IMPACT STORIES
Impact Stories

Larry Thompson – Warehouse Specialist

Larry Thompson, an African American single Newark resident in his early sixties, had served our country proudly as an Army Cannon Crewman. The US veteran was referred to Goodwill NYNJ’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program(HVRP)  in August 2021. He was homeless and had been sleeping by a Stop and Shop store.

Impact Stories

Sharon Cooper – CVS Greeter

Sharon Cooper is a 33-year-old Richmond Hill, Queens, resident with an intellectual disability and speech impediment. She lives on her own in an Individual Residential Alternative (IRA) in Queens. Sharon enrolled in Project Discovery (Jamaica location) with no work experience to explore possible work opportunities in the retail, food preparation,

Impact Stories

Timothy Santiago – Walgreens Customer Service Associate

Timothy Santiago, a 29-year-old Bronx resident with Autism Syndrome Disorder (ASD), joined our Advance program because he wanted to get a job as a Math tutor and work near home. Math was his favorite subject in school, was fascinated with problem solving and works on math problems everyday even today,

Impact Stories

Daris Glisson – Warehouse worker

When Daris Glisson, a 45-year-old African-American Clason Point resident, joined our Jobs Plus program in 2016, he was unemployed and had no clear career direction. At Jobs Plus, Daris obtained his OSHA Certification, received job readiness training, interview and resume preparation assistance, and job and career advancement referrals. The Jobs

Impact Stories

Parris Caesar: Going from Part- to Full-Time Employment 

Parris Caesar joined our Supported Employment program back in 2006. Although Parris had little work experience at the time, he was motivated and enthusiastic to learn. But the journey was long.  In 2009, Paris was placed at the Goodwill Outlet store as a part-time Production Worker. He quickly stood out

Impact Stories

Larry – Bridges to Success

“I like working at Goodwill because I can bring extra income to my household and I get to meet new people. Plus, I enjoy going around the building to deliver the mail and saying hello to all staff” Larry was quiet, reserved, and smiled little when he came to Goodwill