A Mission Moment

Submitted by Brendan Hurley
Goodwill VP of Marketing & Communications

A couple of weeks ago, my staff and I were managing a trunk show at a location in Bethesda, MD.

The trunk show was going along great when we suddenly realized that we needed some additional change for the cash register.

Across the hall from us was a Cardinal Bank. I went into the bank and asked the young man behind the counter if he could give me change for a $20 bill. He kindly replied, “Yes sir, I’m happy to help you”. I took my change, thanked him and walked back to our trunk show.

A few minutes later during his break, this same young bank teller walked across the hall and introduced himself to the marketing team. He also informed us that he was a graduate of Goodwill’s Bank Skills Job Training Program and was doing very well at his new position with Cardinal Bank.

He had in his possession a $25 Goodwill Retail Store gift certificate that he received upon graduation. He asked if he could give this gift certificate to a young woman who worked down the hall but didn’t make much money. She saw something in the trunk show that she liked but didn’t have the funds at the moment to purchase it. We told him that it was his gift certificate and he could give it to anyone he liked!

This young man then went on to tell us that if it wasn’t for the leadership, direction and teaching of David Amoroso, Goodwill’s Bank Skills Instructor, he wouldn’t be where he is today. The young man was very appreciate of everything that Mr. Amoroso and Goodwill had done for him and he wanted to give back by passing along his gift certificate to someone who he felt needed it more.

What tremendous examples of leadership displayed not just by Mr. Amoroso, but also by this young bank teller. He felt that Goodwill had given him the gift of hope, and so he in turn wanted to pass along a gift that he believed would benefit someone else more than it would benefit himself: his $25 gift certificate.

These are the moments when I realize what an impact Goodwill can have on others. It may have been a very small gesture in the eyes of this young bank teller, but it was a huge moment on my perception of how Goodwill transforms lives.

A Goodwill Moment is any time that someone experiences the power of Goodwill of Greater Washington’s mission.