Our 2019 Summer/Falll Goodwill Ambassador features Lisa whose previous job was math-intensive, and rudimentary addition had always come second nature. But as Lisa stood at the register of her favorite fabric store, struggling to count change, she faced the realization she may never regain basic numeracy skills.

Our 2019 Spring Goodwill Ambassador features Selam and Kidane, siblings who came to the U.S. from the United Arab Emirates for an American education. At Goodwill, Selam and Kidane found support that has helped them not only transition, but thrive in their new lives in the U.S. 

Our 2018 Summer/Fall Goodwill Ambassador features Laia, who came to the U.S. from Iran to provide a better life for her two daughters. Facing a language barrier and limited resources, Laia discovered Seattle Goodwill at the perfect time. She enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses and received help in accomplishing her American Dream -- a career in the beauty industry. 

Our 2018 Spring Goodwill Ambassador features Stephanie, whose life was heading the wrong way after getting hooked on drugs. Her family was torn apart, and she was facing a lengthy jail sentence before connecting with Goodwill. She found the support she needed at Goodwill, and thanks to our generous donors she was provided with free training and case management that allowed Stephanie to get her life back on track. 

“I’m advocating for second chances. We need lawyers to help people re-enter society. Companies are overlooking qualified people just because they have a criminal record,” Tarra said.

Tarra spent 20 months at the Mission Creek Correction Center for Women for drug offenses. While at Mission Creek, she attended workshops led by Seattle Goodwill. The women learned resume writing and other job preparation skills.

Give people an opportunity to move forward and you’ll often see their success take off.

That’s true for Brycen Smith, the featured student in this issue of the Goodwill Ambassador. He’s learning aviation manufacturing in our Youth Aerospace Program (YAP) and is earning college credit through Everett Community College. His life is taking off. Looking back on his difficult childhood, Brycen saw YAP as an opportunity to change the direction of his life and build a successful future.

Luis Rattia thought of Goodwill as a place to donate unwanted items, and an organization that helped poor people. He soon learned how much more Goodwill has to offer.

Fairly fluent in English, Luis had an advanced degree when he moved to Seattle in 2015 from Caracas, Venezuela. He was taking English conversation classes at the public library, trying to find work and build a network of friends. The staff at Casa Latina, a services resource for Latinos, referred Luis to Goodwill.

“Goodwill was really, really helpful for me. I went to job training classes and they helped me write a more American-style resume," Luis said.

Helen Petersen learned the value of work growing up on a farm near Mesa, Arizona. Today she supports Seattle Goodwill because the organization helps people get training and find jobs.

“Work is important. You might not get the job you want right away, but there are things out there you could be doing,” Helen said.

View our Spring 2016 Goodwill Ambassador