Goodwill of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas

Success Stories

2009 Work Experience School of the Year
Cheyenne High School

Under the direction of teacher Diana Walla, special education students at Cheyenne High School have been volunteering their time and efforts at Goodwill's Alta Mira Store for the past two years. They are part of Goodwill's Special Education Work Experience Program. Goodwill invites high school students from across the Valley into our retail stores and main processing center so they can gain important pre-vocational skills. The program allows students to work in a competitive work environment and learn skills like sorting, greeting, stocking, organizing, colorizing, and customer service.

Cheyenne High School students always leave the Alta Mira store looking superior upon the completion of their assigned weekly work experience shift. Goodwill team members look forward to seeing the students every Friday and are overjoyed to watch them learn and grow each year.

Cheyenne students also provide extraordinary customer service to Goodwill customers. One student who excelled at greeting customers, was Devonce Walker. Devonce passed away this year due to medical complications. Devonce's family remembers him as their miracle. To Goodwill, Devonce will always be remembered as the man with the amazing smile. The time he contributed towards Goodwill's Alta Mira Store will never be forgotten.

2009 Achiever of the Year
Christopher Streng

Chris was referred to Goodwill and participated in a total of 3 work assessments from August 2007 through March 2008.

Chris has a diagnosis of Autism, which sometimes causes him to experience anxiety while interacting with people and can make it difficult for him to communicate effectively. Chris knew what kinds of jobs he did not want to perform, but needed some help finding what kind of jobs he would enjoy and would also be a good match for his abilities.

In his initial Retail Assessment at the Cheyenne Store, it was confirmed that Chris was capable of working competitively. When given basic tasks that are repetitive in nature he excelled. So Chris was referred to Goodwill's Tropicana Store for an additional work assessment in the janitorial field. Chris picked up the new skills quickly and through the use of role playing, modeling, and additional social etiquette training, Chris was able to learn the proper way to respond to customer questions, using the short but effective phrase, "I don't know, please ask the manager." Chris was provided a daily task card to keep him on track, transitioning from one task to another and with his stellar memory, memorized what task he was supposed to work on and at what time quickly.

Chris had his final work assessment at the Sahara store. The purpose of the assessment was to determine if Chris would be a good match for a part-time janitorial position. Chris got the job in April of 2008 and will celebrate his first year of successful employment with Goodwill next month.

Chris is currently responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the store and has added the additional responsibilities of store sweeps and organizing when needed. He has continuously grown and excelled at his job and is well liked by his managers, co-workers, and many of the stores regular customers. He has become increasingly outgoing and friendly, and can remember a name after hearing it just one time.

If you come to the Goodwill Sahara Store more than once, you are sure to get a friendly, personalized greeting from Chris! He continues to receive additional Follow-Along Job Coaching Services from Goodwill to provide him with regular feedback on his performance and ways that he can grow in his position. To Goodwill, Chris is the perfect example of the phrase, "never judge a book by its cover."

2009 Graduate of the Year
Matthew Hawley

Matthew Hawley was referred to the Cheyenne Goodwill Superstore by his Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in August of 2008 for an assessment of his readiness to return to work.

In 2006, Matt began struggling with alcoholism and that made holding down a job difficult. Matt eventually stopped working in December 2006. He says his life changed when realized he couldn't turn his life around without help. Matt sought out the help of various organizations and government agencies that are experienced in assisting others, including the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Matt was referred to Goodwill's Retail Training Program where his high level of professionalism in how he approached his job duties and his wide range of job skills were immediately apparent. He was also instrumental during his assessment in providing the younger clients at the Cheyenne Superstore with a positive role model.

Matt was living at the Salvation Army Facility when he learned a position had opened up at the Salvation Army for a Mental Health Technician. Matt was interested in getting a job where he could help others, so he saw this as the perfect opportunity. He applied for the job and was accepted. Matt then took classes over the next 3 months in order to get the licensure needed by the State of Nevada for this position. He began his new job as a Mental Health Technician for the Salvation Army in January of 2009.

At this point in his life, Matt says he is focusing on his job. His goal is to develop his abilities as a technician and stay at the job for an extended period of time. With the work ethic demonstrated in his assessment with Goodwill, the dedication it required to complete 3 months of technical training for the State, and the perseverance shown to turn his life around and obtain employment, there is no doubt that Matt will succeed in this quest.

2009 Gung Ho Award Winner
Hortensia Moczydlowski

Eight years ago, Goodwill of Southern Nevada hired Hortensia Moczydlowski to work in our processing center as a Soft Goods Merchandise Processor. Hortensia was referred to Goodwill by the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Hortensia was born in Cuba. When she was 3 years old, she developed Chicken Pox which eventually led to her hearing loss. At age fifteen, Hortensia and her family immigrated to the United States. Upon arriving in the United States, she attended a school for the deaf in New York where she learned to sign in English. While living in Cuba, Hortensia had no support or formal education to help her learn to survive in a hearing world.

In 2007, Hortensia was one of six people chosen to represent Goodwill in our branding campaign. You can see her picture on our Donation Trailers all over the city or in our stores and corporate offices. Being a representative of Goodwill gives Hortensia an amazing amount of pride. Her family was so happy and proud when they found out about her being chosen as one of our Goodwill Ambassadors that they cried.

Hortensia is a dedicated worker who rarely is out sick, has an excellent safety record and is focused with meeting or exceeding daily goals. In October of 2003, Hortensia was chosen as the Soft Goods Processor of the year. She always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face. Hortensia exemplifies our core values in action.