"Goodwill gave me the second chance I needed."
Mark Palmowski is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served our country for four years. After his time in the military, Mark planned to make truck driving his career and trained at the National Tractor Trailer School. A brief incarceration sidelined his plans, and he found it extremely difficult to find a job. Mark’s path led him to Goodwill where he was hired as a dockworker in the Donated Goods Processing area where he loaded and unloaded trucks and trailers, but he still kept his focus on his goal of being hired as a truck driver. After proving himself as a reliable and dedicated team member on the dock, Goodwill decided to give Mark a chance to get back on track with his career goals, and he was hired as a truck driver. Mark says, “Hats off to them. That was the break I needed.” Mark enjoyed his job and the people he worked with but wanted to better himself and provide for his wife who had a chronic illness, his adult son and his granddaughter that he was raising.
As a veteran, Mark was familiar with the Veterans One-stop Center and decided to meet with the Goodwill Employment Services team located there to get the help he needed to advance on his career path. He worked on his resume and Interviewing skills to prepare himself for the next step and was ready when a position became available at a motor freight company in the area. Mark landed the job!
Unfortunately, the company that Mark worked for abruptly closed in February and he found himself unemployed. Mark “dealt with the cards that were handed to him” and immediately began his search for a new position. With the job search skills he had learned and the experience he had gained, it was not long before he landed a new job – less than one month later.
On a personal note, Mark is a strong advocate for his adult son who is facing challenges. Goodwill’s Veterans Employment Services team assists family members of veterans, and Mark is happy that his son is now receiving the help he needs from the same place that helped him reach his own career goals – Goodwill.