Read Sue's Amazing Story:

Mission Moment

Sue came to work at Goodwill through a Department of Corrections work release program. She had spent the last six years of her life in prison and was ready to start a new life—not the life she had lived previously. She no longer wanted a life that included disappointments, bad friends, abusive relationships, and drugs. She was ready for something different.

As a child, people always described Sue as a happy, healthy child. She was involved in sports, she was a pageant kid, and she was even Miss Pre-Teen New England when she was 12. She took dance classes and went to modeling school and summer camp. What nobody knew was that her stepfather had been molesting her since the age of 6. Her mother did nothing to stop the abuse. In fact, her mother would “sell” her to get the things she wanted and used Sue to attract men when she was lonely.

Sue knows that her home life set her up to make bad decisions about most of the relationships she has had. To escape the abuse from home, she dropped out of school and got married at age 17. Her husband was abusive. He took her from New England to Kentucky—away from friends and family. They had a child. After three years, she divorced him.

Her second husband took her to West Virginia. He, too, was abusive. Though Sue had sometimes been a recreational drug user in the past, now she was using LSD to escape reality. After six months she left her second husband and went back to New England to reconnect with her father. It was there where she met husband #3 and they had two children. She was with him for 10 years. She describes this marriage as the most violently abusive relationship she ever had ever been in, with broken bones, hospitalizations and restraining orders. There was a lot of drug and alcohol abuse. The last straw was when he turned on the kids and plotted to kill her.

Sue escaped to South Carolina with the man who would become her fourth husband. That relationship was, again, a big disappointment and very short-lived. Disillusioned and broken, she sought the wrong kind of company and met a guy who introduced her to meth. With him, she used and sold drugs until they got caught. Because he was a three-time drug trafficker and was already on probation, that meant federal charges. Sue was looking at 17-25 years behind bars. She took a plea deal and received a 10-year sentence. She ended up serving six years in prison.

The decision to change her life came to her while she was in prison. It was there that she began to prepare for life outside. She earned her GED, mentored other women, and taught life and parenting skills to her fellow prisoners. She received the therapy she needed. She confronted her demons and resolved to survive and thrive.

Therapy helped Sue put things in perspective and to think long and hard about her choices. Today, Sue is in a healthy relationship with a person she describes as, “the most amazing, understanding, and compassionate person I have ever met.” Sue has reconnected with her now-adult children and has healthy relationships with them as well.

Sue learned that Goodwill was a “second chance” employer. She heard that Goodwill assigns all employees a GoodPartner Coach who provides employees with the resources they need to succeed. Sue applied for a job at Goodwill and she got it.

Since she began working at Goodwill, Sue has straightened out all her legal issues, she got married (happily) and she is excelling at her job at Goodwill. Within six months of employment, she not only became Role Model Worker but also was promoted to a keyholder position. She continues to work on personal development by learning as much as she can.

With Goodwill’s assistance, Sue is currently back at school and working on a Business Administration Certificate. She plans to continue her education and get her Bachelor’s degree. One day, she would like to join Goodwill’s leadership team.

Sue proudly proclaims that she is now mentally, physically, and spiritually free. She is glad she has an employer that helped her get there.  


Changing lives through the power of work!