Success Stories

Amber Cook

By Sheila Harmon, Training Lab Manager

 In my job as a Training Lab Manager, I often have the privilege of seeing people make changes in their lives through hard work and determination. Still, occasionally someone stands out, having made such dramatic strides in skill levels and personal growth that are particularly noteworthy. Amber Cook is such a person.

Amber is a 32 year-old mother of two, who was referred by a Workforce affiliate and was a recipient of public assistance. Committing to the program was not easy for Amber—she had child care issues and lived on the outskirts of town, which made transportation a challenge. Further, Amber had some medical concerns as the result of a car accident a few years ago, and had not completed high school.

However, Amber took the bull by the horns. She enthusiastically pursued life improvements by training to improve the skills needed for today’s job market. She enrolled in most of Goodwill’s training programs in Panama City. She completed our Money Sense program in July 2009 and went on to complete 14 modules of Computer and Office Skills training before year’s end. Amber was so proficient, that I coordinated with Workforce to allow her to become a volunteer lab assistant, where she has helped dozens of other students achieve their learning goals.

Finally, she saw the importance of getting her GED and enrolled in our GED program. After several months of concentrated study with David Gibson, Amber earned her GED in late January 2010.

Amber’s personal presentation, communication skills, office comportment, and self-confidence have improved significantly. She has changed her life and greatly bettered her opportunities through her efforts and partnership with Goodwill-Big Bend.

Jessie Boston -  Placement Achiever of the Year

 Jessie Boston, 58, moved to Thomasville about a year ago after being laid off from a job in Cartersville, GA. Although he had a career of good, stable employment, he was then living in a tent.

Through the staff’s guidance at Goodwill’s career training center in Thomasville, he was determined to pursue all career options. Eventually he got a job with a manufacturing company in Cairo and bicycled 15 miles to work each day until that job ended.

He then persuaded the company from which he was laid off in Cartersville to offer him employment in a Thomasville facility. He used his experience in that job to train and challenge new employees to endure a job in a facility with difficult working conditions.

When this position ended, the company agreed to keep him in a security position, because of his diligence and willingness to work. He is keeping his options open as he looks for the next opportunity and strives to make a better life for himself.

“Jessie Boston is an example to all who might be tempted to give up hope in difficult times,” Dee Austin, Director of Placement at Goodwill, said.

 Marsha Wilson – Training Achiever of the Year

When Marsha Wilson and her husband relocated to west Florida after he retired from the military, they were not able to find jobs. Marsha was referred to Goodwill through a Onestop center after attending a job fair in Crestview in the fall of 2008 and enrolled in Goodwill’s computer training classes.

Marsha eagerly began her classes in spite of a 45 minute commute, rising gas prices and children to take care of during summer vacation. She had to cut back to one or two days a week, but through determination and perseverance, she completed programs in computer basics, keyboarding, Windows XP, Word, spreadsheets, and Excel.

She attended several job clubs and learned employability skills including resume writing, employability skills and interviewing techniques.

As a result of her determination to complete her training, Marsha was hired at Okaloosa County School District in September 2009.