Success Stories
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.