Dianna Tolentino was referred to Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership® program by her OB in 2013.

Grace is a typical 5-year-old who likes to play dress up and watch cartoons on YouTube. She’s healthy, has lots of friends and has hit every developmental milestone since infancy. She’s eager to start kindergarten. Each of these things is a small miracle given that her mother’s journey to Indianapolis began 20 years ago and more than 8,000 miles away.

“If I do it, then you have to do it, too.” These were the last words Courtney Messer had said to her mom, Misty Weikel, before they both enrolled at The Excel Center in August of 2013.

Returning to school can have a big impact on someone’s life. Julio Chavira found himself in the Juvenile Detention Center realizing he didn't want to continue down the road he was going. 

Nurse-Family Partnership^®'s humble beginning more than six years ago seems like a distant memory. But not for Unique Johnson, her son Ezra and their nurse, Marilynn Berry-Stamm.

Some of Zach Hopper’s fondest memories of his mother include shopping at Goodwill for clothes and toys when he was a child. His family was poor and his mother struggled with addiction, often leaving him to care for a younger sibling.

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.