2008 Graduate
of the Year
Sandra Martin
When Sandra Martin lost her eyesight two decades ago, she was a young homemaker with a newborn daughter to care for. “I taught myself how to
do things on my own, things like walking with the cane,” she says.
“But I was really dependent on
other people.”
Sandra recalls the moment when she realized she needed to take charge of
her own life. “Someone told my 16-year-old daughter that she’d be taking care
of me for the rest of her life,” Sandra explains.
“That’s such a big responsibility for a child, to think that they’d have to take care of their parent.”
Determined to become more independent, Sandra traveled to Daytona for
eight months of rigorous coursework—in everything from typing to assertiveness. “I grew up a lot there,” she says. “I had no computer experience or typing skills.
I finally found myself at the age of thirty-nine.”
But even after intensive training, Sandra spent five years actively searching
for a job, with no success. “It’s hard when you’re visually impaired to get a job. People don’t think you can do it.”
Sandra turned to Goodwill, where she met Employment Consultant Enas Bendeck. Enas helped Sandra with her resume, accompanied Sandra
on job interviews, and advised Sandra in her search. “I needed a dedicated, reliable, and knowledgeable source to help me achieve my goal,” Sandra explains. “Enas really wanted to find the correct job for me.”
Goodwill helped Sandra find a position as an Outreach Coordinator with
Visually Impaired Persons (V.I.P.) of Southwest Florida, ending a frustrating
five-year job search. With her guide dog, Anna, at her side, Sandra has
become one of Southwest Florida’s most outspoken advocates for the blind.
She has coordinated events and programs to promote awareness, acted as a counselor for people with visual impairments, and is Vice President of the Naples Nites Lions Club.
“She doesn’t let her disability keep her from getting what she wants,” says Bendeck, who nominated Sandra for the Graduate of the Year honor.
“Nothing’s going to stop her from moving forward.”
Sandra’s goal is to continue helping others in her situation by starting a Lighthouse outreach center in Collier County. “I know for a fact that
having the right person standing up for you makes a big difference. That’s what Goodwill did for me.”
2008 Achiever of the Year
Eliane Valde
When Eliane Valde came to the United States with her husband and children six years ago, she didn’t know what to expect. Eliane only knew what her sister had told her that moving to America would provide Eliane’s family with a better life than in their native land, Haiti.
Goodwill Employment Consultant Wernie Jeremie explains that language barriers are often the most difficult obstacles for Haitian immigrants to overcome. “Many are highly educated in their native country and have years of work experience,” she says. “But without English skills, it’s like starting all over.”
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“Eliane came here without any knowledge of the English language,” explains Goodwill Administrative Assistant Alice DeClemente. “She had to learn our language and learn our culture. In order to live a peaceful life, she had to leave her home.”
Eliane and her family lived with her sister in New York for a year, and heard about Southwest Florida through word-of-mouth in the Haitian community. Seeking a warmer place to live and more opportunities, Eliane, her husband, and their young family traveled south.
Despite her language barriers, Eliane found a part-time job as a cashier at a grocery store. While she enjoyed the work, she also recognized that she needed a full-time position to help support her family.
Eliane found out about Goodwill because of the agency’s Haitian Outreach program, which provides guidance and employment assistance for Haitian immigrants in Southwest Florida. A Goodwill employment consultant soon found Eliane a job in Goodwill’s processing plant in North Fort Myers, sorting clothing and other items on the night shift. “Goodwill gave me a full-time job,” she says. “I needed that to help take care of my family.”
After a year at Goodwill, Eliane was given a new opportunity, as the housekeeper at Goodwill’s administrative headquarters. She gladly took the opportunity. “I wanted a morning job,” she explains, “working in the daytime,
to be with my family more.”
Eliane says her English language skills are improving, thanks to her children’s help. She hopes to go back to school one day to study nursing, and eventually care for the elderly. In the meantime, she’s left a big impression on her co-workers at Goodwill, who are excited that Eliane has been named Achiever of the Year. “I’m just so impressed with her,” says DeClemente. “Especially her smile.”
2008 Employer of the Year
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
People with disabilities often have trouble getting hands-on job experience, but Hyatt has made it possible for people with special needs to receive vocational training.
Through a partnership with Hands On Educational Services, Hyatt locations across the country provide disability-neutral job training, to people like Goodwill program graduate Fred Cowens.
Fred is Deaf, and was referred to Goodwill by the Florida Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. When Goodwill Employment Consultant Enas Bendeck learned about Fred’s “Hands On” training, she contacted Hyatt Regency Coconut Point to see if they had any positions available.
Fred has now been employed for more than a year as a line cook at the resort’s cold prep kitchen. “They’ve been great at making accommodations for him,” says Bendeck, “That’s why they’re so deserving of the title ‘Employer of the Year’.”
“Fred has the same responsibilities, duties, and expectations as all of our employees,” explains Executive Chef Andres Singer. “But we also understand that he needs a little more encouragement because of his disability.”
In order to accommodate Fred’s hearing impairment, the Hyatt makes sure that a sign language interpreter is available for employee meetings. The resort has also provided Fred with a hand-held word processor, so that he can easily communicate with his co-workers.
“Our employees have been really patient and understanding,” says Melissa Lanzilotti, the Food and Beverage Supervisor at the Hyatt. “They’ve played a very big part in his success.”
The experience has been such a positive one for the resort, they’ve now become a “Hands On” training site for other aspiring chefs with disabilities. Bendeck is optimistic for the future; “When an employer hires one person
with a disability, a lot of times that opens the doors for many others.”
2008 Business of the Year
The Home Depot
The Home Depot revolutionized the home improvement industry, empowering everyday Americans by encouraging
the do-it-yourself concept.
The Atlanta-based company prides itself in offering outstanding customer service, guiding customers through complex projects such as laying tile, changing a fill valve or handling a power tool.
In addition to being the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, The Home Depot believes in building strong relationships and becoming partners in their communities. Through its community service volunteer program, “Team Depot,” the company brings together its materials, expertise, and volunteer labor in order to partner with local groups to help build better communities.
Locally, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida has gratefully been on the receiving end of much generosity and goodwill from both The Home Depot
and Team Depot.
For two years, The Home Depot has been a major supporter of Goodwill’s Festival of Trees and Tux and Trees Gala. In total, the company has generously donated 60 brand new pre-lit Christmas trees and over $500
worth of gift certificates to the event. In addition, The Home Depot has also decorated and sponsored a holiday tree each year. The sale of these trees
at the Tux and Trees live auction gala has raised over $1100 towards Goodwill’s programs and services for people with disabilities.
Team Depot members have also reached out to Goodwill's charter school, the L.I.F.E. Academy. Team members have paid several visits to the school, sponsoring building workshops for the students. These workshops have helped our students develop their motor skills, as they assembled picture frames, birdhouses, memory boxes, and most recently, nine picnic benches.
Goodwill’s Vice President of Communications and Development, Carolyn Johnson, explains The Home Depot’s importance to Goodwill.
“They’ve been a wonderful community partner through the years,” she says. “From the great sense of accomplishment and joy they gave our students to the overwhelming support they provided for the Festival of Trees, We can’t thank them enough. We are honored to name The Home Depot stores of Southwest Florida as our Business of the Year.” |
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