If anyone needs a helping hand, Rick is happy to oblige. In fact helping is what Rick enjoys most about his new job at Paper City Coffee where he washes dishes twice a week.
“I like helping,” he said, adding he also likes meeting new people and “smelling that food and coffee.”
Rick’s journey to Paper City Coffee began in September 2021 when he started participating in our Project Connect program. He along with three others worked with a job coach at our Western Avenue store sharpening their work skills.
“He works hard and loves interacting with people,” said Employment Specialist Elonaray Perkins who oversees Project Connect. “He is always willing to help others.”
When it came time to look for a job in the community, Employment Specialist Kourtnie Hildreth met with Rick to talk about what kind of job he would like to do.
“He said that he really didn’t have a preference as long as he was helping others,” she said.
Before interviewing at Paper City Coffee, Rick met with Kourtnie, Workforce Development Supervisor Penny Hall, and Art Nickles from the Pioneer Center to prep. With their help, Rick said he felt prepared going into the interview.
He also had varied experience beyond his previous job as a dish washer at Pizza Hut to boost his marketability. In addition to working in our store with Project Connect, Rick has worked with our Handy Helpers program which aims to help people with small home jobs like raking leaves and other yard work. He also helped out Paper City Coffee’s neighbor, the Mighty Children’s Museum, with its temporary ice rink in Yoctangee Park.
And he has worked with our gloves operation where individuals who attend our center place “Packaged by Goodwill” labels on every box of gloves.
At Paper City, Rick’s been happy to be on the receiving end of kindness whether it’s a nice, “Hi, Rick!” or a coworker checking in to see if he’d like a sandwich.
“I like it,” he said with a smile and twinkle in his eye.
Learn more about Project Connect and our job development services by clicking here.