Sarah Schwartz graduated from Indiana University Southeast in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in education and a concentration in math. There weren’t many positions available for math teachers near her home in southern Indiana, so she continued to work part-time in the IU Southeast math lab. She also got a second job at a Goodwill retail store to earn extra income.

Each year, Goodwill celebrates some of the most extraordinary Hoosiers we serve through a ceremony that honors recipients across seven award categories. Eligible nominees include employees, students, program participants and community partners. When you donate and shop at Goodwill, you're empowering people in your community, like those whose stories you can watch below, so thank you for your support. Together we're changing lives!

John Thompson was born with autism and didn’t learn to speak until he was eight years old.

When you donate, shop and make financial gifts to Goodwill, you're changing the lives of thousands of the most vulnerable Hoosiers. We’re so thankful for supporters like you who are making an impact in central and southern Indiana. Together, we're changing lives. THANK YOU!

For more than 35 years, Goodwill Commercial Services has provided high-quality janitorial services to central Indiana businesses and buildings. Through our AbilityOne program, Goodwill employs over 125 Hoosiers who are blind or have other significant disabilities.

In 1989, upon graduating from high school, Shawn Basore joined Goodwill’s Commercial Services division. He had no work history or job skills and participated in Goodwill’s Work Experience Program, which provided job training and employment services to persons with disabilities, preparing them for successful employment. 

Did you know that Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s Commercial Services division holds a partnership with AbilityOne, a federal program that is one of the largest sources for employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities? Goodwill Commercial Services is one of the approximately 500 nonprofit organizations that employ individuals with barriers to employment, such as disabilities, and provides quality services to the Federal Government at a fair market price. 

As we continue to feature the achievements, stories, and personalities of some of Goodwill’s finest employees, we wanted to highlight John Wessel, a leader working at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse, a Goodwill AbilityOne contract site. 

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is an annual awareness campaign led by the U.S. Department of Labor.  Created in 1988, NDEAM is celebrated throughout the month of October to recognize people throughout our nation who are living and working with disabilities. 

Sarah Verhines graduated from The Excel Center®, Goodwill’s high school for adults, in January 2020 at 26 years old while working full time and expecting her first child. Even though she was top 15 in her original high school class, circumstances beyond her control prevented her from graduating.