You never know what opportunities will arise when you volunteer your time. That’s the message from Goodwill team members Anastasia Knight, Jaslyn Roberts, and Brian Otto, whose experiences volunteering for Goodwill eventually led to jobs with us.
Anastasia, program support specialist, volunteered with Goodwill as a way to practice her teaching skills. She offered her time for a year before she came on board as a team member, and says her experience as a volunteer allowed her to gain new skills while also getting to know the culture of the agency before she joined full time.
For Brian, volunteering at Goodwill opened up many new possibilities—he was unemployed for nine months before landing a job as the project supervisor for our Construction & Green Job training program. Although he worked in the construction industry for years, until he started volunteering at Goodwill in 2007, he wouldn’t have thought to apply for a position that would have him working with construction students–even though it’s a perfect fit.
All three team members agree that many people underestimate their value as volunteers. “You have more to offer than you think,” says Jaslyn, volunteer training and curriculum specialist. “You gain so much more than you give, and you learn every day.” She volunteered with Goodwill for eight years as an Occupational Skills Training instructor before joining our team in April.
Want to get involved? We’re always looking for new volunteers!
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