Anthony Fanning, a married father of six, got out of prison in 2014. After spending months trying to find a job while his wife supported the family, he came to Goodwill Career Solutions seeking help. He attended a job fair, took a computer class and received other services. Then, he completed Goodwill’s Construction and Weatherization Training Program, a four-week course that provides instruction in safety, use of power tools, blueprints and more. Anthony formed a bond with the program’s instructor, Tim Kahn. In February of 2015 — with Kahn’s help — Anthony founded his own home repair service. In May of this year, Anthony embraced another opportunity: He is now a trainer working with students in the construction program to help them find success as he did. 

Over 45 years at the Nashville Banner, The Tennessean and now at Main Street Media, journalist Mary Hance has delivered news readers trust. For 30 years, through her Ms. Cheap columns, she has helped Tennesseans stretch their hard-earned dollars. Many of those columns and Hance’s appearances on NewsChannel 5’s Talk of the Town have featured Goodwill. The awareness Hance creates in the community about Goodwill’s sales, discounts and environmentally sustainable operations, has helped the nonprofit to sustain and expand its mission services.

As a young person, Daniella McNair of Clarksville was gifted in art, music and academics. She attended Austin Peay State University to study graphic design, but she dropped out before completing her bachelor’s degree. She wound up working as a janitor for a large retailer and taking other part-time jobs. She struggled financially, losing a job during the pandemic and at one point spending two months in a homeless shelter. While searching for jobs online, she learned about Goodwill’s Google IT Support Professional Certificate program. Daniella studied hard and graduated from the program in about a year. Afterward, she landed a position with DYOPATH, a leading Managed Service Provider offering trusted IT solutions. Daniella’s income increased by 33%, stabilizing her finances, and she finds her new career both rewarding and fascinating.  

Johnny McCann had not held a job before his mother died when he was 40. She and his two brothers had been his protectors as he grew up with a disability in Section 8 housing in Nashville. Her passing left Johnny depressed and seeking purpose. His brother Larry McCann, who received conservatorship of Johnny, and Habilitation and Training Services (H.A.T.S.) helped him to find a job with Goodwill in Hendersonville. Johnny recently celebrated his 15th anniversary with Goodwill. He works each day with a H.A.T.S. job coach to sort and place books, media and other donated merchandise onto Goodwill store shelves. He loves interacting with shoppers and co-workers, and he is beloved for his bright smile and cheerful personality. 

Since 1992, Welcome Home Ministries has provided a ministry of recovery, hope, healing and reconciliation for men who suffer from chronic alcohol and drug addictions. For the past 12 years, the Nashville-based recovery housing operator has partnered closely with Goodwill to help its clients receive skills training and make connections with employers. Last year alone, 20 Welcome Home Ministries clients participated in Goodwill’s Forklift Training Program. 

Lowe’s is a partner in Goodwill Industries International’s Rising Together Initiative, which seeks to connect more than 1 million people with sustainable careers in skilled trades by 2025. In Middle Tennessee, Lowe’s has supported Goodwill through donations to its construction program as well as by giving an estimated $375,000 in goods — including Christmas items, gardening supplies and power tools — that have been sold in Goodwill stores to support the nonprofit’s mission services. 

Apex Systems, a world class technology services business that provides industry insights and experience to deliver solutions that fulfill their clients digital visions, has been partnering with Goodwill and interviewing its clients since 2014. That relationship blossomed in 2018, when Goodwill introduced Grow with Google, a suite of free training programs that prepare clients for careers in information technology. Since that time, Apex has hired eight graduates of Grow with Google programs.

Debbie Grant and Matt Gloster led Goodwill’s mission arm for a combined half-century before retiring in August. For 34 years, Grant — a certified case manager who became the nonprofit’s longest-serving employee — attended to the needs of clients while working to maximize Goodwill’s impact in the community. Sixteen years ago, Gloster — a career restaurateur who served on Goodwill’s board of directors — became a key member of its leadership team, directing Goodwill’s mission services and, for several years, its donated goods and retail operations.