Read Rebecca's Amazing Story:

Mission Moment

Growing up, Rebecca didn’t have it easy. She was born when her parents were very young, so they did not always have the means to provide luxuries. Then Rebecca moved out of her parents’ house at an early age as she, too, started her family young.

Rebecca ended up working in nursing. She enjoyed this job because she could provide for her family and have a steady income. However, Rebecca’s hard work came crashing down when she was with the wrong people at the wrong time, and convicted with a felony drug offense.

Two years later, when Rebecca was released from prison, she moved in with her dad and was ready to think about going back to work. She knew it would be impossible to continue in the nursing field with her background. Rebecca decided it was time for something new. She wanted a job that would guarantee 40 hours of work, rather than hire her on at full-time and then drastically cut her hours later.

Ready to go out and make a fresh start, Rebecca was pushed down yet again when COVID hit. Her father’s business went under. Not long after, he ended up losing his house, which displaced Rebecca once again.

Rebecca moved in with her sister and resumed her job search. One day, she saw an ad on Facebook for the North Port Goodwill store, and she applied. Within minutes, a Goodwill recruiter called her and set her up with an interview. The next day, she was hired as a donor greeter. Rebecca was thrilled. She knew that she was about to go work at one of the busiest donor doors in the company and, because of that, she would never be bored. Rebecca was happy to find that she liked the work and her team right off the bat. Even when they were short-handed and it was very busy, the culture and her team kept her going.

Rebecca was glad that this job came with a life coach. She had a falling out with her sister and became homeless just a few days before Christmas. Rebecca says Goodwill and her “work family” kept her grounded. She worked closely with her GoodPartner Coach to try and find affordable housing in the area.

Eventually, Rebecca decided to move back to Myakka City to be close to her mother. A friend gave her an RV of her own. It was not a house but, nonetheless, now she had a roof over her head that she could call her own. She stayed focused and kept her goals in mind. Rebecca finally worked up to having hot running water and heat. She says that none of this would have been possible if it was not for Goodwill.

Rebecca never gave up. She appreciates the opportunities that were afforded her by working at Goodwill. Knowing that she had all that support helped her to keep going, no matter what. She says, “If you give up, you’ll never know if it’s going to be a good ending.” She is glad she found an employer who was just as interested in Rebecca’s happy ending as she was.  

Changing lives through the power of work!