MERS Goodwill

In the fall of 2008, Dwight Robinson was in a life-altering accident that left him with brain damage, in a wheelchair and unable to find work. Dwight’s new beginning took shape after he began physical therapy at a rehabilitation facility for his accident. Dwight saw a brochure for MERS/Goodwill’s Job Readiness Training (JRT) program at the rehabilitation facility and instantly recognized the MERS/Goodwill name.

“The organization’s name was so familiar,” said Dwight. “I’ve seen it so many times; just something about it. So I said to myself, ‘Goodwill, okay, let’s see what they’re doing besides the stores.’”

Dwight made a visit to the MERS/Goodwill Lippman Center to gain assistance in his search for job placement, but he had yet to deal with his accident internally. For a few months, Dwight did not go back to the Lippman Center in order to focus on his physical and mental healing. Dwight later returned and decided to give the MERS/Goodwill programs another try. He returned with renewed dedication and a spark of motivation.

Dwight said he was different the second time around and that Maria Wilder, an employee in the head injury department of the Lippman Center, was a great help to him in staying active with the program. Dwight felt that the best benefits of the program have been regaining his confidence and feeling accomplished.

“After I came to terms with my accident, that’s when the real surviving started,” said Dwight. “That’s when you want to thrive. My confidence was at a low and coming to Goodwill changed all that around because I know now that I can be productive. I’m not sitting at home. I’m actually interacting with people again. I am feeling good about myself and I feel needed. I think that my family sees me differently now. I don’t think they see me as being bound to a wheelchair. I think that these opportunities came from my time [at the Lippman Center].”

Dwight has worked hard, Monday through Thursday, every morning, at the Lippman Center in the JRT program to develop skills that will aid him in securing employment.

“I enjoy the classroom because the many ways I used to do things are being refreshed in my memory,” said Dwight. “I am currently networking for jobs and learning to present myself in a different way. It’s taught me a whole new set of skills to reinvent myself.”