Two Goodwill Employees Receive Donated Vehicles

Two Goodwill employees who faced serious challenges getting to work can now make their commutes with the turn of a key.

Theresa Banks of Nashville and Carolyn Smith of Jackson each received a donated vehicle through Goodwill’s Wheels-to- Work program, which helps employees and clients of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee who need reliable transportation to get to work.

During a ceremony Thursday morning in downtown Nashville, the nonprofit organization’s president and CEO Matthew Bourlakas presented Banks with the keys to a 2001 Mercury Mountaineer and Smith with the keys to a 2001 Volkswagen Passat. He noted that Goodwill strives to help people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, and a lack of transportation can be a major impediment to finding and keeping a job.

“The challenge is, can they show up to work on time, every day? Are they dependable?,” he said. “I’m excited that these two individuals are going to have that opportunity to not have to depend on someone else, but to be able to wake up tomorrow and say, ‘I can drive myself.’ And that’s a wonderful thing.”