Goodwill Banquet Honors Employees, Recognizes Community Support

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

On Thursday, May 29, over 200 guests were in attendance to watch while Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries’ employees and supporters were honored at an Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn Boardman. With Goodwill’s primary focus to rehabilitate and teach job skills to those with disabilities and other barriers to employment, this gala event acknowledged employees for exceptional performance over the past year, as well as the vital community support received.


“The annual Awards Banquet is an opportunity for Goodwill to show respect, gratitude and congratulations to people, businesses and organizations that have helped Goodwill to succeed or to those who have accomplished success themselves,” says Michael McBride, executive director.  Goodwill honored its employees who have demonstrated outstanding achievement, and expressed its appreciation to businesses and members of the community who have contributed outstanding support to Goodwill's mission.

  

Following the welcome from Patrick Briceland, president of Goodwill’s Board of Trustees, McBride stated, “this event is about achievement, it’s about contributing, it’s about service, it’s about doing the right thing. Like every business and organization, Goodwill is faced with monumental change, increasing costs and more restrictions. It’s not so easy being in business today. I think we are prepared to continue moving forward to meet the challenges before us.” As Goodwill begins to move forward, they first took time out to recognize those deserving individuals. 

Some of  those individuals recognized included a gentleman who has contributed over 40 years of service to Goodwill as a volunteer and board member, two Goodwill employees who hang clothes in the textiles department by feel because they are blind, another employee who has worked her way up from clerk cashier to store manager; and another who rides his bike to work every day and walks the four miles to work when the weather is bad, yet he has managed to only miss one day of work in the past two years.

 

 

These are just a few of the individuals who were honored that evening. Others receiving honors at the annual banquet include:

                          

Janet Larson, Amblyopia Volunteer of the Year; Andy DeTesco and Scott Baird, YRRS Volunteer of the Year; Karen George, Jr. Group Volunteer of the Year, Elyn Summers and Macy’s Logistics & Operations, Contributor of the Year; Altronic, Inc. and Aim NationaLease, Continuous Service; Jonathan Schoenike, Past President’s Award; Comfort Inn, Employer of the Year; Hermitage, Store of the Year; Braddock Watkins, Philip Bracy, Pam Bowden, Rodney Schwanbeck, Charles Aikens, Harlan Jones, Tina Buffone and Mary Steele, Exceptional Performance; Renee Ross, Supervisor of the Year; Jeffrey Gue, Graduate of the Year; Richard Brown, Employee of the Year.




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