donate. shop. do good. repeat. - Goodwill

testimonial of goodwill
Lilton Sykes, Jr. and Hasan Zarif -
the circle of support
In October 2009, Lilton Sykes visited our employment
center. He had just been released from the
Department of Corrections, and had heard about
the job seeking services at Goodwill. He had a
one-on-one orientation about services and began
to use our resource room. Lilton attended the Re-
Entry workshop where he took to heart their advice.
One piece especially spoke to him - the advice to
be professional in appearance as he looked for a
job. He met with Hasan Zarif, Goodwill’s Re-Entry
program manager to obtain a suit, 2 ties, shoes and
a belt. Hasan knew better than anyone about Lilton’s
situation. Twenty years ago, Hasan was released from
prison under similar circumstances. Hasan has done
so much more than just starting over since Goodwill
opened the door for him. He has spent his career
giving back to our community through his service
as Goodwill Re-Entry Coordinator and minister in
Chaplain Services. Hasan is such a role model for
our community that he received a simple pardon
from Governor Kaine in 2009. A shining example
of overcoming obstacles, Hasan is well qualified,
personally and professionally, to help Lilton, and
others like him, find their place in this world.
Lilton, prepared now to look the part, began to
actively seek a job. Within the month, he was offered
a part time position at a local restaurant. Although he
needed full time work, he remembered the advice
from our program to get his foot in the door, so he
did…he accepted the position. While working part
time, he noticed that there were some tasks at his
job that the employer struggled to complete due
to the odd time of day that the tasks needed to be
done. Lilton volunteered to take on these tasks to
make the business more efficient. Consequently, the
employer compiled the tasks, along with his original
responsibilities, and Lilton now has a full time job!
Lilton oftens says, “My comfort came from Mr. Zarif
and Goodwill”.
Goodwill doesn’t
see obstacles,
only opportunities.
Lilton Sykes
10 Goodwill Industries