Alyssa's Opportunity Story

Alyssa Mingola was referred to Goodwill through Vocational Rehabilitation with the hope of gaining the skills needed to secure her first job.

In Vocational Adjustment Training, Alyssa took part in the FUNdamentals of Work classes and completed 400 training hours. Throughout this experience, she gained confidence and truly blossomed in her personal and professional growth, with a focus on retail services.

After completing the program, Alyssa began working as a Sales Associate at the Hixson Goodwill Store. She shared her enjoyment of being part of a team, saying, "I love that I get along with everyone and we can work together as a team."

Store Manager Amanda Stewart commended Alyssa for being a "fast learner, hard worker, and a team player," emphasizing that she "embodies the Goodwill mission by going above and beyond to get the job done."

We are thankful for her commitment to helping people transform potential into opportunity!

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Goodwill To Host Forklift Operator Training Course Oct. 27–29

October 20, 2026

Goodwill To Host Forklift Operator Training Course Oct. 27–29

Goodwill & the Chattanooga i-team

October 19, 2026

The Goodwill Opportunity Center is excited to be working alongside the Chattanooga i-team. What is an i-team, you ask? The City of Chattanooga’s Innovation Team (i-team) utilizes the Path to Public Innovation, a methodology that centers residents and their perspectives in the process to design new solutions. In alignment with the City of Chattanooga’s One Chattanooga Works strategic initiative, the i-team is tackling complex challenges through data and community engagement, and working with city leaders, residents, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders to test and implement new ideas focused on workforce development. As part of this initiative, the i-team hosted in-person discussions and ideation sessions at the Goodwill Opportunity Center. During these ideation sessions, Goodwill participants and community members generated ideas about how to grow professional networks, find and access information and opportunities, better understand what jobs are currently available, and what skills, knowledge, and experience are needed for key career pathways. I-team Director Liza Soydan and her team are currently prototyping new solutions to help people gain exposure to available jobs in the Chattanooga area.