New Faces At Goodwill: By Zach Knight

     At Goodwill Industries: Serving Northeast Ohio & Northwest Pennsylvania, we firmly believe in our mission; Building self-sufficiency through the power of work. In order to fulfill that mission, we are constantly expanding our workforce and on-boarding talented individuals that are eager to change lives in the communities we serve. It is our pleasure to introduce four new individuals Goodwill has proudly added to our office and workforce development teams! 

     Michelle Lehr works as Goodwill’s Human Resource Generalist. She previously worked as a Government Contractor for William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, TX after fulfilling her active duty military contract. She enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband. She is originally from Boardman, Ohio and has lived in AZ, TX, MO, WA, and OR, recently moving back to Ohio in February 2017. Michelle attended Park University in Parkville, MO earning a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management. She says she has learned a significant amount about the organization in the short time she has been here, and is looking forward to growing with Goodwill!

Angela works as Goodwill’s Bookkeeper. She previously worked at GMJ Consulting, LLC and J. A. Valentic & Co., Inc., CPA’s as a Staff Accountant prior to coming to Goodwill. She enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her cats and dogs. She has lived in Geneva her whole life, but has worked in Ashtabula since 2008. She attended Lake Erie College, studying Accounting and History. She also attended Cleveland State University for her Master’s in Business Administration, as well, receiving her CPA license in 2014. Angela says she chose to work for Goodwill because she wanted to work for a company that helps the community. She is looking forward to watching the company grow!

Octavia works as Goodwill’s Ready to Work Employment Case Manager for Lake County. She is concurrently the Teen Program Coordinator for the Ashtabula YMCA. Octavia had previously worked at Signature Health as a mental health case manager. She says she is a proud mother of five beautiful girls that are her life and her strong Christian faith is at the center of who she is. With her passion for youth, she volunteers as a youth leader at her church. Overall, she loves to work with people, as she empowers and encourages others to be all they can be. She truly believes that working for Goodwill Industries will help her fulfill that and a lot more!

Sharing, Playing, & Learning Makes For A “Fun Day”: By Mary Murray

     Sometimes it’s the little things we take for granted – learning how to tie square-knots as a kid, dabbling with paints and ink stamps, stringing beautiful beads into a necklace or bracelet. These activities, or hobbies if you will, can lead to a lifelong passion for creating, and sometimes, to a business where others pay for crafts or products.

     Artisans are a pretty happy lot, eager to create, flex their artistic muscle and push themselves to new heights. They are driven to share their creations whether it be something as simple as a knitted cap or something more complex as a carved duck decoy.

     A hobby doesn’t necessary need to be an income-producing activity. Learning to play solitaire can keep one entertained, fine tune math and counting skills, develop a competitive spirit, and reduce the time spent in front of the phone, computer or television.

     That was precisely the goal of Hobby Day, launched this year by Goodwill’s Workforce Development team in Erie through its program, Project Youth Experience Success. The staff took Hobby Day on the road to Corry Area High School and the Erie County Technical School. Hobby Day, or, “Fun Day,” as one student called it, did just that -- exposed students to fun activities that could perhaps spark an interest in a lifelong pursuit to call their own.

     And fun is what the 60 plus students had as they made their way around to 20 different tables to experience – often for the first time -- how to macramé, learning a guitar cord, or stamping cards with a rainbow of iridescent ink. Still others learned to crochet while a few brave students dug their hands into dense clay to shape a small bowl or wall plaque.

      Hobby Day was loud and boisterous  –  just as it was designed to be.  Guitar strumming in one corner, a choral of cheers as students putted a golf ball, or those who tried their hand, or feet, at hacky sack.

     One student taught another how  to pay solitaire; another student showed his friend how to play Jenga, a game in which you balance wooden blocks atop one other; still others were drawn to the classic favorite, Legos.

     In another corner, students worked intently on beading, painting and sprinkling glass cups with glitter. Others painted a Christmas ornament and several students made unique dream catchers.

     And like all kids, these students enjoyed digging in the dirt! Workforce Development Program Manager, Hanni Nazario was surrounded by students as she shared her passion for gardening by having students replant hot-pepper starts she had carefully cultivated from seed. Students also could choose from sunflower seeds, catnip, and herbs.

     Teachers in the Life Skills and Learning Support classrooms in Corry heartily endorsed the concept of Hobby Day and were excited to see their students embrace new activities. Meanwhile, Lesa Scalise, transition center instructor at Erie County Technical School, has already met with the Goodwill staff to make plans for next year’s event. Even more important than the endorsement by the teachers, was the joy so evidently on display on the students’ faces. At Goodwill, we can see the value of combining fun and learning to grow our students.

Project Runway - Youth Experience Success Fashion Show: By Mary Murray

    Lights, camera, and a whole lot of action. As they strolled the lighted catwalk amid thunderous applause, you’d have thought they were moonlighting as professional models in their after-school hours.
     Eight students from Corry Area High School brought down the house with their sass, flirty hair flips, exaggerated dab, and genuine joy as they strutted down the runway decked in some mighty fine threads.
     Mya and Cait, Kayla and Dylan, Jamie and Brian, John and Brady made a name for themselves as fashion models in the first Project Runway: Youth Experience Success Fashion Show sponsored by Goodwill Industries of N.E. OH and N.W. PA.  The goal of the event was to showcase the students in work ready clothing and casual work attire as part of their year-long instruction in job readiness skills.
     About 70 people, including school district officials, faculty, family and friends, attended the midday event in May, held in the school gymnasium.
Classroom instruction, held twice a week, focused on interviewing, resume preparation, phone etiquette, body language, and, equally as important, teamwork, conflict negotiation, independent living and financial literacy.
     Instructor Mary Murray designed the fashion show to showcase the students and what they have learned, but also to give them confidence and a sense of appropriate attire for a job interview. Given the incredible collection of clothing in the Summit Goodwill store in Erie, PA, it was decided that the students, many of whom might not have ever worn a suit jacket or high heels, should have an opportunity to shine in dress suit or a tailored jacket and skirt.
And that, they did. Diminutive Mya, who appeared first, is no stranger to catwalk moves. Though she might be small in stature, she owned the room – strolling down the runway in a striped dress, complimentary designer jacket, and her peach purse swinging in rhythm with the music. She pivoted, hand on hip, flipped her freshly cut bob, and strolled like a pro, although this was the first time she, Cait, and Kayla had ever worn high heels.
     Kayla, who followed, didn’t let her braces prevent her smile from stretching nearly the entire width of the school gymnasium, as she made her way down the lighted runway. Cait, who stands 6 feet tall at age 16, clearly enjoyed her moment in the sun. She exuded bold confidence matched only by the bold orange designer jacket and floral skirt she modeled, complete with 3-inch coral pumps!
     Dylan was the epitome of California dreamin’ dressed in a double-breasted tan jacket, soft pink shirt and tie and cuffed pale olive slacks – all of which complimented his lanky, “model-esque” frame. With his short cropped haircut, twinkling blue eyes and beatific smile, Dylan could easily have strolled a New York City runway.
     Brian, who was dazzled by the prospect of wearing a tie, couldn’t contain his excitement as he grinned broadly, waving to the crowd in his smart, brown suit and blue striped shirt.  Jamie, known as a showman at school for his antics which makes everyone laugh, drew upon his softer side, blowing kisses to the audience with outstretched arm, confidently dressed in a navy shirt, tie and khaki slacks.
     John, tall and quiet, looked handsome in a navy suit jacket, striped shirt and khaki slacks. The dramatic change from his usual t-shirt and athletic pants, brought his mother to tears, according to several members of the audience. And finally, there was Brady who unleashed a few surprises on teachers and guests. Although he had rehearsed his dab – a move made popular by a professional football player and credited to the Atlanta hip hop movement – he finished out the show with a Michael Jackson moonwalk. 
     Though one might not necessarily equate clothing with empowerment, the two went hand and hand at this fashion show. The event was transformational, leaving a lasting impression upon the audience. More important, was the transformation in the students themselves. They were the picture, -- not of fine clothes -- but of confidence, empowerment and hope.

2017 Goodwill Annual Dinner: By Zach Knight

     This past quarter, Goodwill Industries of Ashtabula, Inc. held it’s 2017 Annual Dinner in which we had the pleasure of honoring the individuals that have made our great organization what it has become today.

     It was a full house that night, as over one hundred and sixty individuals from our office, retail, workforce development, and contracts department were in attendance, as well as many organizational and community stakeholders. The night started off with a warm welcome from our President/CEO, Eric Schwarz, who took a moment to reflect back on some of the landslide achievements made by our retail, contracts, and workforce departments. 

    Plaques were awarded to four individuals for their outstanding achievements as well as their personal successes throughout the duration of their employment with Goodwill, or their success throughout the duration of their time in one of our Vocational Rehabilitation programs. 

     In addition to the achievement awards that were given, nineteen individuals received service award pins that recognized and commended their long tenure with Goodwill Industries of Ashtabula, Inc. These employees received five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five year service pins. Even a thirty year service pin was awarded to our wonderful Ashtabula production employee, Regina Stringham.

     Overall, the night was very pleasant, as it was filled with many laughs and moments that have since, transitioned to memories that will last a lifetime. Once again, congratulations to all of the award winners as well as all of the Goodwill Industries board members, staff, employees, and community stakeholders that contributed to making 2016 so successful!

Finding Your Life’s Work: By Harry Corbissero

     For many folks – clients and staff alike – Goodwill is a place to pass through, on the road to “bigger and better things.” For some others of us, however, no matter how we got here, it is a place to stay, because under the Goodwill banner we had found the best!

     I had no idea this would be my outcome when I first joined ranks with Goodwill Industries of Ashtabula, Inc. back in 1987, originally as an independent contractor, hired to teach an eight week class called Personal Adjustment.

       Marilyn Katzman (now deceased) was the person who innovated the program, but who allowed me the opportunity to re-interrupt the prescribed agenda in a personal manner, doing so in accord with my creative aptitude and fine arts background.

       My approach as an instructor was thus both to see and deal with the people in our programming as “masterpieces in progress,” seeking further resolution. Actually this credo has served me profoundly well over the years working with an agency devoted to helping people expand their potential and move along the life path, veering toward their own version of success.

       I became a full-time employee at Goodwill in 1994, continuing to tinker with and expand my agenda, while remaining faithful to its original premise. It has never let me down.

       I’ve had the opportunity to learn so much from the people I’ve encountered here over the years, I couldn’t begin to tell you all of the stories… Even so, I thought I could distill some of that learning down into a few concrete ideas that may have relevance to share.

       All of us need to know we have value, regardless of our life circumstance. Over the years I’ve discovered this deficit of self-belief at the crux of much pain and suffering in a person’s life.

       All people respond favorably to encouragement, when it is offered up in a spirit of sincerity. I’ve discovered too many people have been told “they can’t,” and need to learn that willingness to try constitutes an empowering first step.

Goodwill Grand Opening In Harborcreek: By Zach Knight

On April 29, 2017 in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, we celebrated the official grand opening of the sixth addition to our retail store fleet. Standing on the corner of Buffalo and Nagle Road (behind Walgreens) is our brand new 1,700 square foot store and drive-through attended donation center where many stood, waiting patiently for the doors to unlock at 9:00 a.m. on the stores’ first day. The six month long preparation had folks on the edge of their seat, as one woman stated she had occasionally made special trips to the unfinished store to peek in the windows out of excitement. The grand opening was a great success, as the store constantly needed restocked throughout the day. Thank you to all who made the event successful and the Haborcreek community for their generous support and welcoming!