Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana is proud to highlight leaders who help us achieve our mission of changing lives every day through employment, education and health. Alicia Hall is one of those amazing leaders, serving as a coach for the Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana Ignite program.

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

When Jefferson Jones applied for Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), he didn’t quite know what he would be getting into. Jefferson knew that SCSEP partnered with nonprofits and worked with people like himself in his community. However, he didn’t know how much he would love this new training opportunity. 

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!

In 2018, when Richard Ramsey enrolled at The Excel Center®, Goodwill’s high school for adults, he didn’t know that he was taking the first step toward meeting his future fiance. 

Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, a best-fit school for grades 9-12, not only supports students with barriers, but also places an emphasis on ensuring students enroll in college or enter into a career that offers a living wage post-graduation. To achieve this, the school often finds intuitive ways to support students’ career development. The certified nursing assistant (CNA) course offered through Indy Met is a perfect example.

February is Black History Month, and Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana is proud and excited to celebrate its Black and African American leaders, mission participants and students. David Hollomon is an incredible example of a Goodwill leader and has been for nearly two years.

When Teresa Smith joined Goodwill Commercial Services in 2009, she was re-entering society and the workforce after a period of incarceration and a decade-long addiction to methamphetamine, which led to her losing custody of her son. Her history with the criminal justice system made it difficult to secure a job, but she approached the opportunity at Goodwill with a focus on improving her professional skills and rebuilding her life. 

In 2019, when Charity Watkins became pregnant with her daughter, she enrolled in Goodwill Nurse-Family Partnership®, a maternal health program that pairs moms with registered nurses. As she participated in this program, Charity expressed her desire to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Her nurse referred her to Goodwill Ignite.

Born in Mexico, Imelda Lopez lived far away from her local high school, and due to transportation barriers, she never attended. She moved to the United States as a teenager, was married at the age of 16, had her first child at 17, and then four more after that. To help support her family, she always worked. She was employed at a factory for 10 years, but the work became too taxing as she grew older.