Ambassador 2010 1Q

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Ambassador | Winter 2010 1 Our business is changing lives. Ambassador A Publication of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc. | Spring 2010 Here Come the Brides. Hundreds of gowns, One big gala! 11 Ways We Say Thanks to Donors Blue Jeans Go Green Giving Goes Off-Broadway

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Ambassador 2010 1Q

Transcript of Ambassador 2010 1Q

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1Our business is changing lives.

AmbassadorA Publication of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc. | Spring 2010

Here Come the Brides.

Hundreds of gowns, One big gala!

11 Ways We Say Thanks to Donors

Blue Jeans Go Green

Giving Goes Off-Broadway

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Chairman:John W. Stone, III, Partner

White & Reasor, PLC

Vice Chairman:Robert McNeilly, III, President and CEO

SunTrust Bank

Secretary:Donna B. Yurdin, Owner

Credo Management Consulting

Treasurer:Kathryn S. Gibson, Accounting Manager

Vanderbilt University Medical CenterDepartment of Finance

Legal Counsel:Christopher S. Dunn, Attorney

Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis, LLP

Goodwill Officers:David Lifsey, President

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

Tammy Glass,Vice President of Finance

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

Betty Johnson,Vice President of Employment Services

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

J. B. BakerPresident & CEO

Volunteer Express, Inc.

J. Mike BishopAsst. Vice PresidentPharmacy Services

Health Trust Purchasing Group

Caroline G. Blackwell, Director of

Multicultural AffairsUniversity School of

Nashville

E. Steele Clayton, IVPartner

Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC

David CondraChairman

Dalcon Enterprises

Gary W. CordellConsultant

Robert W. DuthieFounder

Duthie Associates, Inc.

Deborah Y. Faulkner Inspector GeneralState of Tennessee

TennCare

John C. GreerVice President

TennComm, LLC

Jeffrey A. HoffmanRichelieu America, Ltd.

Philip G. HullSenior ConsultantVACO Resources

Decosta E. JenkinsPresident & CEONashville Electric

Service

Robert B. Kennedy, Trustee

Vice PresidentFirst Horizon

Insurance Group, Inc.

Fred T. McLaughlin, Trustee

Branch Manager, Sr. VP InvestmentsRobert W. Baird &

Co., Inc.

Ty OsmanPresident

Solomon Builders

Thomas S. StumbPresident

Nashville Bank & Trust

Kathryn I. ThompsonFounder/Director of

ResearchTRG-Thompson Research Group

John TishlerChairman

Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis, LLP

Dr. George VanAllenPresident

Nashville State Community College

John Van MolPresident & CEODye, Van Mol &

Lawrence

Dr. Sandra L. WiseCampus PresidentArgosy University

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AmbassadorINSIDE

cover story

A dream wedding is as close as Goodwill! Haute Couture for brides at the first-ever Wedding Gala. p.14

Goodwill Continues to Grow....................p.4

Move-In Day is Moving Closer.................p.5

Programs Offer Variety of Services.........p.6

Employees Star in New Commercials......p.8

Simples Messages of Thanks.....................p.9

Goodwill and Levi’s..................................p.12

Goodwill Going Off-Broadway..............p.13

Year In Review...........................................p.16

Daniel’s storyThe harrowing tale of one man’s journey from drug addiction to his new reality.

p.10President & CEO - David Lifsey

Sr. Director of Marketing & Community Relations - Karl HoustonWriter & Editor - Suzanne Kay-Pittman

Art Director & Photographer - Scott BryantContributors - Betty Johnson, Debbie Grant &

NaTisha Moultry

Ambassador is a quarterly newsletter published by Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

1015 Herman St.Nashville, TN 37208

For the nearest retail store, donation center, or Career Solutions facility, please call 615.742.4151 or visit giveit2goodwill.org.

The Ambassador provides its readers with stories about the events, activities and people who support the mission of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. We are pleased to provide you this information and hope

you will share our publication with others. Please note, the opinions expressed in the Ambassador do not necessarily reflect an opinion or official position of the management or employees of

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

Goodwill’s Mission: We sell donated goods to provide employment and training opportunities for people who have disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs.

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The next time you’re in our corporate office in Nashville,

be sure to look to the left of the front office. You’ll see a plaque honoring and remembering one of our Goodwill’s longest serving employees, James A. Holt.

Holt started his career at Goodwill in 1967. His sister, Ivadell, who was hearing impaired, was already working for the company and the Holt family was so impressed with Goodwill that James was encouraged to apply for a job.

Holt was hired just one week later as a truck helper, going to donors’ homes to pick up items. He didn’t have his driver’s license then, so during his time in the passenger seat, he memorized Nashville area streets and neighborhoods. It was a skill that came in handy when he became a route driver in 1972.

Goodwill President and CEO, David Lifsey, who worked with Holt throughout their many years together at the company, says,

“James’ knowledge of the area’s streets and fastest routes through town meant he was always the first driver to return from his calls every day!”

Throughout his almost 40 years as an employee, Holt held several other jobs, including working on the salvage dock for 10 years. He then moved to the hard goods team where he was a wares grader. “James loved visiting yard sales and flea markets. He really liked to find the special and valuable items,” says Ruth Welsh, Holt’s sister-in-law, and her husband, Rick, stopped by the 1015 Herman Street building recently to see the plaque.

Ruth Welsh told Mike Eisenbraun, senior director of production, “I wish James could be here to see this.” “He’d be speechless because he didn’t expect people to do anything for him.”

“One thing that always impressed me about James is he was proud of being independent,” Eisenbraun

told the Welshes. “He bought and paid for his own house and truck. He was also the first one to arrive every morning, coming in at 5:00 a.m. to eat breakfast and read the newspaper before starting his shift at 7:30 a.m.”

One of Holt’s closest colleagues, donations attendant Joe Sullivan, recommended that the 1015 Herman Street building be named for his friend. “James was very ill towards the end of his life but he refused to let it get to him. He had a sheepish grin and worked as hard as he could.” Lifsey agrees. “He was a valued coworker and friend. He always gave his best effort no matter what.”

Illness claimed James A. Holt in 2007. But his legacy lives on and, as his friend Joe Sullivan says, “He gave it all to Goodwill.”

1015 Herman Street Renamed in Memory of James A. Holt

Longtime employee is still missed by his friends at Goodwill.

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Bring a box of tissues if you have the chance to see the

documentary, For Once in My Life. Not because it’s a sad story. It’s inspiring, enlightening, and for many who aren’t familiar with Goodwill, it is an eye-opening experience.

For Once in My Life is the story of a band, composed entirely of employees from Goodwill South Florida, who just happen to have disabilities. This is a story of can. And it was a fan favorite at the recent Nashville Film Festival. Our Goodwill teamed with the folks from Miami Goodwill to present the documentary.

More than 50 employees from our Goodwill and their guests saw the film. Michelle James, payroll coordinator, brought her nine-year-old daughter, Anna, to the show. “I was extremely inspired,” said James. “I was also struck by how the band became a surrogate family for many of its members and allowed them to pursue their dreams.” And she

added, “I know I can’t make any more excuses about not pursuing my love of music. I remember the pianist in the film, Christian, saying he refused to give up. That really struck a chord for me.”

The Spirit of Goodwill band was launched in Miami in 1996. By 2003, the musicians had recorded their first CD. Then the mayor of Miami, along with Emilio Estefan, the husband of Gloria Estefan, best known for her solo work and The Miami Sound Machine, heard the Goodwill band in concert. In 2008 the band made a grand appearance at the U.S. Mayors’ Convention with more than 1,000 guests in attendance, with the support of Miami’s mayor and Estefan.

The film follows the 29-member band from their concerts in small venues to preparation and rehearsals for their performance at the mayors’ conference. It was no surprise that when the band had finished playing songs as diverse as For Once in My Life and I Wanna Be

Like You (Jungle Book), to the technically difficult combination of Conga/Oye Como Ya, it received a standing ovation from the packed house.

If you missed the film at the Nashville Film Festival, it may be released to theatres throughout the U.S. later in 2010. And, its executive producer says, it’s already been mentioned as Oscar-worthy. As the Miami Herald said in its review, “The Goodwill Band is a triumph of the spirit, a celebration of overcoming the odds, and a chance to rock out with the happiest musicians on the planet.”

For Once In My LifeThe story of a band from Miami.

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I feel blessed to come to work each day.” It’s a sentiment most of us consider on occasion, but for

Carolyn Tyler, it’s a true measure of her appreciation for her job at Goodwill.

Tyler started working in the hanging department in the Nashville processing plant two years ago, not long after relocating from Springfield, Tenn. After 10 years with the Captain D’s corporation, Tyler wanted to be closer to her family and she made her move to Nashville. Her sister urged her to visit Goodwill’s Career Solutions office where she met counselor, Wanielle Hodson.

Hodson oversaw Tyler as she worked through the program and entered her in a transitional training program as a hanger. For her supervisor, Lambus McGhee, Tyler was a perfect fit for his team. “I wanted Carolyn to come on-board fulltime because of her work ethic. She’s such a quick learner and I knew she’d be a strong team member.”

Just one month later, Tyler became a full-timer and continues in the hanging department where she’s not only determined to meet her production goals, but is also part cheerleader. “I usually tell everyone that we all have days when we’re tired. What I like to tell them is we have production to get out, so let’s be a team!”

Work ethic aside, Tyler has a big fan in her current supervisor, Constance Wade, who says, “Carolyn is a great worker. Her production is high every day. She’s such a nice person and gets along well with everyone.” For Tyler, the biggest reward at work is easy to sum up in just a few words. “Coming to work each day is fun.”

Feeling the Importance of

FamilyAfter moving to be close to family, one employee finds

a second home at Goodwill.

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Marie Fitzgerald has never backed away from a full day’s work. And she enjoys every moment of

her job at Goodwill, where she says, “I feel as though I help maintain quality control of our product to be sure our shoppers have the best choices.” And with a big smile she adds, “I love it that the economy has forced people to consider shopping at our stores so they can see what we have to offer.”

Fitzgerald has been sorting and processing clothes more than 20 years. Her career started as a quality control inspector at the WE Stephens Company and was certified as a Master Inspector. She was responsible for inspecting clothing daily to be certain it met the company’s quality control standards before it was shipped to major retailers throughout the U.S. After nine years on the job, though, Fitzgerald started looking for other career opportunities.

It was at the urging of a friend that Fitzgerald applied at Goodwill, and with her many years of experience inspecting clothes, she was a natural fit. That was 14

years ago and her first job working on the grading line was at what was our Ninth Avenue facility. Six years later she moved to the sorting area, where she remains today.

But more than having a job, Fitzgerald appreciates the respect and support she receives from her coworkers. “No one makes fun of me here. That’s something I never experienced. At Goodwill everyone is accepted, even people with disabilities.”

For Goodwill’s part, Fitzgerald not only works hard on a daily basis, she also contributes as a 12-year member of the safety committee, a point of pride for her. “My team has been accident-free for more than a year.” And the reward for that milestone; a steak dinner grilled by Joan Sundstrom, director of production. “It was the best tasting steak I’ve ever had,” says Fitzgerald. “I can’t wait for Joan to cook for us again next year when we go two years without an accident!”

Quality is Job One for Marie Fitzgerald14-year old Goodwill veteran only send the best to the stores.

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At 4:15 a.m. Saturday, March 20, not a single person was waiting

outside the Rivergate store. By 4:45, a small line of cold-braving brides and their friends and family were camped outside the store. When the doors opened at 6:00 a.m., the line outside the store wrapped around the building and 367 guests filed excitedly into the store with one goal in mind; find the perfect wedding gown at a Goodwill price.

Lauren Coggins from Mt. Juliet, Tenn., was second in line. She had camped out with her mom, sister

and aunt. As soon as the doors opened, Coggins’ mom grabbed a few gowns and everyone headed to the dressing room. The searched ended quickly. The first gown Coggins tried on was The One! “I’m very excited about it. It’s exactly what I wanted. A simple strapless gown and $199.99 is definitely within the budget.” The money Coggins saved on her dress is going toward her honeymoon in St. John, Virgin Islands. Coggins’ search was repeated throughout the morning at our first-ever Wedding Gala. More than

500 wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride (groom) dresses, veils, tuxedo accessories and other essentials needed to look perfect walking down the aisle, were sold throughout the three-hour event.

The gowns and other items were generously donated by bridal shops throughout middle Tennessee and also came in through our donation express centers. And many of the gowns originally carried hefty price tags, ranging from $750 to $6,000, with designer labels including Rivini, Watters, Maggie Sottero and

If you work in our downtown Nashville processing plant, you may have recognized a tall, dark-haired man touring the plant recently. If you couldn’t quite place the face, here are a few hints; TV icon, 1970s heartthrob and member of a large TV family! It was Barry Williams, best known as Greg Brady, the oldest son on, “The Brady Bunch.”

Williams was in town to star in the original musical, “My Catskills Summer.” The show takes place in the mythical Hotel Belsky in the Catskill Mountains in the summer of 1954. Jay Kholos, the show’s writer and producer, partnered with Goodwill to buy the show’s 1950s-era props and costumes.

Goodwill President and CEO, David Lifsey, gave Williams a tour of the processing plant, with media in tow. Williams was genuinely touched when he met employees, watched everyone go about their jobs, and with the scope of activity in the building. After the tour, Lifsey presented Williams with a plaque to thank

him for his support of our Goodwill.

“I was delighted to present this to you, but after seeing your interaction with our employees downstairs, I’m even more pleased,” said Lifsey. Williams replied, “I hope this starts a new trend and aspect for your business.”

After the presentation, Williams addressed the media in a news conference. He seemed to grasp the enormity of Goodwill’s mission of putting people to work and was excited that the costumes for the show came from our donors.

“There are people down there who might not have other opportunities without GW. It’s not only commendable, it’s also nice to see the productivity. As David (Lifsey), the president, pointed out, it really goes to show you that what you need to do in most cases is give people a shot, give them a chance. And that’s what Goodwill is doing.”

Goodwill Bridal Gala 2010We counted! 367 brides and their support teams came through the Rivergate store at 6:00 a.m.

My Catskills SummerBarry Williams, a.k.a. Greg Brady, and Goodwill help support New York-bound musical.

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Drive by the Centre Stage shopping plaza in Springfield today and you’ll see work is already underway for the grand opening of our new store on June 17, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce at 8:45 a.m. The 34th store in Goodwill’s retail offerings for middle and west Tennessee will be at 2008 Memorial Boulevard and has more than 22 thousand square feet of shopping space.

The retail, maintenance, donations and marketing teams are all involved in the preparation of the space. The new store replaces the current Springfield store which is in a nearby center.

The new Springfield store is the third retail opening so far this year. Franklin II opened in February and our Mt. View store, which replaced our store in Priest Lake Plaza, started operations in March.

It’s easy to strike up a conversation

with Nashville’s Bill Hughes. He’s charming, laughs easily and is a man who is happy to tell you that when his wife wants to shop, he’s along for the ride!

Ruby and Bill Hughes are both retirees. It was Ruby who first learned about the new Franklin store opening in February when she overheard the news on a store commercial while shopping in one of our other Goodwill retail locations. Bill says, “My wife was determined that we come for the grand opening and we were here early, just after the doors opened.”

The couple shops our stores often to buy baby clothes for little ones in their family and others in their church family. “She was led to do it,” says Bill. They also made their way to the grand opening of the Mt. View store in March. Again, in search of clothes for others.

“I clean and repair the clothes that I buy.” Ruby beams as she tells

stories about her great finds and fixes. And with four grandchildren and six great grandchildren, with one on the way, she says, “It’s the only way I can afford to buy for the kids.”

The price marked on clothing and shoes at our stores is the price shoppers pay since there is no sales tax on those used items. That’s one more reason the Hughes couple come back often. “Tax-free means a lot to us since we’re retired,” says Bill.

The couple once considered getting up early on Saturdays to hit yard sales as their best source for children’s clothes and gifts. But they’ve come to the conclusion, “Goodwill is a lot better than yard sales. We quit doing that a long time ago and we know that we find the best prices at your stores. It’s Goodwill for us!”

Both new stores have state-of-the-art drive-through donation express

New Stores Keep Customers Coming Springfield relocation is coming soon.

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TRACKING OUR TRUCKSNew GPS helps our transportation team

In 1969 our Goodwill had just five trucks. Each morning it was anyone’s guess whether any or all of those trucks would start so the drivers could move our merchandise from the processing plants to our stores. That was then. Now we have 20 trucks and 260 trailers running two shifts daily and on weekends. And thanks to the transportation team, their engines crank up every morning!

Keeping track of where those trucks and trailers at any given moment had been a challenge. In the recent past, the only way to know the contents of a trailer was to open its back door. But with the recent addition of a new GPS system, it’s now possible to provide live streaming information for dispatchers to track the movement of our trucks and the contents of each trailer.

“This new system saves time, money, and creates a more efficient operation. Now we know where trailers are and what is in them. Some may have items to deliver to stores, while another trailer with donations has to go to the dock,” says Joan Sundstrom, director of production.

At a time when we’re used to instant messages, texts and continuous updates on the days’ news by cell phone, this new system fits in with the fast moving world of technology and the expectation for a constant stream of information. Sundstrom and her team can instantly communicate with all of the drivers. “If we need to know how many donation trailers we have ready to go to the donations dock to be unloaded, we access the system and it tells us trailer numbers and locations.”

It took more than six months of a coordinated effort, and trial and error, to put the GPS program into use. Sundstrom and her team worked with the IT staff, including Senior Programmer, Rolando Johnson, to create this mobile application. Johnson customized the program so automated reports are e-mailed each day updating truck and trailer locations and contents. Ed O’Kelley, the Director of IT, put it best, “The work has been long and hard but the reward will be more dollars to fund our mission.”

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THE CASE OF MISTAKEN DONATIONSometimes we get lucky and find an inadvertently donated item

It’s happens so easily. You’ve packed bags full of items to give to Goodwill and without as much as a second thought, you drop them off at your nearest Donation Express Center. Then it hits you. You can’t find an item and fear it was accidentally be donated. Donations department assistant Katina Bean gets calls weekly from our generous donors frantic for help recovering an inadvertently donated item.

Bean has recently worked with donors who mistakenly have given us a tuxedo shirt with cuff links still on the cuffs, a bullwhip that was a gift from a recently deceased relative, and a poster-sized photo of golfer Arnold Palmer.

Finding those still-wanted items is still like looking for a needle in a haystack that sits in our processing plant, which is the size of a football field. However, our new GPS tracking system gives the needle a better homing device that make the needle easier to find. But it takes a Goodwill village to do the search.

The search starts with Bean, then weaves its way through our transportation team with Transportation Manager Danny Combs as her first point of contact. “It’s quicker for me to track trailers after they’ve left a donation site and to coordinate with my drivers and the folks on the dock now that we have the GPS system,” says Combs. “I get information from Katina and then I can punch in the trailer number and know if that trailer has already been off-loaded or if we can check it before the merchandise goes into the processing plant.”

And on occasion, we’ve been lucky to reunite a distraught donor with their mistaken donation. Not long ago a woman who had donated her husband’s wallet with the checkbook still inside contacted Bean. As it turns out, the husband had recently lost his job and the checkbook was their only access to the monies they still had. “She gave me a description and the donation location site, and we were able to monitor the off-loading of the items from that site.” As for the wallet, “There it was,” says Bean. Jeanette Blankenship’s team on the dock found it. It was fabulous!”

Sometimes it takes a little luck. Sometimes it takes a GPS. And sometimes these stories do have happy endings. The best advice Bean offers to donors is, always check your donations before you hand them off. You never know what you may find!

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EVEN GOODWILL NOW SAVES MONEY AT OUR STORESNew check-out system saves customers and employees time and money

Imagine reducing the time it takes for our cashiers to check out each customer by one to two minutes. That might not seem like much, but our Goodwill processed more than three million retail transactions in 2009. Now that minute or two equals hundreds of hours of time saved. A simple, yet state-of-the-art point of sale system, has been tested at our Charlotte store and has proven to make the check-out process faster and more accurate.

“This new system has given us a lot better customer service at the register,” says David Jenkins, senior director of retail. “In the past the cashier had to key in skew numbers and calculate discounts. When that happens there’s a large margin for error.” The new system holds the cashier to just three simple steps including punching in the department and tag color. To choose a specific item, the keys have photos making it easy to recognize each item and then the register automatically determines the price, including applicable discounts.

Our IT department is responsible for maintaining the 131 registers at our 33 stores and, as Director of IT, Ed O’Kelley says, “We had grown tired of constantly changing configurations for our system and always having to update and upgrade. It was an expensive process.”

The new point-of-sale hardware provides a longer lifecycle and is easier to fix and faster to replace than the desktops that had been in the stores. “When we set up a new store, we’re able to deploy the POS system in a day, instead of the week or two it used to take. That ease of use is proving very valuable for our Goodwill.”

Jenkins adds, “Training new cashiers now takes minutes rather than hours. In fact, it’s so simple that when we train all the cashiers for the company-wide roll-out we’re doing it by conference call.” All 33 Goodwill stores should have the new system in place by the end of May. Neither O’Kelley nor Jenkins could put a price tag on the savings of time and money, except to say, “It’s priceless.”

Even Goodwill Now Saves Mondey at Our StoresNew check-out system customers and employees time and money.

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The textiles processing plant in Nashville is 46,000 feet, that’s almost as large as a football

field! From the dock where items are unloaded, through sorting, hanging and getting those pieces out the door to our retail stores, requires time and space. A lot of space. And we were running out of space. So with a few tweaks, and a change in the way those items are routed through processing, there’s still merchandise ready to stock our stores, but more space for growth.

The fix was relatively easy to put into play. Mike Eisenbraun, the director of production, says, “We’ve reduced the number of pieces of finished goods in our inventory (goods ready to ship) by 55,000 pieces. We still have almost a full

day’s worth of inventory available, but we’ve also freed 150 Z racks and space on our slick rails.” Eisenbraun credits David Alexander, the production manager in the plant for taking the lead on the project.

In the past, the processing plant held two days of inventory for stores on those racks. Now there’s less than a day’s inventory sitting in the warehouse. “Inventory is a costly item,” says Eisenbraun. “We’ve learned that even with less

Textiles Ops-More Space, More Growth, Little CostNashville processing plant is ready to stock new stores.

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NEED PICS OF JENNIFER AT HOME SITE

PIC OF NATI’s KIDSAriana Hill, Eric Hill, and Lasonya Hill, and not pictured my baby girl Nakiyah Woods.

SOON TO HAVE THEIR HOMESTwo Goodwill employees about to realize the American Dream

“I can’t wait,” says Nati Fulton, the assistant manager of the Shelbyville store with a big smile. Her home, being built by volunteers and Bedford Builds Habitat for Humanity, is already taking form.

Fulton and her four children have moved from public housing to an apartment and are now working toward the completion of their three bedroom, two bathroom home. “My kids are so excited,” says Fulton. “We stop by the lot every day and just sit so we can enjoy every moment leading up to the day we move in.” She expects to be in her new home by the end of June.

Habitat for Humanity requires all homeowners to provide what it calls, sweat equity as part of its home buying process. Simply put, all homebuyers have to work on their build and many include friends and family to help with the required hours. A Goodwill team of volunteers was more than willing to spend a Saturday building the foundation of Fulton’s home. Volunteers from area churches and Shelbyville Central High School have also been on-site to help Fulton and her family build their dream home.

Another group of volunteers is gearing up to help Jennifer Cummins build her home through the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity. Right now it’s just Lot 51. But by the end of June, it will be Cummins’ new home in the Timberwood subdivision in Nashville. Cummins is the receptionist at our Herman Street plant in Nashville.

“I’m so excited,” says Cummins between answering the phone and helping clients as they come to her desk. She smiles as she talks about her 13-year-old grandson, Jamarius, who she is raising in public housing, but will soon move with her to their new home. “This is something I’m doing on my own as a single grandparent. I can’t believe this is happening to me and happening so fast!”

Cummins’ road to her own home started in November 2009 when the Habitat team presented home ownership classes to our employees. Several of the participants met all the qualifications for consideration for a Habitat home, including Cummins. It wasn’t until March of 2010 that Cummins was approved for a home and given a build date.

“Jennifer spent time taking classes and preparing for working to get her budget and credit in order,” says Casey Campbell, the Family Service Director for the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity. “What this does for the community is give people who are hard working, taking care of their family and managing their money, a chance at homeownership. For many of our folks it’s their only option.”

Cummins won’t be at a loss for company at her new home. Her sister became a homeowner in Timberwood just last year. After unpacking in late June when she moves into her house, Cummins has already planned the menu for her first family gathering. To make the chicken and dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes and turnip greens she says she needs more pots and pans and plans. And, says Cummins, what better place to shop than at Goodwill to fill in all the items that will make her house a home!

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Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNashville, TN

Permit No. 2009

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc. | 1015 Herman St. | Nashville | TN | 37208