Goodwill Industries of Northern Arizona will recognize six exemplary individuals and organizations at its second
Community IMPACT Awards Luncheon at the High Country Conference Center, Thursday, Feb. 2, from 11:30am to 1:30p.m.
Connecing friends and demonstrating the power of work are the cornerstones of the mission that Goodwill shares with its
community partners. The award recipients are being honored for embodying this commitment to workforce development in northern Arizona.
The recipients and their respective awards are:
Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona-Collective Community Impact Award
Little America-Business Engagement Award
Dr. Colleen Smith, President, Coconino Community College-Goodwill Ambassador of the Year
Keillynee Martinez-Goodwill Graduate of the Year
Alroy Jones-Goodwill Team Member of the Year
Liz Ontiveros-Goodwill Achiever of the Year
The keynote speaker at the event will be retired Staff Sgt. Joseph Girvan, a former Army Ranger who is now an IT Project Manager with Banner Health. He managed the transition from deployment to employment with help from the Hire Our Heroes initiative between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Goodwill Industries.
Mr. Girvan is a passionate advocate of programs providing the help veterans and their spouses need in finding employment as they make the transition from military life to corporate culture, said David Hirsch, President & CEO of Goodwill Industries of Northern Arizona.
“We are looking forward to his insights and believe they will help us make our programs, such as the American Veterans and Their Families
initiative, even more relevant,” he added.
Sponsors for this event include Title Sponsor Findlay Automotive, Event Partners APS and CS&L CPAs, and numerous supporting sponsors.
For more information on this awards ceremony, please call Goodwill at (928)
526-9188 or go to the goodwillna.org website.
IMPACT Awards
Page 2
Recipients of the 2nd Annual
Goodwill Community IMPACT Awards
While each recipient of the Goodwill Industries of Northern
Arizona Community IMPACT Awards shares a
common love of community and the desire to give back, they each e
mbody the Goodwill mission in distinct
ways.
ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS
201
6 Collective Community IMPACT Award
Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA)
ECoNA is being honored with this year
s award for the vital role it plays in the
region
s economic vitality. The agency coordinates the efforts of priv
ate,
public, and nonprofit entities to attract new businesses to
the region; work
with existing companies so they can expand; and promote strategi
c workforce
development efforts to provide a highly skilled and appropriately
trained
workforce for the companies doing business here.
201
6 Business Engagement Award
Little America Hotel
Little America Hotel in Flagstaff has been a tremendous partner t
o Goodwill in
living up to its mission to
put people to work.
In addition to participating in
and hosting job fairs with Goodwill, the hostelry has s
hown a commitment to
giving a chance to individuals with barriers
to
employment, including teens
who are just entering the workforce (part of Goodwill
s First Jobs Summer Youth Employment Program) and
those re-entering society after being incarcerated (Fresh Start
Re-Entry Program).
INDIVIDUAL HONORS
201
6 Goodwill Ambassador of the Year
Dr. Colleen Smith, President, Coconino Community College
Since arriving in Flagstaff last year to take the helm at Coconi
no Community
College, Dr. Colleen Smith has been a vocal advocate of the work
Goodwill
does to fulfill its mission. The college and Goodwill have
partnered on
numerous workforce development initiatives, the most prominent bei
ng the
Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician training initiative and
the First
Jobs Summer Youth Employment program. Dr. Smith serves on the Goo
dwill
Industries of Northern Arizona Board of Directors.
IMPACT Awards
Page 3
201
6 Goodwill Graduate of the Year
Keillynee Martinez, former Goodwill Team Member
Shortly after moving to the area from Puerto Rico, Keillynee Martinez appl
ied for a
position as an AmeriCorps worker in Goodwill
s
Cottonwood location. Keillynee had a
successful Human Resources career in Puerto Rico, but was unsure about working
full-time while raising two sons. She successfully obtained a part-time AmeriCorps
job
with Goodwill and quickly became a valued team member
.
Keillynee dove headfirst
into her work and helping our local job seekers find and keep employment,
said
Cottonwood Team Leader Dave Meyers.
She just fell in love with Goodwill, our
mission of
putting people to work,
and her team in Cottonwood.
Recently,
Keillynee
graduated
from Goodwill and has secured an HR position at Cliff Castle
Casino, training hospitality staff for the new hotel there.
201
6 Goodwill Team Member Award
Alroy Jones, Goodwill Team Leader, West Flagstaff
There was a point in Alroy Jones
s life where he just, as he put it, hit a wall.
Going through a divorce, he had no home, no job, no vehicl
e. Eventually the
hardships took a physical toll and Alroy wound up in t
he hospital, with doctors
pessimistic that he would even survive.
That
s when I gave my life to the Lord
and took up the challenge to prove the doctors wrong,
he said. There were
some bumps in the road to recovery; he tried to return to work
too early at a
dishwasher job and had to quit when his health deteriorated aga
in. Doctors
warned he probably would never be able to hold down a full-t
ime job. Again, Alroy proved the experts wrong.
He found Goodwill and was hired as a
greeter
in its West Flagstaff outlet store. It wasn
t easy, and the first
few months were among the hardest of his life as his body adju
sted to the daily work. But not only did Alroy
survive, he thrived and as the months passed, he was promoted ti
me and again until he became the Team
Leader for the outlet store.
I’m now working 45 to 50 hours a week with no limitations
,
he said proudly,
and the doctor who doubted me all this time now just smiles w
ith every visit.
201
6 Goodwill Achiever of the Year
Liz Ontiveros, Goodwill Team Member, Cottonwood
Liz Ontiveros is a survivor and has shown how a person can
recover after the
hardship of domestic violence. When her husband left her after a
tumultuous
28
-year marriage, Liz retreated from the world.
I completely isolated myself
and locked myself in my room for about a month,
she said. But a counselor
suggested Liz investigate the work adjustment training initiative
at Goodwill.
Eventually, she was hired at the Goodwill store in Cottonwo
od as a greeter
and has become an inspirational team member. And while the paycheck is
great, Liz says Goodwill gave her more than a way to make a livi
ng.
Working here gave me confidence,
she
said.
I gained self-esteem. It gave me my life back.
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