John came to Goodwill® as a referral from DORS in early 2007 to participate in our JDPR program. John had been living in Fairbanks, Alaska but due to a life changing situation he had to come live with his brother in Frederick. When Goodwill staff first met John they noticed his upbeat personality and his motivation to find a job and an apartment of his own. John lived in an area where transportation was a huge issue but it was arranged for him to volunteer and job search at Goodwill® 2 days a week. John came every week to work towards his goals.

In August 2007 John found a room to rent and was placed in a job at JCPenney as a Merchandise Handler. John had to take 2 buses to work and back but that didn’t bother upbeat John. The house John was living in was put up for sale so John found an apartment but it was further in town so he started job searching again. John would not quit his job at JCPenney until he had another job because he said that is “not how it is done”. John came to work at Goodwill® from January 2008 to September 2008.

While he was happy working at Goodwill®, his goal was to work at the hospital. John applied at Frederick Memorial Hospital and one day came in excited as he had an interview. John’s work ethics are strong and his determination is even stronger so it was no surprise when John went for his interview and got the job! John rides a bike to get around town and in the years Goodwill®  has known him he has never called off from volunteering or work, even when the weather is bad. John takes pride in his work and no matter what comes along John meets its head on.