MERS Goodwill

Dorothy Cooksey, like many other mature individuals, found herself seeking work after early retirement. Dorothy retired in 1998 from her position as the secretary to the Washington University School of Medicine’s Director of Radiology. She quickly realized that her 401K and pension would not be enough to make ends meet. Due to her personable nature, Dorothy found a job on the customer service team for Harrah’s Casino where she received honors for Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year.

In 2002, Dorothy struggled with her health and experienced constant challenges with finding and keeping employment as a result. Dorothy found work in several capacities on and off, and she eventually succeeded in finding work at a restaurant. However, her success was cut short by an unfortunate fall on the job that left her unable to continue that line of work.

Despite a strong administrative and customer service background, Dorothy spent a year looking for employment without any success. She sought outside help and was referred to the MERS/Goodwill Lippman Center by Missouri Agency, Vocational Rehabilitation.

Dorothy was assigned a MERS/Goodwill caseworker that recommended taking job readiness training classes.

“The job training classes really focused on how to present yourself and prepare for job openings,” said Dorothy. “They put me in a better position to get a job as opposed to those who were looking on their own.”

In March of 2008, armed with her resume and newfound confidence, Dorothy attended a job fair that was advertised at the Lippman Center. It was there that she found the Northgate Park Senior Living Community table and inquired about open positions. The recruiters were looking for nursing aids, but Dorothy told them she was interested in a dietary aid position. Even though that wasn’t the position they were hiring for that day, the recruiter had Dorothy complete an application.

Less than a week later, Dorothy received a call from Northgate. She interviewed with the retirement community and was hired as a dietary aid. Today, Dorothy enjoys interaction with the residents and a management team at Northgate that is flexible with her requested hours. As a result, the financial strains that once plagued Dorothy no longer worry her. She plans to be financially stable when she does retire so that she can relax and enjoy life. Looking back on her experience at the job fair, Dorothy said that even though she was alone at the Northgate table, the MERS/Goodwill team was supporting her the whole time.

“It’s the MERS/Goodwill team that I have to thank for my current position,” said Dorothy. “They helped me regain confidence and maintain my independence.”