Robby Chandler is a true example of a transformed life. Growing up, Robby always had the gift of gab. He loved talking to people and making them happy, and people loved him in return. He was so well-liked, he became a cheerleader at Memphis State University. Robby left college after two years to pursue a successful career as a salesman, selling cars and various business services. He was a natural. Along the way, he got married and had a son whom he adored and helped to raise. Then one day in 2018, Robby got a phone call that changed his life forever. His son had passed away from a fentanyl overdose. The news was so devastating that Robby walked out of the car dealership he was working in and never came back. He would not work again for three years. His motivation and passion for life were gone, and he spiraled into isolation and substance abuse. Robby lost everything except the clothes on his back and his car. He even lost his smile, as much-needed dental care went neglected. His younger sister supported him through this dark chapter, taking him in and helping him to muster the will to work again. He was working part-time with a food delivery company when he stumbled across a sign for Goodwill’s Construction Program. Robby enrolled in the free program, which teaches students the basics of construction and leaves them with all the qualifications they need to immediately land a job. He showed up every day, asked questions, took in as much information as he could and landed a job as a maintenance technician with an apartment complex after completing the program. Robby recently celebrated a year-and-a-half in his new career and says his life has been forever changed. He now has a nice apartment, a steady income, and health insurance and other benefits. Robby says Goodwill likely saved his life. 

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Longtime Goodwill employee Byron Sheffield says he owes his life to the nonprofit organization. Byron grew up in Nashville and had a troubled childhood that started with his father’s death. His absence left a void that even a caring mother and seven siblings couldn’t quite fill. Financial hardships made it difficult for Byron’s family to have their basic needs met. At a young age, Bryon would make friends with people who sold drugs on the streets of Nashville. He found that drugs temporarily took away his pain. What felt like a solution would turn into an addiction that would gnaw at him for decades. A few years later, Byron’s “Brother Daddy,” whom he idolized, was shot and killed. This tragedy caused Byron to focus his energy on retaliation, anger and violence. He eventually found himself on the wrong end of a gun and was shot multiple times. His left leg had to be amputated due to the injuries. After spending years in and out of prison, Byron knew it was finally time to change his life around. He was in a desperate search for a job that would keep him busy and out of trouble. That’s when he found Goodwill and started as a Donation Express Center attendant in 2000. He also joined a substance abuse recovery program. With the help of Goodwill-provided insurance, Byron was able to get a prosthetic leg. Within a year-and-a-half of his start date, Byron was promoted to a position to train new donation attendants, where he served for three years before being promoted again to a supervisor leading 30 attendants. He has been a supervisor for 18 years and has now been employed with Goodwill for more than 23 years. Byron recently celebrated 24 years of sobriety and has become a leader and mentor to countless Goodwill employees over the years who have struggled with substance abuse, which he says is his life’s calling. When reflecting back on his time with the organization, Byron says he applied for a job, and Goodwill gave him a life. 

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Everyone who visits Goodwill’s Lifsey Career Solutions Center in downtown Nashville gets the privilege of meeting Nashville native Tanisha Johnson. You can’t miss her, partly because she sits right at the front desk as the center’s administrative assistant, but even more because of her welcoming smile and enthusiastic wave. Since childhood, Tanisha has been passionate about caring for others. Though she was the middle child of three, Tanisha’s mother says she always assumed the role of caregiver and protector. She carried that keen sense of empathy and responsibility everywhere she went, including school, church and the softball field. When Tanisha made a mistake in 2010 that sent her to jail for eight months and caused her to drop out of college, she felt she let her family down. She had a hard time forgiving herself, and with her confidence shattered, she put her ambitions on a shelf. In 2019, Tanisha became a mother to a little boy. A few years later, a daughter came along. Determined to give her children the best life possible, Tanisha went to interview after interview until she finally landed a job with a finance company. Just as things were starting to look up, an act of violence devastated Tanisha’s family in 2022. Her step-father, Emmanuel, who had been working at the Bellevue Goodwill retail store, was shot and killed. Tanisha and her mother say the Goodwill employees who worked with Emmanuel surrounded their family with love and support, calling and checking in on them for weeks after the tragedy. That kindness made Tanisha want to work for Goodwill. After becoming employed with the non-profit, Tanisha went through Goodwill’s Goodpaths Program, which is a 12-week training and development program that helps employees develop leadership skills and achieve career goals. Tanisha worked with Goodwill Career Solutions coaches who helped her build confidence and realize the path she had once envisioned for herself was still possible. With their support and encouragement, Tanisha enrolled in classes at Nashville State Community College with the goal of becoming a social worker. She hopes to one day work with children and senior citizens who are unable to advocate for themselves.

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