“It’s all about being in the right place at the right time with the right people, and that place was Goodwill for me.”
The first thing you notice when you meet Charles Everhart is his smile, and he has plenty to smile about. Charles is a lifelong Buffalo resident, a veteran who served our country in the US Marines. He worked as a teacher’s aide and computer specialist for many years. As much as he enjoyed his work - and was good at it - it wasn’t enough to support his family when this single father gained full custody of two of his daughters. He soon found himself out of work and homeless and having to rely on public assistance. He was “couch surfing” and was “ready to give up” when he had to resort to living in a community shelter with his daughters.
Charles didn’t know where to turn until a friend told him about the Veterans One-stop Center of WNY. It was there that he met his job developer with Goodwill’s Veterans Employment Services division who would work with him on his resume and job search, always providing leads. He encouraged him to build his skills and that included training to obtain his forklift operator certification. Charles will tell you that “Cory always said hang in there, something good will happen.” And it did.
An Intake Specialist position at a local agency that serves homeless veterans became available and because of his skills, experience and personality, Charles was encouraged to apply. He applied, interviewed with the Program Manager and “the rest is history”. He was the perfect person for the job.
Charles says, “Life is awesome. I’m living in a very nice place and able to provide for my daughter and grandchildren who live with me. I am grateful to Goodwill, and I thank God that I was given another chance.”
Because of his new job, Charles is able to pursue his other interests as well. He is the lead singer in the gospel choir at his church, a photographer, and an actor who has appeared in plays and a movie. He is currently auditioning for a movie role and we can’t wait to see him on the big screen!