As a small city in rural, southern Indiana (population <7,000), Scottsburg has the same challenges larger cities have but fewer resources available to address them. Of the 12% of Scottsburg residents who didn’t graduate from high school, an astonishing 44% over the age of 25 live below poverty level. Other common barriers include criminal history, addiction and homelessness.
Erica Webb’s first major barrier to achieving independence was becoming a mother at 17 years old. Although she successfully graduated from high school, a series of setbacks negatively impacted her ability to provide for her growing family.
It is possible to get out of debt and gain control of diabetes, meet Bryan Gilbert
Correy Marshall met his wife, LaKeisha, after his grandmother stopped into the Goodwill retail store where she was working at the time.
“She approached me and said, ‘You look like you would be a good wife for my grandson,’” LaKeisha said.
Success stories at Goodwill are more than a stamp of “this story is done.” Instead, they acknowledge that the individual reached their goals, overcame their challenges and launched into their next chapter. Johnny Manson is just such a success story. He demonstrated tremendous growth in education, employment and financial goals.
Kamila Gulban is originally from Afghanistan. When she arrived in the United States nearly thirteen years ago, she struggled to find her place in this new world. Her inability to speak English, lack of a driver’s license and limited support system made it difficult to find employment. A family friend of Kamila’s was familiar with Goodwill and shared the mission along with the many resources that Goodwill provides its employees. This immediately caught her attention, and she applied for a job.
Dequan Bennett is a great example of someone making huge strides toward reaching their goals after being given the right tools and support. He just celebrated one year as a Flooring Installer Apprentice at Jack Laurie Group, one of Goodwill’s employment partners. At Jack Laurie Group he is learning the finer points of floor installation — which tools to use, what detailing cuts for what measurements, and more. Dequan is also taking control of his finances using tools he learned from working with his Goodwill Guide.
Jasmine Bible was 17 years old when she got her first job as a cashier at Goodwill. She struggled with finding reliable transportation, stable housing and dependable child care for her son with special needs. Eager to advance her career, Jasmine took advantage of every opportunity available to her through Goodwill.
My name is Peter Salathe and I work at a Goodwill store in Indianapolis.
Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana recently hosted more than 700 volunteers from Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, for Lilly’s Global Day of Service. This initiative is one of the largest single-day volunteer programs of any global enterprise.