Goodwill stores are full of great deals...and dreams

Shoppers browse the new Goodwill retail store on Palmer and Capital Drive. (photo by Barbara White)

by Barbara White
For the last three weeks, we have traveled through many aspects of the multilevel Goodwill Indus-tries of Southeastern Wisconsin.

Many of you who have kept up with the "In My Shoes" series have shared with me your surprise at all the things Goodwill Industries does in our community. You never imagined the organization was more than retail stores, or that Goodwill Industries has been in the business of successfully providing human services, investing in human beings and changing lives for over a century.

As "Social Entrepreneurs," the multi-multimillion-dollar quasi nonprofit/for-profit and commercial enterprise, believes in giving a hand up and proudly tout to the world, Goodwill believes in investing in human kind no matter what their challenges are. "Our mission is to provide training, employment and supportive services for people with disabilities or disadvantages who seek greater life independence."

I-Witness was amazed at the dignity in which this corporation is run; everyone I encountered had a high on life attitude and reasons to smile. Goodwill understands its mission and takes great pride in the role they play in making a difference in someone’s life.

Goodwill specializes in many areas. Not only do they help the disabled, it has a program tailored for seniors called, the Family Care Program. The State of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee County Department on Aging (MCDA) are working together to improve the long-term care system for older adults.

Seniors are provided or select a Care Management Organization (CMO) team, which offers a number of services that can be individually tailored to meet seniors' needs. A CMO team consists of a case manager (social worker), a registered nurse, any other professional who is aware of your particular situation and, of course, you. Together, they assist you in deciding the best way to take care of you and to make happen whatever goals you have set for yourself.

Seniors who are at least 60 years of age and who meet the functional eligibility requirements for long-term care and are financially eligible for Medicaid (Title 19) may become a member of CMO, or you may be eligible for the CMO program based on the cost of your care.

Any seniors interested in the CMO should call 414-289-6034.

During this series, I have introduced you to the many aspects of Goodwill. But more importantly, you have met a few of the faces and peeked into their lives. Rather it be one of the competitive employees of Goodwill or a disabled worker, they will all say, "I love my job."

Most workers do not immediately see the results of their work, nor know whether what they do impacts anyone's life. But at Goodwill, you can see the results right away and it's a good feeling as many I talked to stated.

Like Theresa, who I introduced to you last week. Although she is wheelchair-bound with multiple disabilities, she still knows how to dream and wants to work.

Her dream job is to work for a law firm as a receptionist where she can be in a professional atmosphere.

Should Theresa become employed full-time, she would lose her medical and other benefits that she so badly needs.

Many more people could actually join the work force if they were not penalized for working while getting needed medical benefits. As it stands, if Theresa received $1,100 a month not working and then goes to work making $900 a month, she is at risk of losing all her benefits, including medical. A source with Social Security who is familiar with eligibility requirements states that it is configured based on the poverty income levels, which determines and creates the penalty for those who have disabilities and chose to work.

At present, it is around $12,000. If the poverty income levels were raised than Theresa, as well as many other disabled persons, would meet the requirements to retain benefits and keep more of their deposable income, thus covering all the extra expense and special needs incurred while trying to work.

Think of the number of new tax payers that could be put on the tax rolls if disabled people were allowed to work and keep their benefits. Equally as important the sense of value that would be garnered by those who are disenfranchised could begin to feel.

Think how many lives could be changed by raising the income poverty level. Even the working poor would benefit. Theresa said if she had not had benefit counseling at Goodwill, she would not be as knowledgeable or successful as she is today.

She and her husband both want to work, to set a good example for their children and have the self-esteem that goes with being employed.

Tom Gauthier, Theresa’s employment specialist, has received a call from an employer that is interested in Theresa's skills. Hopefully, she gets the job.

Which brings us to Sonya, who has been with Goodwill for less than a year. She had a number of barriers impeding her life before coming to Goodwill. She had four stokes, a heart attack and has a vision impairment. But she has a heart of gold.

Sonya states she has worked all her life, sometimes holding two jobs. She has worked at the post office, a pre-school, a knitting company doing seasonal work, and St Charles Boys Home. "I do not have a diploma," Sonya said. I was able to get jobs back then because I lied about my age at 16."

The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) referred Sonya to Goodwill Industries and now she works in the administration of the retail store where she's gaining a world of work skills.

Sonya has learned how to use a computer and now scans, sorts, catalogs and prices all the jewelry that is donated to Goodwill and logs it into the system for display like on e-bay, where it's open to bids for up to four days and then sold to the highest bidder.

Dennis Stevnik also works with Sonya. They say Sonya is the fastest cataloger they have.

Sonya’s 90 day probation period has ended, she will now be hired permanently, and she has had near perfect attendance, only missing one day. Her case will be closed now to make room for the next person. Sonya states it is hard.

"I am in pain most of the time, but I pray and remember what my grandmother taught me, to be a good person. Sonya then says smiling she now believes people can be whatever they want to be.

Dorothy Buckhanan of Goodwill has come to get me. We are now headed to the new Goodwill Retail store, which just opened on Palmer and Capitol Drive. It is the only other urban retail store built in Milwaukee. It is a very attractive store, reminding one of a regular department store.

Bob Farrell, Northern District regional manager, and Renata, Smith assistant store manager, greeted me. Bob and I chatted a bit about what he does at Goodwill. "I have worked for projects and I have worked for good companies," Bob said. "The difference here is I work with some great people. My opinion is valued here and I'm really a part of it, I’m wanted and I’m part of a family with a fantastic mission."

The new store has its walls filled with banners of personal testimonies from many of the people who work for Goodwill, exhorting how the organization helped them to change their lives. If you should stop by the store pay attention to the walls, you will be truly impressed with their tributes.

Dorothy turned me over to Renata for the rest of my stay. She took me on a tour of the store and showed me where people dropped off their items as well as shared with me the kind of donations made to Goodwill and what type of items they reject. You do not have to come in the store. There are spots that you just leave your items and someone will come out and get them.

Once the items are retrieved, it goes through a process line. One of those lines is called the "Hard Line Area" where the items are sorted by categories such as shoes, clothing, books, etc.

Our next step is the "Third World Bin," where items that do not meet their store standards are sent to Third World Countries. Those items are bulked and sold by the pound where it will be put to good use.

As we walked though the huge room, I was greeted by many of the workers like Ella Mae Latiker, who has been with Goodwill for 11 years, working on the "hard line."

Renata goes on to show me what they call a "soft-line" where I met a smiling Alice Brown and Latoya Nixon. They check items to see if they are acceptable to Goodwill’s floor standards.

Next is marketing. All items are tagged in color code, which lets us know its price and how long they have had the item, its size, if they are for adults or children. Then it heads to the floor. All items are sold as is.

Renata, who has a bubbly personality, has been at Goodwill for over 16 years "When you work at Goodwill, they support you here," she said.

"They supported me while I went to school at MATC to become a business manager and with the tuition reimbursement that pays 85% of your education per year, I will soon be going back to get my bachelors degree because I will be allowed to work while I attend school. I graduated with honors, but I know I still need to dream."

After going through the job detail of everyone and each section, we moved on to the store floor. Renata said, "we sometimes do purchases from other vendors like Target and Boston Store. Some great deals come through here, like the Mickey Mouse MP3 player she showed me, priced at $85 and sold at goodwill for $20 or the Disney Jam Stand and charger, originally priced at $100. At Goodwill, it is $14.99. All the items were brand new. In addition, they have piped music as you shop.

I chatted with Betty Taylor of New Hope Baptist Church who was shopping at the store. "It’s a very nice store," Taylor said. "Now we don’t have to go so far to shop and it's very clean."

At Goodwill, one can find all kinds things such as books, shoes, wedding dresses, furs, CDs jewelry, and antiques. I saw this pretty red and black dress for $9.99 but it was not my size.

Okay y’all I couldn’t resist. I bought a few items, a dress that was my size, a pair boots and Ol’ school music albums. They were good deals I couldn't pass them up.

We went back to the office where I met Nadia Grisby, an assistant manger, and Quincy Hinton, a supervisor who needs three more credits and he will have his degree in business management.

My shift as a cashier was to begin. But it was now time for me to leave. I went back to say goodbye to everyone and watched them give me their beautiful smiles that I had encountered all over Goodwill.

I went to the check out to pay for my hot items and I was given a gift card that I could use to get 10% off my purchases. It is like a credit card and you can use it every time you shop at Goodwill. The cashier, after ringing me up, said, "Thank you for supporting the Goodwill Mission, have a great day." I loved the excellent customer service.

My experience at Goodwill was a real eye-opener to many good things. I met many positive, hard working, and caring human beings. Every time I pass a Goodwill facility, I will think about what the "Power of Work" really is all about and I will think about all the people I met who know how to dream for not only themselves but for others as well and how they use the Japanese word Kaizen, which means "Continuous Improvement."

Moreover, I will think about the 50% unemployment rate among Black men in our community who have employment barriers before them and many whose environment has not taught them the value or the self-esteem you get from working.

Now, when I see young men who need a hand up I can sing to them, "I know a place ain’t nobody crying, ain't nobody worried, ain’t nothing but beautiful smiling faces and it ain’t no lying to the races.

For those who have physical, mental or employment barriers such as lack of education, need retraining, have difficulty getting into the cycle of work. Have not been able to hold a job, due to personal barriers. If you have answered yes to any of these questions perhaps, Goodwill can become the option for you.

Here is how we get started

Most of those at Goodwill were referred by the DVR or Milwaukee County Department of Human Services, Disability Services Division or Work-Day Services Application, so if you are receiving any services from either of the two aforementioned:

Option 1: Share with your case manager your interest in Goodwill. You will have to fill out a couple of forms.

Option 2: You can contact Goodwill directly and a case manager will assist you with information. Contact Brenda Marion at 414-535-1348. She will direct you on how to get started.

Option 3: if you are interested in competitive employment even with barriers, you can call 1-800-353-JOBS for available job listings.