Goodwill placing people in vocations
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, December 1, 2010
As the Thanksgiving season is upon us, Eatonton native Calvin Denham is counting his blessings. Through the assistance of Goodwill’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS), Calvin obtained permanent employment as a custodian with Eatonton Health and Rehabilitation.
Calvin’s one year of grueling unsuccessful search for employment finally came to an end when Calvin was referred to Goodwill by his counselor, Terrie Griffin, at the Vocational Rehab Office in Milledgeville. Calvin trained for four weeks in Goodwill’s training program under the direction of Vocational Rehab Counselor, Irma Marshall. Mrs. Marshall has 40 years experience in the VRS field and has worked with people of all different kinds of disabilities, from learning to physical and mental limitations.
Calvin praised Ms. Irma for her avid inspiration and salient guidance. He stated, “Ms. Irma is so positive and upbeat, and she helped me to move forward in my life. She kept telling me that I would be able to find a job if I put forth an effort and had a positive attitude.”
Ms. Irma stresses that the attitude and work ethic are key to getting and keeping a job. Goodwill’s mission is to develop a person’s God given skills through education, work and career development services. Irma said, “We work very closely with our clients to prepare them to enter the workforce before we send them out to work in jobs in the community.”
Irma Marshall was recruited to serve as Goodwill Lake Oconee’s Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor only three months ago, and she has truly hit the ground running. She already has seven clients training at the Goodwill facility and is in the process of placing her second client into competitive employment in the community. Mrs. Marshall saw an urgent need for VRS in the community, and she is elated that she was chosen to further Goodwill’s mission of finding employment for individuals with disabilities in the Lake Region. Ms. Marshall states, “I love coming to work every day, and I have a passion for working with my clients and placing them into successful employment.”
Calvin is very excited about his new job opportunity with Eatonton Health and Rehab. “I can provide for my family, and I will have benefits. I was so bored sitting at home; it is so nice to be a part of the working world. I would like to become a supervisor in the future. My training time at Goodwill was the best thing that ever happened to me. I will never forget my Goodwill family and how they supported me and encouraged me to be the best I can be.”
Jan Guthrie, Administrator of Eatonton Health & Rehab, feels that placing employees through Goodwill is a win/win situation. “We needed good, dependable associates and we read in the paper about Goodwill’s services. Calvin has been a very good fit for our organization; he has a good attitude and is a hard worker. We are looking to place other employees through Goodwill.”
The Vocational Rehabilitation Office is also very excited about Goodwill’s partnership with their organization.
Tangye Teague, Rehabilitation Unit Manager, states, “We are really excited about our collaboration with Goodwill serving the Lake Oconee region. This has opened up many new opportunities to assist our VR clients in becoming employed. Ms. Irma Marshall has a passion about assisting individuals with disabilities and we couldn’t ask for a more conscientious community partner. Irma is working with many of our clients now, in their own community, and has recently trained one individual, Calvin Denham, and through her efforts, he is now successfully employed.”
For more information on Goodwill’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program, contact Irma Marshall at (706) 485-0244.