“Before I came to Goodwill, the government system was all I knew,” says Rich McDonald. “I grew up in group homes starting at age seven. As a teenager I was in the juvenile jail, and when I turned 18 they moved me straight over to the county jail.”

“It took me 30 years to get it,” continues Rich. “I’d been in and out of jail many times for hustling and stealing. But as I was sitting in jail this last time, I decided I was ready for the responsible life. I promised myself I would never do anything illegal again. I let God take control of my life, and I feel like my patience has paid off.”

“I decided to stay out of jail and get serious about my career because I wanted to take care of my kids,” says Rich. “I was tired of being away from my family. My oldest son is twelve years old, and he often stays with me. My other two kids are ages eight and two, and they live with their mom.”

After Rich got out of jail, he went looking for work each day, with no success. Finally, in November 2007, he met Dorothy Thomas, from the Visitacion Valley Life Skills Program, who was handing out Goodwill flyers in his neighborhood.

“I came to the Goodwill orientation very serious about getting a job, and eager to learn as much as possible,” recalls Rich.

He became a transitional employee and started working in the salvage yard as a forklift driver. “I couldn’t even stack a pallet when I came here,” remembers Rich. “But they were offering the forklift class on my first day of work, so I took it, and by the end of the day I was certified. It was great because I’d always wanted to learn how to drive a forklift.”

After only three months as a transitional employee, Rich was hired on as permanent staff. “This is my first real job,” says Rich. “Before, I would get a job and as soon as I got my first paycheck, I would take off. Now I see that I can actually move up in my career. I would really like to become a Goodwill truck driver.”

“Now my life is really calm,” continues Rich. “All I do is work, go home, take care of my kids, and sleep. I recently bought my first car. And on December 13th, I got off parole after only 13 months – that’s the least possible amount of time.”

 “Now I earn money instead of wondering where I’ll get money,” says Rich. “Goodwill and the Visitacion Valley Life Skills Program changed my life.”