Roger Atlas was recently honored as Seattle Goodwill’s Volunteer of the Year for his extraordinary commitment to helping us serve people in need.

Roger has been an active volunteer at Goodwill since 2006, working on events like the Glitter Gala fundraiser and Glitter Sale.  After a meaningful volunteer teaching experience in Namibia, he came back inspired to put his computer background to work in one of our Job Training and Education classes.  To date, Roger has generously donated over 350 hours to our students by helping teach Microsoft Excel and Basic Computing courses.

Roger speaks passionately about his time as a volunteer.  “I cherish the Goodwill volunteer experience both for what it gives to the students and what it gives to me,” he said.  “Every term, there are about twenty new students in the classroom.  Most of them have incredible stories of barriers erected in front of them.  My classroom might contain a refugee from an oppressive regime half a world away or a worker stuck in a low-paying job that has a salary insufficient to live on.”

“These people face hurdles far beyond anything I have ever experienced, but despite language barriers or other burdens, the students work hard and succeed,” he added.  “The students gain skills and confidence.  I gain even more.”

If you’re interested in making a difference by volunteering at Goodwill, visit our volunteer page to learn more about our current volunteer opportunities.