Success Story Friday: Donald

Donald isn’t shy about telling you how his job at Earth Fare changed his life. In fact, he says it’s the best job he’s ever had.

“I was excited when they hired me so I could make money and live on my own,” Donald, 23, says.

The Charlotte resident went through Goodwill’s Employment Skills Training and worked with a job coach to find a position bagging groceries at the South Charlotte specialty store. He has past experience with other retailers, but says his current job allows him to be himself by interacting with people.

“Earth Fare has treated me the best. They are very nice to me. I always like going to work no matter what. I love meeting different people,” Donald says.

At Goodwill, Donald learned to work with people and improved his interpersonal skills, which he says helped him tremendously. When he’s not working, Donald gets around town on his bicycle. He stays active working out and looks forward to playing basketball in the Special Olympics every year, and he just graduated from Central Piedmont Community College.

Finding out he got the job at Earth Fare was one of the happiest days of his life, he says. Not only did his parents take him out for a celebration dinner, but his dream of living on his own would finally become a reality.

“All my friends say I’ve grown up since I moved out on my own. I’ve been wanting to do that since I was 18,” he says. “I get to go out and do my own thing.”

Donald was honored with a Good Work! Award at our Cornerstone Celebration on May 20 at The Westin Charlotte (he’s posing with his award in the picture). Click here to watch his acceptance speech on our YouTube page.

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Editor’s Note: We publish a success story every Friday to get your weekend started off on a positive note!