Living The Dream ( No, Really!): By Mary Murray

     Not many 18-year-olds can say they’ve lived the dream, but don’t tell Christian that. Unlike most teenagers his age, the Harborcreek High School senior couldn’t wait to give up his Friday nights, back-to-back Saturdays and occasional Sundays to work.

    Inside the cavernous Erie Insurance Arena, just blocks from Erie’s waterfront, Christian dug right in, powering up computers, flipping switches and pushing buttons on a large console. Soon the 218,000-square-foot arena came to life with the swoosh of skates cutting effortlessly through the ice amid the cacophony of thousands of diehard fans, and the authoritative boom of the announcer calling the game.

     Christian got the rare opportunity to marry his two loves – media production and hockey – as a media production intern for the Erie Otters, which is part of the Ontario Hockey League. “I don’t consider this work, “Christian explained in an interview on the eve of his final weekend on the job. “I consider it a passion for something I love to do. When I go there (the arena), it doesn’t feel like work.”

     He recently completed 90 hours of employment in the Work-Based Learning Experience program run by Goodwill’s Erie staff, under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Job coach Andre Lyons joined Christian on the journey, shadowing Christian as he learned the ropes of producing a live professional sporting event under the Otter’s game day operations guru, Andrew Schacht.

     A standout high school cross-country runner, Christian is accustomed to working hard, training hard to reach a goal. Last summer, Christian set the stage by earning his USA and Hockey Official Level 1 certification, which has allowed him to officiate games. He also fine-tuned his video and audio production skills through job shadowing opportunities at MenajErie Studio and CATV-Erie, both arranged by Goodwill’s Erie office. 

     In a fitting conclusion to a successful work experience, the Otters came from behind to win the Sunday night game that marked Christian’s final day of employment with the team. He now has his sights on a camera operator position that has been posted. With his eye on the finish line, much like a cross-country race, Christian is focused on making his future happen. 

A Closer Look: By Megan Myers

    The programs provided at our Ashtabula Goodwill can make a huge impact on the way people interact and behave in the workplace. Each program is individualized based on the needs of the participant, but the end result is the same: building self-sufficiency through the power of work.

     The Job Development program assists the individual with job leads that are consistent with their vocational goal. They are also assisted with interviewing, job seeking skills, and post-employment support.

     The Work Adjustment program provides a supportive, realistic work experience at Goodwill or at a community employment site to persons who need minimal adjustment and work experience in order to enhance their potential for competitive employment.

     The PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in Developing Employment) program focuses on the reduction of barriers that stand in the way of gaining and maintaining unsubsidized employment by using applied work activity to develop practical work-related skills.

     The yO! (youthOpportunities) program is for youth 21 and under and offers a wide variety of educational and work-oriented options to assist the youth in being successful in school and in life.

Goodwill Expands Mission Services in Erie Area: By Hanni Nazario

   Goodwill’s Workforce Development team worked to spread the mission of “building self-sufficiency through the power of work” throughout Erie County in 2017. The team of instructors and job coaches, including Andre Lyons, Coji Maddona, Angela Murosky, and Mary Murray brought instruction to students in 14 Erie County schools. The Goodwill team instructed over 300 students, ages 14 to 21, in job readiness, self-advocacy, and independent living skills. A highlight of the springtime classes included Corry High School’s study of dressing for success in the workplace, which incorporated a fashion show put on by students. An additional highlight included Erie County Technical School’s study of work-life balance, which culminated in a “hobby day” allowing students to learn more about a myriad of recreational pastimes. The fall saw seven groups of students making weekly trips to the Goodwill stores in Summit Township and Harborcreek for hands-on work experience.

     Goodwill job coaches were also hard at work providing career exploration and practical work experience with employers throughout the area. Accompanied by job coaches, clients learned to stock shelves at retail stores, practiced safe food handling at restaurants and bakeries, cared for animals at area shelters, operated sound and cameras at outdoor concerts, landscaped at a local botanical garden, and even interned with the marketing team for a semi-professional hockey team.

     In 2018, Goodwill hopes to continue offering the same classroom-based and hands-on experience to clients, while also offering new services to students. With a customer service training program slated to launch in the spring and more industry-specific training programs in development, the Goodwill team will continue “building self-sufficiency through the power of work” in Erie County.

Donated Goods Retail, Moving Forward in 2018: By Chris Oleski

     The Donated Goods Retail team is excited about the possibilities that 2018 brings!  Despite the weather, we ended 2017 on a positive note and hope to continue that momentum into 2018. Our stores are well staffed, and our management teams have never been stronger. We continue to look for efficiencies in our processes and have developed new reporting and analytical tools for 2018 that should give us a narrower focus on where our opportunities lie.
     The end of 2017 saw the expansion of new goods assortments in our stores, continuing into 2018. In addition to the winter hats, gloves, and thermal socks, look for a new line of undergarments for men, women, and boys as well as leggings and yoga pants for women. 
     We’ve also begun to offer a line of organic soaps and an assortment of candles in many scents. Tech items are also newly available, beginning with wireless cords and batteries. We’ve even successfully begun offering Coca-Cola products and Utz chips in our Summit Towne Center location and we will continue to look for other new goods to enhance the customer shopping experience in 2018 and beyond.
     We kicked off 2018 with our 6th annual Donate to Win campaign with our sponsors, Marybeth and Todd Nassief from Nassief Auto Family. This is a very exciting time for our customers and donors, as someone will have the opportunity to drive off in a brand new 2018 Toyota Corolla in May of this year! We treasure the partnership we have with Nassief Auto Family and are so grateful for this program that helps us maintain donations in this usually slow donating period.
     Here’s to a successful 2018 in our Donated Goods Retail department! We wish everyone a very happy and healthy year!

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 three new individuals Goodwill has proudly added to our mission services and retail teams! 

Coji Maddona III works as a Job Developer, Job Coach, and a Classroom Instructor for Goodwill’s Workforce Development department. He previously was a teacher with the Bolivar-Richburg Central School District in Bolivar, NY. He enjoys anything pertaining to cars, spending time with family and friends, and traveling. He is originally from Smethport, PA, relocating to Erie to take a position with Goodwill. He graduated from Gannon University in Erie with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Coji chose to work for Goodwill because he wanted to work for a company that helps people to better themselves through the power of education and employment. He looks forward to growing with Goodwill, as Goodwill grows within our community.

Chelsea Schermerhorn is employed as an Instructor and Job Coach for the Workforce Development department at Goodwill. She previously was employed at Vertmarkets/Jameson Publishing as an Email Marketing Assistant, and also at MCRC Erie as a Tutoring Coordinator. Originally from Texas, Chelsea moved to Pennsylvania to attend Mercyhurst University in 2009, to pursue a degree in English and Religious Studies. She enjoys writing, reading, and playing video games when she’s not trying to convince her three-year-old son to snuggle. She is very excited about working with children and young adults, making a positive difference in their lives through Goodwill’s involvement in Erie and the surrounding communities.

Chris Oleski is our new Director of Donated Goods Retail.  Chris comes to us as a former 10-year board member of our organization. He has over 29 years of retail experience between Fisher's Big Wheel, OfficeMax, and most recently Ollie's Bargain Outlet. A lifelong resident of Erie, Chris attended Cathedral Prep high school and received his bachelor’s degree in Management from Gannon University. Chris is also a PIAA football official in the fall and can be seen working many Friday night high school football games throughout Erie County. Chris will be celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary to his wife Cheryl in 2018. They have two grown children; C.J. 28, and Lauren 25.

Oh, Yhe Places We Have Gone!: By Mary Murray

    It’s hard to say who had more fun this summer: the Goodwill Summit Workforce Development staff who tagged along or the clients who were able to experience a dream job.

The pace was fast and furious as staff scrambled to locations throughout Erie County to job coach clients in fun, unusual and creative work settings.

     The job shadowing and Work-Based Learning Experience (WBLE), as it is formally called, are a collaboration of Goodwill and the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Under job shadowing, clients -- many who are either in high school or recent graduates -- simply observe various jobs at an employer. If the organization is a non-profit, they can dig right in and work alongside staff. Under the WBLE, clients are actually paid for the work they do.

     These young women and men worked or job shadowed with media employers such as WQLN, Erie’s Public Broadcasting Station; CATV, Erie’s cable access television; and MenajErie Studio, a video production house. Retailers included Subway, Perkins, Save-A-Lot, Big Lots and others. Non-profit partners who came on board were as varied as the Purple Martin Conservation Association; E.A.R.S, Erie’s rabbit rescue society; the ANNA Shelter; and Second Harvest Food Bank. 

     Two young men, armed with resumes, were able to secure paid work experience at two car dealerships in Corry and utilized their formal automotive training to gain more hands-on experience in the service departments.

     Another notable collaboration was with EmergyCare, which provided work to a young Corry man whose intent is to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). The client, who is Red Cross certified and serves as a volunteer firefighter, was already enrolled in the company’s EMT training during his placement.

      As job coaches, the staff wore many hats – cheering on their students’ successes, gently coaxing them on business etiquette, and guiding them on processes and procedures in their jobs. Both work experience programs are continuing on a year-round basis with clients out to many exciting placements this fall and winter.

Goodwill Program Participants Crowned Royalty: By Hanni Nazario

     Goodwill program participants and high school sweethearts, Aaron and Jocie, won Homecoming King & Queen on October 14, 2017 at General McLane High School in Erie County! Aaron and Jocie are both participants in Goodwill's Youth Experience Success program at General McLane High School. Aaron also completed a Work-Based Learning Experience with Goodwill this past summer and was a student ambassador at the 2017 Pennsylvania Association of Goodwills conference in September.

     Aaron and Jocie are excellent examples of individuals with disabilities, thriving with support from family, school, and community. Our Goodwill organization is happy to have played a small role in their huge successes! Congratulations to these two wonderful students!