Category: The Story Behind The Stores

Natty came to the United States from Peru for a better life. Her mother and father died when she was young, and she needed a place where she could explore new, brighter opportunities. For about 2 years, Natty worked at the Arizona Goodwill and she transferred over to the Fort Dodge Goodwill because her cousin lived there, and family is important for Natty and is a foremost priority in her life.

One of the goals that Natty has is to speak English fluently. Natty has been working hard on her English by taking classes at the college and is making excellent progress so far.

Natty has enjoyed her time with Goodwill for the last 6 years. She formed a close relationship with her hiring manager and appreciates all the help with the training process. “She understood me and helped me. I want to thank her for her patience. I want to thank her for everything,” says Natty with tears in her eyes.

Natty is thankful for Goodwill and other team members that are willing to help, not because they have to, but because they want to. This is what makes Goodwill great. People are willing to go out of their way to help people. Natty is one of those people that is friendly to customers and is willing to go above and beyond because she believes in Goodwill. Natty has a heart of gold and has a special place in our hearts now at Goodwill.

If you walk into the Spencer Goodwill you will find La Donna talking and laughing alongside her crew. La Donna is currently the Store Manager and has been there for 6 years.  La Donna states, “I like to see everyone happy, talking and helping each other out.”  For a majority of her life La Donna spent traveling with her husband who was in the Army.  La Donna said, “I worked for the Military Exchange for about 20 years.” After her husband’s Army time was completed they both moved to Spencer.  La Donna started out as a Cashier at Goodwill, however, Tami who was their regional manager at the time, encouraged her to be an Assistant Manager. “Goodwill helped me see my potential,” La Donna stated proudly. One of the reasons that La Donna loves her store so much is that her crew takes care of her. “I had knee surgery about 4 years ago and they always are helpful and will ask if they can lift a box for me,” La Donna states. La Donna believes that Goodwill is a blessing to community and that they do so many good things with their employees and programs.

Before Tracy came to Goodwill of the Great Plains she was living in Eastern Iowa where she was battling Breast Cancer. She knew that she wanted to be closer to family, so she moved back to Sioux City. There were challenges that Tracy was facing after she had fought Breast Cancer which included needing time off for doctor’s visits and having a more flexible schedule. She knew that she needed to find a position that would help support her during this time. She applied for a job at Goodwill and they were flexible around her schedule for doctor’s appointments.

Positivity and lifting people up has been one of the lessons that Tracy has learned during her life especially after battling Breast Cancer. She carries her uplifting spirit to other people whether they are co-workers or customers. One of the ways that Tracy has a positive impact on her co-workers is through her inspirational quote board. There are quotes about team work and it is just a way that spread positive thinking in the work area. She says, “It has helped team work in the back area since the inspiration board has been posted.” Tracy has been with Goodwill for a year and a half and has achieved a lot during this time which has included to being promoted to Key Holder within 6 months after she started, becoming CPR certified, and completing the Sky’s the Limit leadership training program.  Tracy said, “Sky’s the Limit pushed you to your goals and taught you how to work with people.” Tracy loves what Goodwill stands for and wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. “I love the job, I love what I am doing, and I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Tracy stated with a big smile on her face.

Phillip has come a long way since he first started in the Pre-Vocational job training program. “At first, I was struggling with my job tasks,” says Phillip. However, since he was open to suggestions and change Phillip has progressed through the job training program and is now more independent and confident in his job. Phillip said, “I started in the balers, and then moved on to Contracts working with the nuts and bolts. Currently, I do janitorial work in the Retail Store and Support Center. I am willing to help anyone who needs help.” Phillip loves that Goodwill is about working together for a greater good. Phillip said that what he likes most about Goodwill is that “We serve people in the community and they are willing to go out and take the extra step for people in need.” 

Donating goods and shopping our retails stores directly support our Goodwill mission. Thanks to you, we were able to serve 11,145 people in 2017!

People Served for 2017 (PDF)