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SUCCESS STORIES

Here is where you will find the stories of the people Goodwill serves. They are the primary reason why Goodwill exists, and the essential factor that drives us daily to continue providing quality job training and opportunities, for those in need.

Thank you! Your donations and purchases are truly changing lives.

BE FIRST TO HEAR INSPIRING STORIES OF PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES YOU ARE HELPING TO CHANGE.

Jose Ortega

Jose was weeks away from earning a medical assistant degree when he faced his own moment of extreme adversity: a violent act that shattered his world and ultimately led him to Goodwill.

Janet Curiel

Janet, a mother of five, never imagined she’d have time to pursue further education. After being laid off from her remote job as a reimbursement specialist in early 2023, she visited Goodwill Career Solutions in Brentwood. With five children ranging from ages 4 to 19 and homeschooling responsibilities, she doubted she could manage a new career path.

Jessica Lentz

Jessica Lentz was released from prison in January after serving a four-year sentence. It wasn’t the 40-year-old Shelbyville native’s first time behind bars, but she was determined to make it her last. Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry referred her to Goodwill Career Solutions, where she enrolled in the nonprofit’s Construction and Weatherization Training program.

Kelly Phillips

When Kelly Phillips walked into the Goodwill Career Solutions Center in Hendersonville in December 2023, she broke down in tears. “I got laid off from my previous job, and I had been applying to more than 200 jobs,” Kelly said. A single mother of a 17-year-old daughter, Kelly was desperate to find a job to support her.

Who Benefits From Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee?

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee is committed to empowering individuals by providing education, training, and employment opportunities. Every year, thousands of people from diverse backgrounds turn to Goodwill for support in overcoming barriers to employment and achieving self-sufficiency.

Who We Serve

Our programs assist individuals from all walks of life, including those facing significant challenges to employment. Some of the key groups we support include:

  • 1,801 Unemployed individuals seeking to re-enter the workforce.
  • 771 Justice-involved individuals working to overcome barriers associated with a criminal background.
  • 263 People experiencing homelessness in need of stability and employment.
  • 144 Underemployed individuals, including the working poor, striving for better opportunities.
  • 375 Individuals with psychiatric disabilities who need workplace accommodations and support.
  • 147 People who are blind or visually impaired, receiving job training tailored to their needs.
  • 42 Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, accessing specialized employment services.

BE FIRST TO HEAR INSPIRING STORIES OF PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES YOU ARE HELPING TO CHANGE.

  • Alecia

    Ask Alecia about her life before Goodwill, and she says she didn’t have one. For more than a decade, the Cookeville area...

  • Carolyn

    With 32 years of tenure, Carolyn Franklin is the fourth-longest-serving employee at Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.

  • Eva

    Eva Franklin stays so busy helping others, she sometimes fails to consider her own needs. That was the case in April of 2021...

  • KeMonte

    As a child, KeMonte Reed dreamed of one day building his own home, but these days the 33-year-old is focused on building a career. He says a free Goodwill training...

  • Kara

    When Kara Isreal was 16, she glimpsed an exciting future for herself in the technology industry. As part of a women’s networking program, the teen from...

  • Angel

    If someone had told Clarksville resident Angel Lawler Winn a few years ago that she’d soon be doubling her salary in a new career, she would have...

  • LeRicko

    For LeRicko Scruggs, spina bifida’s worst effects were invisible. The birth defect, which curved his spine and paralyzed his feet, meant he would spend his life...

  • Heather

    Heather had a career she loved, managing a jewelry department for a major department store, and an active lifestyle...

  • Mandie

    A Goodwill program that prepares promising employees for career advancement did even more for one recent participant — it inspired her to go to college.

  • Laibao

    Laibao, a housekeeping employee at Goodwill’s downtown Nashville headquarters, was once hit by a car while making his...

  • Dorothy

    Once a week in Nashville, Dorothy brews a pot of coffee and then opens the weekly meeting of a small support group by reading...

  • Antonio

    As a child, Antonio Williams rarely felt confident about math or books, but he was at home building...

  • Betty

    After Betty and her husband of 36 years retired, they spent eight glorious years traveling around the...

  • Andrew

    At age 2, Andrew Curtis was struck by a car and suffered a head injury that left him with physical and developmental...

  • Susie

    Susie was filling out her application to work at the Goodwill store in Lexington when she came upon the question she’d been...

  • Tammy

    Tammy believes she was destined to do her job. Growing up in Nashville, Tammy had a cousin named Letitia who was

  • Elizabeth

    Everyone who works at the Goodwill store on Murfreesboro Road in Franklin knows Elizabeth is a Kansas City Chiefs...

  • Terrell

    “Thank you for calling Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. My name is Terrell, how can I help you?” Terrell answers the...

  • Brenda

    When Brenda was 12, her mother was killed in an automobile accident. For the next two years, Brenda rarely...

  • Mary

    Mary knows how it feels to have a loving and supportive family. She also knows how it feels to go without that love and...

  • George

    Sometimes, when a person’s life becomes intertwined with an idea, people say they embody it. Few people embody the...

  • The Environment

    To begin to comprehend Goodwill’s impact on the environment, try taking a walk in a single shoe. Each day, thousands of partnerless...

  • Joshua

    “Very reliable.” “Picks up new skills easily.” “Likely to go far.” Those are among the phrases Goodwill Production Supervisor...

  • Theresa

    When Theresa took her last drink and stopped doing drugs in January of 2013, she set an initial goal for herself of staying sober for...

  • Joseph

    Joseph’s mother was at the Goodwill store in Smyrna where her son had worked for several years when she saw him do something...

  • The Economy

    Goodwill shoppers expect bargains. To them, purchasing an item worth three times what they paid for it would be no surprise. But many...

  • Linda

    Linda had been unemployed for two years, but the only reason she attended a Goodwill Career Solutions job fair was to help her sister...

  • Kamel

    Once, Kamel presided over rows and rows of silvery fish. Now, books in their thousands swim past his discerning eye...

  • Tonia

    After a recent Goodwill-hosted job fair, Tonia Brown and a Goodwill career counselor were reviewing the event’s participants, discussing...

  • The Community

    Being a good neighbor is in Goodwill’s DNA. The organization was founded by a minister who was moved to action by the plight of the poor and

  • James

    For 38 years, James worked in the funeral home business. He was there for people in their hour of need, consoling their...

  • Debi

    Doctors told Debi she might never sing again. Of course, at the beginning of her medical odyssey, it was all doctors could do to keep the former...

  • Deontae

    Repeat donors who bring their gently used clothes and household items to the Goodwill store on Murfreesboro Road can count on being greeted by...

  • Jerry

    After nine months behind bars, Jerry walked out of jail and into a world almost as cold and hostile as the one he had left.

  • Grace

    When Grace came to Goodwill Career Solutions in 2011, she’d been unemployed for over a decade. “It had been a struggle to try and live life and...

  • Paul

    Paul was selling residential windows in Detroit six years ago, but the recession clouded his ability to see a future for himself in that hard-hit city.

  • Andy

    For Anderson, the keys to happiness are more than a figure of speech. They are real keys — the kind that unlock doors. “When I came to Goodwill, I didn’t...

  • Mercedees

    Mercedes wanted to help her mother pay their bills. She also wanted to make some new friends. But Mercedes had never held a job before. When she came to...

  • Linda

    When Linda’s husband died in 2009, she lost more than her spouse of 40 years. She lost her entire way of life. During those four decades...

  • Kevin

    For most of his life, Kevin wore his unique ability to adapt like a superhero's cloak. Until it began to unravel. Vision problems that began early in...

  • Ernest

    Ernest served in the U.S. Army for more than 18 years, and though he left it in 1990, traces of military bearing linger behind his ever-present smile.

  • Bernice

    Bernice, a production associate at one of Goodwill’s downtown Nashville warehouses, exhibits many traits that make her a valuable employee.

  • Shelley

    For nearly two decades, Shelley lived a secret life. “I was a meth addict for 19 years, and then the inevitable happened,”...

  • Jose

    Jose had big plans. He wanted to be a doctor, and he was hoping to get a soccer scholarship to Vanderbilt. But on June 4, 2007, his life was forever changed.

  • Dorothy

    A stay-at-home mom, Dorothy had been out of the workforce for over 30 years. “I wanted to stay home and take care of my...

  • Joel

    Joel spent 52 years in the household moving and storage business, relocating people worldwide. He was in his seventies when...

  • Stephen

    When Stephen started working at the Columbia Goodwill store in 2005, he was quiet and shy, but you’d never know it if you met him today. “Stephen never meets a...

  • Kenneth

    After serving three years in prison, Kenneth went to work for a local company. Thirteen months later, his past came back to...

  • Cindy

    When Cindy came to Cookeville in 2003, she had reached an all-time low in her life. “I had lost my home, my family and my...

  • Cindy

    In 2003, Cindy had lost everything because of addiction to drugs. She spent 11 months in prison and was required to attend recovery meetings after her...

  • Richard

    Richard had spent most of his life changing tires on tractor trailers, but after a while all that heavy lifting took a toll on his body. “I have a bad...

  • Marvelous

    After a car accident left her with serious injuries to her back, knee, ankle and foot, doctors told Marvelous she would never walk again. “I spent four months in...

  • Linda

    The company Linda had previously worked for went under in 2008. Despite 23 years in customer service, she couldn’t find another job. “It wasn’t a good...

  • Floyd

    Floyd had been living the street life for more than 10 years. ``I had a drug and alcohol problem, and I kept going to jail,`` he said. In 2008, Floyd reached an...

Our Impact by the Numbers

According to our latest impact report, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has:

  • Served 6,850 individuals through career development programs.
  • Placed 995 people into jobs, helping them find meaningful employment.
  • Provided 25,659 services in education, training, and employment to help individuals build skills and prepare for the workforce.

Creating Opportunities and Changing Lives

We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or personal circumstances. Through our education, job training, and employment services, we help individuals gain the skills and confidence they need to secure meaningful work and build a brighter future.

By supporting Goodwill—whether through donations or shopping at our stores—you are making a direct impact on the lives of thousands of individuals in Middle Tennessee. Together, we are transforming communities and empowering people through the power of work.