In 2008, suffering from debilitating depression, Frank Farmwald found himself homeless and unable to keep a job. His condition became so severe it required him to be temporarily institutionalized. He then entered a transitional housing program as he learned to manage his depression.

Courtney McCowan did not expect to drop out of high school only three months away from graduation. However, when she became pregnant with her first child, her health became her top priority.

After experiencing a traumatic brain injury, Aaron Yates has trouble storing long-term memories. In 2016, he started working with Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s Disability Services team to find a job.

For adults, returning to high school can be a difficult task especially when life’s obstacles arise. However, with the right support, they can still thrive in a high school setting to reach their ultimate goal—graduation. Paige Mallory, 28, learned about The Excel Center®, Goodwill’s high school for adults, after she saw a flier. In fall 2016, she decided to enroll to better her life and her children’s lives.

Benjamin Westley learned about Goodwill’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) in 2013. A serious car accident, caused by a diabetic blackout, left him unable to return to his janitorial duties at the St. Vincent Heart Center.

After graduating from high school, you may think you’d never have to return. Jennifer Dunn didn’t believe she would have to either. She graduated from a private school in 1998, but a few years later found out that all of the records were lost when she tried to retrieve her transcripts for college. Her student records were never turned into the state, and she had to start over.

Greg Wieneke has been employed at Goodwill for nearly a decade. For many years, he dreamed of riding a bicycle across the country, in part, to prove to himself that he could. Greg was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects balance, movement and muscle tone, and epilepsy, a central nervous system disorder.

Geno Cox, blind since birth, recently celebrated 10 years as an associate at the Anderson Goodwill store. After attending the Indiana School for the Blind, Geno had difficulty finding a job locally.  

When Heather Simmons learned about The Excel Center®, a free high school for adults, she’d been out of high school for 18 years, working in the fast food industry. At 35 years old, she  wanted more for herself and her family.