Category: Success Stories
Success Stories
AmeriCorps member Maggie helps student fight effects of poverty at two rural Maine schools
June 26, 2020 “When I was thinking about my own elementary school experience and the things I remember that stuck with me, it was the special touches that educators around me did,” said Maggie Burgos, a member of Goodwill’s AmeriCorps Multilingual Leadership Corps. For the last two years, Maggie has served with the TREE (Transforming Rural Educational Experiences in Education) Program out of…
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AmeriCorps member Olivia helps at-risk kids in New Hampshire during the Covid-19 pandemic
April 30, 2020 Back in February, Olivia mentored fourth-graders after school. She made sure they did their homework, ate nutritional snacks and worked on any behavioral issues. She helps children build skills so they can succeed at school and in life. It’s work she loves. But like all of our jobs, Olivia’s changed a lot in response to COVID-19. Olivia is a Goodwill AmeriCorps…
News, Success Stories
AmeriCorps member Grace helps feed children in Portland, Maine through this global pandemic
April 30, 2020 Grace Montgomery wants to give back to her community while getting hands-on knowledge about food systems after studying agriculture in college. As an AmeriCorps VISTA she began her service by writing grants and creating promotional materials for her host site, Food Fuels Learning, a community coalition focusing on feeding at-risk children. Then, six months into her year of service, the global Covid-19…
Success Stories
Randy got out of prison and found a career doing an essential service during the pandemic
April 28, 2020 Randy served 10 years in Maine State Prison. When he got out he had only the clothes on his back. Life is tough without a car or a place to call home — add in a criminal record and a disability and life gets exceptionally difficult. Randy connected with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), where he received vocational counseling…
Success Stories
Job Connection helped Naomi secure housing, keep working and get back on her feet
April 22, 2020 When Air Force veteran Naomi found Job Connection this winter, she needed support. She didn’t have a place of her own anymore, which led her to couch surfing in her adult children’s homes around New England. Family time is nice, of course, but she yearned for her own personal stability back. Like every participant in Job Connection, Naomi had several…
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VR goggles help clients gain real-world skills at Goodwill NeuroRehab
March 18, 2020 It’s a typical trip to the grocery store: remembering what to buy, reaching around fellow shoppers for items on the shelf, pacing an aisle to find the baking soda. Except this shopper isn’t really at the grocery store. She’s at a Goodwill NeuroRehab Center, navigating a computerized produce department and cereal aisle, thanks to virtual reality (VR) technology. Virtual reality…
Success Stories
Goodwill NeuroRehab ‘brought my husband back’ after a tree branch fell on his head
March 3, 2020 Kevin Crowley was snowblowing his driveway when a tree branch above him snapped and fell on his head. He was rushed to the hospital, instantly unable to speak, walk or feed himself due to his brain injury. Once a World Champion-level swimmer, Kevin was suddenly unsure he’d ever be able to get in a pool again or return to his…
Success Stories
At work and at home, Becky is ready to lend a hand
January 24, 2020 Whether she’s helping staff prepare dinner or organizing clothes, books, and DVDs at a Goodwill retail shop, Becky helps get the job done. “I love my job a lot,” she says. “Everything you ask me to do, I’ll do it.” A longtime resident of a Goodwill home, Becky also attends Goodwill Northern New England’s LifeWorks day programs and has a…
Success Stories
“I was at zero, now I’m at eight” – Francisca’s path from shelter to home through Job Connection
January 24, 2020 Francisca was homeless when she started working at Goodwill. After a fire in her apartment building, she ended up at a shelter. Her manager helped set her up with Goodwill’s Job Connection program, which offered her support and advice. She was promoted to supervisor while still living at the shelter. Now she’s living in her home in Scarborough, and Goodwill…
Success Stories
Workforce Solutions helped Kara land a steady job – now she’s creating her own happy future
January 24, 2020 Seventeen-year-old Kara works full-time at a Goodwill retail store, is enrolled in Driver’s Ed, and she’s saving for her first car. All very typical things for a teenager to do. But Kara’s family faced homelessness as she was growing up, and she lived at Preble Street’s teen shelter. While there, Kara connected with Workforce Solutions, a Goodwill program that helped…
Success Stories
Amanda finds community fun, volunteering and friends at Goodwill’s LifeWorks program
January 24, 2020 Some days she goes bowling. Some days she helps deliver meals through the Meals on Wheels program. And every day she enjoys hanging out with friends and staff she loves. Amanda attends Goodwill Northern New England’s LifeWorks program. The program provides as safe and engaging place for adults with disabilities and helps participants get into the community through fun activities….
Success Stories
“I have the best crew there is” – Joe leads by example as a manager with NNEES
January 17, 2020 A manager for the Northern New England Employment Services (NNEES) team at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire, Joe helps make sure the shipyard stays in ship shape. His cleaning team, along with all Northern New England Employment Services teams, is largely comprised of people with disabilities. By his estimation, his team is the best in the world, full…