Category: Success Stories

We received this letter from a Rutland, Vermont workforce participant and we had to share her success: My name is Melissa Van Guilder (formerly Shanholtzer), and I am writing to share my experiences with Goodwill Northern New England. I literally had zero idea what Goodwill did, I just happen to know Sherri Prouty, and she said that sometimes Goodwill helps people…

When Ben Sawyer saw a flyer offering help to anyone affected by opioids, he jumped at the chance. By that point he’d been unemployed for eight months, and his unemployment benefits weren’t enough for his family of four. He needed work — and like many people who have battled addiction, he needed a second chance. Now, with some help from…

Vanessa MacDougal isn’t the type to hem and haw. When the 19-year-old meets an unexpected challenge or opportunity, she chooses her path and pursues it at full speed.  But the last couple of years have presented the teenager with some tough situations, and she wasn’t always sure where to turn. With a bit of help from Goodwill Workforce Services staff, Vanessa…

“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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…