Horizon Goodwill Awards Mission Partner of Year to Employee Benefits Services

May 11, 2023

Horizon Goodwill Awards Mission Partner of Year to Employee Benefits Services

(Hagerstown, Maryland, May 2023) Employee Benefits Services was named “Mission Partner of the Year” at Horizon Goodwill Industries’ (HGI) 68th Annual Power of Work Awards. The event, held in Hagerstown on May 3, 2023, is scheduled annually to coincide with National Goodwill Week.

The Power of Work Awards recognizes HGI’s participants’ and community partners’ hard work, dedication, and mission support each year. These individuals and businesses embody the HGI Mission of Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities for employment throughout their four-state territory.

This year, nearly 150 people were in attendance including local officials, program participants, staff, representatives from partnering organizations, and community members.

The Mission Partner of the Year award recognizes a business or organization that provides aid or has otherwise supported Horizon Goodwill in its efforts to assist individuals with overcoming barriers to employment, thereby helping Goodwill fulfill its mission.

Horizon Goodwill’s leadership team has committed to integrating their mission of removing barriers and creating opportunities into their daily business practices. This includes recognizing the need to support their employees with the same compassion and creativity used to support program participants. Like many of the individuals served by HGI’s mission team, access to affordable healthcare presents a challenge to its employees. Employee Benefits Services Solutions (EBS) was an early adopter of the mission integration philosophy and quickly helped HGI find affordable healthcare solutions that met their employees’ needs. EBS has been on the front lines advocating for HGI, removing barriers to access to quality care, and creating opportunities for HGI employees to manage their health while keeping overall program costs lower than more traditional solutions.

Ben Bohonowicz, Director of Client Services for EBS, stated “We are honored to be named Horizon Goodwill’s 2022 Mission Partner of The Year. This recognition means a lot to us, as we’ve long admired the incredible work this organization does to empower individuals and strengthen our community.”

“As a Mission Partner, we have had the privilege of collaborating with Horizon Goodwill on various healthcare initiatives that align with our shared goal of helping to improve better access to care, putting people first, and putting money back into members’ pockets.” He added.

Horizon Goodwill Awards Business Partner of the Year to Schroeder Industries

May 8, 2023

Horizon Goodwill Awards Business Partner of the Year to Schroeder Industries

(Hagerstown, Maryland, May 2023) Schroeder Industries was named “Business Partner of the Year” at Horizon Goodwill Industries’ (HGI) 68th Annual Power of Work Awards. The event, held in Hagerstown on May 3, 2023, is scheduled annually to coincide with National Goodwill Week.

This year, nearly 150 people were in attendance including local officials, program participants, staff, representatives from partnering organizations, and community members.

The Business Partner of the Year award recognizes a business or organization that has partnered with Horizon Goodwill Industries through a contract relationship, which significantly benefits HGI clients by providing work opportunities for the individuals we serve.

Schroeder Industries has partnered with Horizon Goodwill Industries to provide paid work training opportunities for program participants to develop job skills and habits in a real work environment. These experiences are designed to help prepare individuals for competitive employment while also strengthening their work history. Maintaining close communication with HGI’s workforce development team, Schroeder staff share frequent performance feedback and assist program participants in achieving their paid work training goals.

“Out of the four program participants, we converted two to full-time employment with us this year.” Schroeder Industries Human Resources Generalist Sherry Alt stated.

“We found the experience a win-win for the participants, us, and Horizon Goodwill. We believe in giving second chances to individuals allowing opportunities to gain workforce experience, better themselves, and become productive employees for us as well. Horizon Goodwill has fostered an environment of breaking barriers to employment for their participants. We are proud to have been part of the process and look forward to working with them in the future.” She added.

So far, Schroeder has provided five program participants the opportunity to complete 90 days of paid work training and has offered additional temporary labor position opportunities to four program participants that successfully completed the paid training program. Schroeder has also provided gas stipend bonuses – added to each paycheck – for program participants that reached weekly attendance goals.

Horizon Goodwill Awards Employer of the Year to Meritus Health

May 5, 2023

Horizon Goodwill Awards Employer of the Year to Meritus Health

(Hagerstown, Maryland, May 2023) Meritus Health was named “Employer of the Year” at Horizon Goodwill Industries’ (HGI) 68th Annual Power of Work Awards. The event, held in Hagerstown on May 3, 2023, is scheduled annually to coincide with National Goodwill Week.

This year, nearly 150 people were in attendance including local officials, program participants, staff, representatives from partnering organizations, and community members.

The Employer of the Year Award recognizes an employer who has demonstrated outstanding support for assisting individuals by hiring program graduates or otherwise contributing to greater outplacement of program participants through their partnering with Horizon Goodwill Industries.

Meritus Health was selected because of its community support and work connecting people with sustainable employment opportunities. A team consisting of members representing Meritus Health, HGI, and Maryland Physicians Care (MPC) developed an innovative pilot program called “Pathways to Healthcare Careers,” which places low/moderate income candidates directly into living wage positions in one of five identified divisions at Meritus with support from HGI and MPC.

In addition to partnering on this innovative employment program, Meritus Health has also worked with HGI on several other health and community development initiatives. The two organizations successfully obtained funding from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) SEED fund. The SEED Community Development Anchor Institution Fund will aid in creating a full-service grocery store operated by HGI in the Hagerstown downtown core on Prospect St. This project aims to improve community economic and health outcomes by offering affordable healthy food options in the city.

Further collaborative efforts to improve access to healthcare resulted in the award of funds from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission’s “Pathways to Health Equity” program. This resulting project is known as the Hagerstown Health HUB. The two-year grant supports a primary care office at HGI’s downtown Hagerstown location. Meritus Health will provide a full-time nurse practitioner to staff the site. Patients will not be turned away based on insurance status; they will be seen and then connected to a healthcare navigator to assist them in obtaining health insurance.

“At Meritus, we are passionate about our community, and when we find team members who share that passion, it’s a natural fit. We’ve been so fortunate to find team members through this program who want to make a positive impact on their community,” said Dave Lehr, chief strategy officer for Meritus Health. “We’re honored to receive this award from Horizon Goodwill, but we’re even more honored to be able to share the outcomes of our initiatives that demonstrate not only the power of work but the power of working together,” he said.

Randy Is Done Running

February 28, 2023

“I went on the run.”

by Christopher Six, Media Marketing Assistant

photo of randy largent — Randy working at the Romney Store

Randy Largent lived in Romney until he was 25. An average upbringing, he felt. He grew up without a father and got into trouble on and off, but that didn’t keep him from graduating from high school.

“I got a lot of trouble in school but never anywhere where I got sent to like juvie or anything like that. Nothing that serious,” he explains.

But things got more serious after school, something he blames on drugs, particularly “heroin, the devil.” Soon, he faced four felonies in Virginia. He was “young and dumb,” as he tells it, and was sentenced to probation because he was a first-time offender.

“But my baby’s mom, who I was with at the time, stole a cell phone and was on camera. I was on camera with her, so they were gonna get me as an accessory,” he said. “So that right there would have violated my probation right off the bat before I went in and signed the papers. I just figured I’d leave.”

That meant several years of living as someone else in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“Basically, I was trying to wait for everything to go away,” he said. “I was homeless for two years; I panhandled, stuff like that. Then I got a job at a glass shop, worked there for about six months, and then moved in with people who owned it. I lived there for three years, almost. And then I just came back here.”

That was in 2020. “I finally got all that court stuff taken care of,” he explains.

Coming back meant being himself again after living under an assumed name for five years. And at first, that also meant living with his mom. But he wouldn’t stay because of his stepdad.

So he stayed with friends. But after getting fired from his job, he was no longer able to contribute to the bills or rent, so he began staying at an abandoned house in the area. That’s when he met Romney store manager Linda Vailati and assistant manager Pam Simms.

“When we would go to the Dollar store or to Food Lion, we would see Randy sitting on the ground outside by the cooler at the end of the shopping center,” explains Vailiti. “One day, we walked down to talk to him just to see if he was okay. What really drew us there was that we could see his dog, which was around the front of the cooler.”

Randy explained to them the difficulties he was having finding work and how his background prevented him from gaining employment, and Linda told him how sometimes Horizon Goodwill could look past some barriers.

That was at the beginning of December. Now, Randy is working at Horizon Goodwill’s Romney store processing textiles. He sorts clothing and wares and hangs and tags clothing to prepare for the sales floor.

“Basically, I’m learning how to process everything back in the back here at Goodwill, stuff like that,” he explains.

“He’s doing an excellent job. He comes to work every day as scheduled. He’s never late. He doesn’t call off,” adds Vailiti. “He has his little dog here that’s his therapy dog. His name is Taco. He’s Romney’s mascot. And Taco’s just as attached to Randy as Randy is to taco. I think they are therapy for each other.”

Taco is a service chihuahua Randy received from people he lived with in North Carolina, who bred them.

“He (Randy) just steadily works. He’s a little concerned about his production. But he just started, so we’re telling him not to worry about that so much.” Vailiti said. “We’re telling him he just started, so he’s got time to work on that. I think he’s kind of a perfectionist … he’s harder on himself than most people are on him. He’s doing very well here.

As far as what the future holds, Randy keeps his expectations modest. Once he gets settled in at the store, he plans to go in with a friend to a place to live downtown.

“I’m here as long as they want me,” he adds. “Or I find something better? I mean, I highly doubt it around here. I can walk here, and my dog comes with me.”

Randy also has two children but feels it is wrong to “push his company” on them.

“I’m not the type of person that I’ve pushed myself on my children because I know I’m not going to come to see them all the time. I’m not going to do that,” he explains. “So I don’t go and see them when it’s convenient for me. That’d be wrong. But if I see them, of course, I socialize with them and things like that.”

Both children live with grandparents.

“My daughter lives with my mom. And my son lives with my babies mom’s mom.”

Randy feels Goodwill gave him an opportunity when others would not.

“Definitely, when nobody else would help me. No other place would hire me,” he says emphatically. “I applied for Food Lion, Family Dollar, everywhere around here. So, yeah, it definitely helped.

For Elizabeth, it all Happened so Fast

December 29, 2022

For 22-year-old Elizabeth Shoemaker, it all happened so fast.

by Christopher Six, Media Marketing Assistant

“So, in August of 2022, I lived with my family. We lived in the downtown area for about eight years,” she explains. “The landlord and his wife were getting divorced, and they decided to sell the house we were living in — a duplex. And it was sprung on us at the last minute.”

Elizabeth with friend, Michael — Lizzie with her friend and co-worker, Michael

With three little brothers ready to go back to school, Elizabeth, who goes by Lizzie, knew her mother was in a bad situation.

“I remember I came home from the library one day, and mom’s like, we need to have a conversation,” she said. “And she’s just like, I have to worry about getting a place so the boys can start school.”

The goal was to get something for all of them, but Lizzie knew her brothers had to be the top priority.

“And there was nothing wrong with that, you know because it was right before school started. And I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

Taking Control of the Situation

Already attending the Emerge program at the Washington County Free Library, a supportive community helping new adults, she turned to a librarian, Stephanie Wiant, and also the Emerge Coordinator for help.

“It’s people in my age group — 18 to 25 — and it’s run by one of the ladies who works there. She’s a very nice person. I’m always very open with her. And I talked about it, and she suggested I go to Goodwill and then CAC (Community Action Council). So, I went to Goodwill first because I heard good things about them.”

“So, I went down there, and I talked to Tonia Nipper, one of HGI’s Housing Navigators, and she told me about the program, and then thankfully, they had the youth shelter, and Jane was able to get me a job here.”

Lizzie pauses before continuing, “I’m about to cry.”

“I remember it was that day I went to talk to her about housing, and she’s like, do you have a job?” Lizzie did not, so Tonia referred her to Jane Hawkins, an HGI Vocational Case Manager. “And I talked to Jane, and then, literally, the Thursday of that week, I started out here.”

In the Business Services North Warehouse, Lizzie started as a temporary employee. Within a short time, she went to full-time. At the same time, she connected with Holly Masur, a Youth Outreach Case Manager, about housing in the youth shelter.

“I’m very grateful for that. Because at the time, I was still at home, but I took it and stayed there for the rest of August, all of September, and October. And then, on Nov. 1 of this year, I got my first apartment,” she said.

She splits the apartment with a co-worker who became her best friend.

“Michael. He works in my department…. He’s been there for me every step of the way,” she explains. “When I was moving everything over to the shelter, he helped me. At the time, I had to walk from Elm Street all the way to Broadway. It’s not that far of a walk, but when you have a lot of stuff… he made multiple trips. I’m just so grateful.

Now, she loves what she is doing. And she can stay in touch with her family.

“They got an apartment right off Dual Highway. And where I live, we’re not even that far from each other. They’re dropping me a dining room table off sometime this weekend,” she said.

What’s next?

“I’m going to finish decorating my apartment. That’s the main goal — to get more settled in. Just thrive a little bit. Still work really hard. Adopt the cat, maybe. I want a pet. I want a cat or a goldfish,” she said. “I have one year towards my bachelor’s degree, but I just want to take it slow. I might go back to school. I want to do more volunteer work. I’d be more involved in Emerge. That program (Emerge) starts in January; I’m one of the first to start going. I definitely want to help Stephanie with that.”

And long term?

“I don’t know. Maybe a few years down the road, I will find something different. My initial dream goal was, despite going to school for criminal justice, I’m a writer. And I would love to have a book of poetry published. That’s a pipe dream for now. I don’t know if there might be another position, but I really like it here. And I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

Lizzie acknowledges the uniqueness of her situation and urges those who need it to avoid the stigma of asking for help.

“Even Tonia said your situation’s different, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to help you,” she explains. “Because I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know where else to go. You know, I’ve heard good things about Goodwill, but… it’s awkward. Like, why am I doing this? Are people going to think less of me for doing this?”

“But in my opinion, if you don’t ask for help. To me, that’s the dumb thing,” she added. “If it weren’t for Goodwill, I wouldn’t have a job; I wouldn’t have my first apartment. It just wouldn’t have happened.

Meritus Health Donation to Horizon Goodwill Industries

September 20, 2022

Meritus Medical Center Donates Equipment to Horizon Goodwill Industries

(Hagerstown, Maryland, August 2022) Meritus Medical Center recently donated various floor cleaning equipment to Horizon Goodwill Industries (HGI) Business Services division. HGI is very grateful for the donation which will enable the various cleaning crews to be more efficient and perform more work across many of our contracts.

The Business Services division of HGI has been providing creative business solutions for private industry as well as local, state, and federal governments for more than 65 years. The Commercial Cleaning Solutions group employs over 120 people, cleaning over 1.9 million square feet of contracted building space daily. Our contracts include Federal, State, and private sector locations, some of which require security clearances. HGI is currently responsible for cleaning over 100 buildings at Fort Detrick, MD, including the base hospital, Child Development Center, Youth/Teen Center, and many offices.

Brandon Marks, Director of Business Services, said, “We are so grateful for the generosity displayed by Meritus. The addition of this equipment to our division will provide job training opportunities and upskilling for our teams. By learning the specialized skill of floor maintenance, our custodians will be able to earn higher wages and increase theIr quality of life.” Added Chris Austin, Environmental Services Manager for Meritus Health, “At Meritus Health, we are always looking for ways to partner with other local organizations that work to better the lives of others. It’s not just about the equipment, but the bigger picture is that the donations will impact the workers at Horizon Goodwill. It’s the people that matter to us.”

Filed Under: News

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About Horizon Goodwill: Horizon Goodwill Industries, whose mission is “Removing Barriers, Creating Opportunities,” is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to ensuring that all people have access to sustaining and meaningful employment. Ninety cents of every dollar earned by Horizon Goodwill is invested in putting people to work and strengthening communities across a 17-county region throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. For more information, please visit https://www.horizongoodwill.org. For media inquiries, contact Craig Foster, Marketing and Public Relations Manager at 301-733-7330 x1630 or cfoster@goodwill-hgi.org