Behind every success story is a rocky first start, a courageous leap of faith, or a radical change of direction. Learn how real Goodwill participants overcame difficult circumstances — including job loss, lack of education, language barriers, disabilities, and homelessness — to launch fulfilling careers.
“I feel so grateful. I had never even heard of programs like this before, and knowing that Goodwill offers these opportunities because of donations and community support—it really makes a difference. This program gave me the foundation I needed to advance my career.”
“I’ve gone from a part-time Cashier to Shift Lead, and now to Assistant Manager. I joined the Pathways program to help me build the confidence and develop the leadership skills that I needed for this role.”
“The free training course allowed me to figure out where I wanted to go without putting up thousands of dollars. I found several other programs that were as much as $5,000, and nowhere near as detailed. You still have to commit your time, but the least I could do was show up and show out.”
“I could just focus on the fact that I still need to pay my bills, or I can go to this class, and they’re going to give me some new skills, they’re going to help me with my resume, and they’re going to help me get a job by the time all this is done.”
“I had no money, but I knew that I had to study or go to school. I found Goodwill, and it was free. It was the perfect first step.”
“I feel like over the years, I’ve donated so much stuff to Goodwill, and you don’t really know what happens after that. You don’t know the full impact of what doing that can do for somebody else. And now we are on the other side of it. So, we’ve seen the full circle process of what it can do for us.”
“This is what I want to do as a career. The Goodwill program is definitely the reason that I started exploring this. I didn’t have to worry about paying for school or going into debt.”
“I just can’t say enough about how great this program is, what a great job it’s doing, and what an awesome impact it is making for the community and for Charlotte and the surrounding areas.”
“I always sing praises about the BankWork$ program because I feel like without that, I wouldn’t have been as prepared to be here in this position, and I wouldn’t have been exposed to as many bankers.”
“My Career Navigator was helpful throughout my entire process. She helped me with my resume and sent me numerous jobs. She sent me vouchers to make sure I had clothing for job interviews, and helped me get into the entryway program, which provided resources for when I was homeless.”
