31 May Steve’s Story

Steve had been working from home repairing electronics when he got a job offer he couldn’t refuse. “I was shopping at the Goodwill store in Cookeville, and an employee asked me to put in an application,” he remembers. “They called me before I got home.”

That was 13 years ago. Since then, Steve’s held many positions at the store, but his current is by far his favorite. “As the store’s greeter, I get to spread cheer throughout the store, and I talk to every customer as if I know them.”

He even makes time for the youngest shoppers who have been known to ask him personal questions. “A lot of times children will ask why I’m in a wheelchair, so I will tell them about my disability.”

Steve explains, “I was sick with pneumonia and ended up spending a week in the hospital. I was diagnosed with polio shortly after, and it’s believed that I contracted polio during my hospital stay.”

Steve says that shopping trip 13 years ago forever changed his life. Before Goodwill, he admits he was quiet and shy. Not anymore. Says Steve, “Working at Goodwill has brought me out of my shell.”

Now the man who spent nearly all of his life working from home can’t seem to stay away from work. “When I’m not at Goodwill, I miss it. Sometimes I visit on my days off. It’s like being home.”

Watch Steve’s story: