TACOMA – Despite facing the challenges of cerebral palsy and blindness in one eye, Cody Brown is striving for success working as a courtesy clerk at the Orting Safeway store. Brown was one of several award winners Tuesday at the Goodwill
Ready to Work Breakfast.

“There is a large number of people who want to work,” said Brown, upon receiving the Graduate of the Year Award. “Don’t look at the disability. All of us have disabilities. We all have something messed up in our lives.”

Other honorees included Achiever of the Year Carley Covell, who works in Tacoma Goodwill’s E-Commerce division after a car crash. “Without Goodwill, I’d be without a home,” said Covell. “Goodwill not only gave me a chance, they gave me help, a job and the hand I needed.”

Michener Inspirational Award winner Michael Beldin is a participant in YouthBuild, which trains young adults in the construction trade while providing classroom instruction to receive a GED.

The Tacoma Rainiers baseball club was named Small Employer of the Year, and The Home Depot was named Large Employer.

Both have been longtime supporters of Goodwill. Award sponsors included the Franciscan Foundation, Tacoma Rainiers, Bank of America, Rainier Pacific Bank and Murray Pacific.

This year’s event featured a new twist: 60 job training participants and graduates of Goodwill programs attended the event and talked about their career goals with the 600 business executives on hand. Under the direction of Ed DeJesus, a nationally recognized expert in the field of workforce development, participants presented resumes and received counsel – and even a few job opportunities.

“It’s not about perfection – it’s about connection,” said DeJesus, founder, president and CEO of The Youth Development and Research Fund told participants, whom he met with after the event. “Goodwill is really trying to help you make that connection to the job.” Tacoma Goodwill CEO Terry A. Hayes updated the agency’s activities including plans to serve 6,000 people in 2009 and place 1,500 in jobs and the opening – over the next six months – of new stores in North Tacoma, River Road/Puyallup, Des Moines and Bonney Lake that will mean the addition of 125 jobs.

Hayes also reported construction of the new Milgard Work Opportunity Center is set to be done Sept. 9 with the building open for business Monday, Sept. 14. She said funding was more than 80 percent complete with the addition of $1.85 million approved in the 2009-11 Washington state Capital Budget and $385,000 from the recently passed federal budget.
“It’s very gratifying to be a part of providing people in our community a chance to go to work and support themselves,” said Bob Bruback, Goodwill board president.

Columbia Bank sponsored the annual event that raises money for Goodwill’s Scholarship Fund, which provides support for program participants needing job training and placement services.