From Civil War to CEO

How Goodwill of Greater Washington Helped One Man Change Many Lives

In 1992 Bernard Kosie was living amongst the ruins of Sierra Leone , a small country on the west coast of Africa bordering Liberia and the Atlantic Ocean . Sierra Leone 's leader, Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh had just been overthrown in a military coup and the nation was in the grips of a violent civil war. Just a young man at the time, Bernard loved his country but knew that he needed to find a way out. He packed what few belongings he could gather and made the long and difficult journey to America .

Upon arriving in the United States , Bernard settled in the nation's capitol. Even though he had a college degree, Bernard spoke limited English and had few marketable job skills.

Shortly after his arrival, he found Goodwill of Greater Washington through a newspaper recruitment ad, and decided to learn more.

Bernard liked what he heard and enrolled in Goodwill's retail training program. Upon completion of the program, he was hired to work as a sales associate in Goodwill's Arlington store on Columbia Pike. After little more than a year, Bernard was promoted to manager of both the Arlington and Falls Church Goodwill stores. All this time, he was also working towards his master's degree. In 1994 while still working for Goodwill, Bernard graduated with a master's degree in Accounting from Marymount University .

After completing graduate school, he left Goodwill and began working as an accounting intern with the Close Up Foundation in Alexandria , VA. For the next seven years Bernard worked his way up the corporate ladder at a variety of organizations until in 2002 he decided it was time walk down another path. Bernard wanted to help people like himself, who came to America from Africa with hopes of escaping war & poverty and fulfilling the American dream.

So later that year he launched Feed the Hungry International , a non-profit organization that provides, food, clothing and community outreach to the African Community in Northern Virginia, his adopted home.

Bernard is very proud of his accomplishments, and credits Goodwill for his success and desire to help others. “Goodwill was like a father to me at a time when I was in need. When I came to America , I wanted to work and Goodwill was the only organization that would give me that opportunity”, Bernard told us. “I would recommend Goodwill of Greater Washington to anyone who needs help in getting back on their feet.”

Today, Bernard is the President & CEO of Feed the Hungry International and works diligently every day to help others like himself, who simply want a second chance in life. He is a shining example of how the Goodwill mission can ultimately benefit an entire community.

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