Two years ago, if you had asked April Williams if she thought she would ever graduate high school, the answer likely would have been “no”.
Since she was young, Lindsey Lemen wanted to pursue her college education. Unable to attend college after graduating from high school, she put her dream on hold. Lindsey faced barriers after graduating that made it hard for her to maintain full-time employment. These barriers were removed after she started working at the Goodwill store in Shelbyville, Indiana.
The week of August 25-31, 2019 marked the celebration of Black Breastfeeding Week, a national campaign dedicated to bringing awareness to the nationwide racial disparity in breastfeeding rates. The week focuses on promoting the positive effects that breastfeeding has on an infant’s health and reduction in infant mortality rates, which affects black infants at a higher rate than whites.
Tom Wood Ford recently hosted an open house for Goodwill’s Excel Center students, graduates and mission program participants to learn firsthand about employment opportunities and a service tech apprenticeship program.
Meet Alexis Hornung & Andrew Weston
Alexis Hornung and Andrew Weston work together at their local Goodwill store in Corydon. They each turned 18 years old and graduated from high schools in Harrison County this past spring. Alexis, who graduated from Lanesville Senior High School with academic honors, always enjoyed being around kids and tutoring her classmates. Her passion for teaching was solidified at a young age by her stepmother, who taught special education.
Itzel Quintero is a mother of five children with a strong sense of will and determination. Initially living in California, Itzel and her family settled down in Indiana to start over and relieve some of their financial burdens. However, new financial barriers emerged after the cross country move. Itzel struggled to find solid employment that would allow her to provide for her children.
Meet Candice England
Candice England calls herself an Indiana transplant. Originally from Georgia, she relocated to Indiana after she remarried.
Indianapolis Metropolitan High School is designed for students experiencing circumstances that may present a barrier to education. Supports such as free child care, transportation assistance, family empowerment coaching and small class sizes help students remove those barriers and meet their goals.
Cayley Golay is an unstoppable force whose main source of fulfillment is her desire to help people. Cayley joined the Goodwill family when she was a junior in high school, working in retail stores throughout her high school career until she found a job in manufacturing after graduation. When Cayley realized she wanted to go back to school to pursue a nursing career, she chose to return to Goodwill where she knew she would be supported through the process.