After months of having to use rideshares to get to and from work every day, Goodwill E-Commerce Specialist Robin Brown, now has her own car.  

Brown, 60, is the most recent recipient of Goodwill’s Wheels-To-Work program, which is designed to help the nonprofit’s team members eliminate the barrier of transportation. The program provides cars that have been donated to Goodwill to qualifying team members.  

Goodwill’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Jeff Young, presented Brown with the keys to a Toyota Prius during a special ceremony at Goodwill’s headquarters in downtown Nashville. Brown was surrounded by other Goodwill team members to celebrate the exciting moment, as well as her daughter. Brown had let her daughter use her previous car when her daughter’s car broke down. A car accident in September 2024 left the car totaled and Brown without a way to get to work.  

Brown learned she had been selected to receive the car on a virtual meeting in April with her store managers and members of Goodwill senior leadership.  

“I couldn’t believe it!” she said. 

Brown said receiving the car will be completely life-changing. 

“I am truly so thankful for this car, I had been taking Uber every day to and from my shifts,” Brown said. “The rides varied on cost, sometimes between $12 and $19 a ride, which really was starting to add up.” 

She hasn’t been able to get out of the house very much and said the lack of transportation has affected her health.  

“It’s been really hard, especially at my age, I’ve had to miss doctors’ appointments and have not been able to get to the gym,” Brown said. “You really don’t realize how crucial a car is until you don’t have one and you can’t get to the grocery store to get fresh food. This is going to elevate my life in so many ways.” 

Brown has been with Goodwill for about four years. She loves the nonprofit’s mission of changing lives through education, training and employment.  

“I really love working for Goodwill because it’s different than anything I’ve done in the past,” Brown said. “I love getting to work with people, and we have genuine and compassionate people here.” 

Brown is the 20th  recipient of the Wheels-to-Work Program. To learn more about donating a car to Goodwill, visit our website.