Updates
Success Stories
Career Adviser Tangie started as a Goodwill client, now helps others reach personal stability
August 3, 2021
Tangie Ripley is easy to talk to. It’s one of the qualities that makes her a great career advisor at Goodwill Northern New England in Belfast, Maine. She’s welcoming and funny, but her relatability comes from more than just her lively and good-humored personality — it comes from personal experience. She has walked in the same shoes as many of…
News
Goodwill invests $50,000 into other local nonprofits, moving neighbors toward personal stability
August 2, 2021
This month Goodwill Northern New England launched a $50,000 program to help move more people in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont into personal stability. The Partner Stability Fund gives vouchers to nonprofits, who in turn gift them to their clients who need clothing and household items most. Bangor Housing Authority, PENQUIS, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP),…
Success Stories
Bipolar left Keeley feeling unemployable, now she’s PhD-bound and helping manage a store
July 1, 2021
In 2014, Keeley had a psychotic break that left her hospitalized for two years. In that time she gained tools to help her live with bipolar disorder. After two years in a psychiatric hospital, Keeley was ready to work … but no one would hire her. “It was nearly impossible to find a job,” she said. “No one wants to…
Success Stories
Irene found personal stability — and her wife — through working for Goodwill
June 2, 2021
Irene watched her parents struggle in Greece, where she’s from. She dreamed of coming to the United States and making her own way. When she found a job at Goodwill in New Hampshire, her English began to improve and so did her confidence … those things led her to asking her wife on a first date. Irene worked her way…
Success Stories
Rutland Job Connection helps Melissa keep her business open, and her family healthy
April 23, 2021
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…
Success Stories
Ben gets his dream job in healthcare after 8 years of sobriety, with help from Goodwill Workforce staff
April 23, 2021
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…
Success Stories
Homeless teen finds job training, work and stability with a little help from a Goodwill career advisor
April 8, 2021
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…
News, Success Stories
Peer Navigator Zachary helps Mainers affected by addiction connect to jobs, recovery resources
March 22, 2021
At 29 years old, Zachary Walker knows his life’s purpose: Help people who struggle(d) with addiction, like he did. In his job as a Peer Navigator at Goodwill, he stands beside people who want to get back to work and achieve personal stability – people who have been affected by Maine’s opioid epidemic in one way or another. “This is…
News, Success Stories
AmeriCorps members get coats to New Hampshire kids in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 25, 2021
A coat drive complicated by COVID-19 What started as a community service opportunity in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day grew into a passion project for Mitchell Young, a Goodwill NNE AmeriCorps member serving in New Hampshire with the Nashua School District. The result? Over 250 pieces of cold weather apparel delivered to people in need in the community….
News
Join our text club to get exclusive coupons by text message
February 22, 2021
If you’d like to get exclusive coupons, join our texting club. We’ll send you offers 1-2 times a month to get big discounts on already affordable items in all Goodwill NNE stores. Subscribe Phone Number* Email Address Full name Yes! I want to receive text messages Sign Up Thanks! Message and data rates may apply. Recurring messages subscription. Click to…
News
Announcing an exciting investment in our mission
January 7, 2021
Goodwill NNE recently was awarded a significant grant to support our mission. We are humbled by this investment and belief in our work by author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This gift will help us advance our mission to help people achieve personal stability in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. We do that through holistic workforce programming that helps people get…
News
The everyday items you should buy at Goodwill for a fraction of what they cost new: plates, pants, and pillowcases
August 25, 2020
Walking into a Goodwill store is a chance to stumble across an unexpected treasure, like a swanky little vase for the bookshelf or a cozy and colorful sweater that perfectly suits their style. But Goodwill is also an excellent resource for those functional necessities — the bedsheets and spatulas and coffee makers that we use every day. It’s also a place…
News
Gov. Sununu helps launch COVID-19 response AmeriCorps program in New Hampshire
July 10, 2020
Manchester and Nashua, NH – Sixteen founding members of NH COVID Community Care Corps were sworn in as AmeriCorps members to begin their eight-week service term on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. The members will serve in nonprofit organizations and city departments across Manchester and Nashua. They will help with New Hampshire’s COVID response. The AmeriCorps members were joined via Zoom…
News
Free virtual workshops for job hunters in July
June 29, 2020
Workforce Solutions is excited to offer the following free virtual career-readiness workshops and info sessions. Workshops are appropriate for individuals of all ages, education, and work experience who live in a coastal country in Maine (York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln). Details for reach workshop, including a link to register, can be found below. You will need a smartphone, tablet…
News
Saying “I do!” to a thrifty wedding: Decorating with style on a budget
June 26, 2020
Words and photos by Vermont Goodwill shopper Jennie Lutton We have always been a thrifty family. The treasure hunt of garage sales and thrift shops has always been a thrill for me. My kids learned the fun of the game of secondhand early on. Their favorite weekend activity was shopping for sales with a few dollars in their pockets to…