February is Black History Month, and Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is excited to highlight the African American leaders who contribute to our mission of changing lives every day through health, education and employment. Lakeysha Hamilton, Goodwill’s director of outlets, has been with the organization for over 20 years and looks forward to Black History Month.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a period to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities. Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, a proud employer of more than 1,600 people with disabilities, considers NDEAM a perfect opportunity to share our employees’ stories and distribute disability resources.

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is one of the largest employers for persons with disabilities in Indiana, with more than 1,600 current employees reporting a disability – 34% of our workforce. For 90 years, we’ve been employing individuals and providing job training to Hoosiers who experience barriers to employment. 

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a period to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities. Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is proud to be an employer to nearly 1,600 persons with disabilities which equates to one-third of our workforce. Many of our employees with disabilities are empowered through accommodations and understanding to increase their independence and reach their full potential.

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is proud to continue our recognition of National Employ Older Workers Week, a period to acknowledge and increase awareness of the contributions older workers have in our workforce. This commemorative week also highlights the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), a work-based training program for older adults available across the nation.

When Damiyah Lawrence enrolled at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School during her freshman year, she struggled with a learning disability.

In May 2023, Madi LaFollette started working as a cashier in a Goodwill store in Carmel, Indiana. Within a month, the fresh addition to the Goodwill family became a valuable team member and an asset to the store’s operations. She entered a welcoming work environment and gained teammates who were ready to support her.

From a young age, Kane Sparks has been passionate about working with and helping others. In high school, for instance, he volunteered at a campus snack bar and excelled in his role. After graduating, he was excited to enter the workforce and felt confident in his job prospects. 

Thanks to your support, lives are being changed in your community. In addition to significant growth in our Retail, eCommerce and Commercial Services divisions over the past year, we currently employ nearly 5,000 Hoosiers – 61% of whom have barriers to employment, like a disability, criminal history or lack of a high school diploma. 

Dakota McLaughlin experienced significant challenges growing up. His mother passed away when he was young, and he was also bullied at school, especially when he came out as gay, which often left him feeling alone. After experiencing domestic violence from a family member, Dakota felt safer leaving home, even though he had nowhere else to go.