwillindy.org/employment.