Goodwill 50th Anniversary: The people who make the mission worth doing

“Every individual Goodwill serves makes our mission worth doing,” said Liz Gulick, Co-President/CEO. “When a 43-year old employee gets her GED; when a young adult gains employment so he can provide for his young family; when a person earns a better wage because of new skills that makes him more valuable in an organization…all of them.”

Every month this year, Goodwill® is sharing stories of individuals who have been impacted by its mission at www.GoodwillSouthernAZ.org/50years. There you can learn who your donations have helped in our community.

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KAIDEN WOLFLEYbegan his journey with Goodwill after being encouraged by his mom to attend a job fair where he approached a Goodwill staff member who said, “You should hit up the GoodFutures program.” He did and in October 2015, just a little over 60 days sober and coming off an arrest for doing drugs as a minor, he took the first steps to better his life. 

The GoodFutures program helped him with job readiness skills, taking part in service learning projects to give back to the community, but most importantly, helped him find the confidence to pursue a career path that would allow him to work with his hands. “I like fixing things, when I know how to do it.”

Kaiden enrolled with Pima Community College’s 2-year Aviation Tech program to become a mechanic, fixing airplanes and helicopters. With consistent, positive support from GoodFutures staff throughout the years, he completed his Certificate in Advanced Aviation Technology & General Mechanics in August 2018 and is being actively recruited by employers. “It’s very exciting…To be put into that position fixing airplanes, it’s something else!” he said.

Kaiden hopes that his new career will let him travel the world – and with his skills and motivation, we have no doubt that he will.

To learn more about Kaiden, visit www.GoodwillSouthernAZ.org/50years