“I wanted to change as many lives as I possibly could cause I got tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.”

Monique has made it her life mission to set young people up for success. For the last 25 years, she's shaped the lives of countless people and is now representing Evergreen Goodwill as the Youth Program Director. She's committed to expanding the organization's reach and hopes to continue amplifying our efforts surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion

“I want to tell anyone about Goodwill – that Goodwill help people.” – Pramuan.

Evergreen Goodwill has been a transformative piece of Pramuan’s life as he seeks to become a U.S. citizen after emigrating from Thailand. While participating in our Citizenship Test Preparation and ESOL classes, Pramuan had a vested interest in not only his own success but of his fellow classmates, too.  

“It just takes somebody to care, somebody to try, somebody to do what Goodwill is doing.”

A lot has changed for Keone since we last heard from him at the Glitter Gala fundraising event in 2017. He's continuing to push forward in his career as he and his wife raise their young child. Learn more about Keone's Goodwill journey and how it's transformed his life. 

“Find all the people who can support you, and support your dream, and cling to those people to help you grow.” – Tamera

Tamera, a resource navigator for Evergreen Goodwill's Fair Chance Pilot Program, has accomplished some major goals during her time with the organization. She's sharing her story in hopes of inspiring her fellow coworkers to continue to grow within the Goodwill family.

As a way to be more inclusive of all communities we serve, we’ll be changing our name to Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington (or Evergreen Goodwill for short). Rest assured, we’re still the same organization committed to helping others, and now we have a name that better suits us!

“Things are so much brighter than I could have ever dreamed, and I just learned how capable I am even though I really believed and was told that I wasn’t. Goodwill showed me this whole different side of me.”

Rachelle arrived at Goodwill after leaving a horrendous situation. She grew up in a struggling family, dropped out of high school, and got involved in a relationship that led to Rachelle being a victim of human trafficking. Goodwill’s Job Training and Education (JTE) staff embraced Rachelle the moment she entered the center and provided the encouragement and support she needed to start believing in herself again.

“No matter what you go through in life, you have to believe in you and that you can make it,” Cheri said. “I had lost that. You get to a point where you are OK and then you lose everything, and it’s kind of like, ‘How did I get here?’ I was beating myself up mentally and stopped believing in Cheri. The people at Goodwill were so open and loving, and they believe in everybody that walked in that room regardless of what you were going through. Goodwill was a big help in my transformation. I give Goodwill all props. I really do.”

Meet Chynna! When Chynna first moved from the Philippines to Seattle in 2013, she felt self-conscious about her English-speaking ability and found the idea of starting a new career in a new place nerve-racking. She enrolled in Goodwill’s free Retail & Customer Service course. The class helped Chynna develop new job and people skills, and created a community environment that built her confidence. Now, we’re honored to have Chynna on the Goodwill team in her leadership role as a Production Supervisor at our Capitol Hill store.

“The youth look up to me. I’m young, but knowing they look up to me is kind of different, because at one point I was the person looking up to staff.” – Martrez, Seattle Goodwill Intern and Youth Program Participant 

Martrez graduated from Seattle’s Cleveland High School in 2019. Before he connected with Goodwill, Martrez compared himself to his peers who lacked interest in school and weren’t on the right track. After building relationships and receiving guidance from Goodwill’s Youth Year-Round Program Job Training & Education (JTE) staff, Martrez’s mindset shifted. 

“I believe this internship offers a lot of help for the lower-income students – not for the students who have the highest grades or have the most amount of money or already have a place in college,” Nika said. “Goodwill speaks for students who are struggling in an environment they don’t think they can get out of. It’s good to give an opportunity for others who need it, and Goodwill does that.”