Good People Fall 2023

STORIES OF HOPE & TRANSFORMATION FALL 2023

MICHAELA ORONA

Inaugural Class of 2015 The Goodwill Excel Center 10 years after graduation.

Congratulations!

THE GOODWILL EXCEL CENTER CLASS OF 2023

10 YEARS OF EMPOWERING STUDENTS

This school year marks the tenth anniversary of The Goodwill Excel Center, our adult high school. What a privilege to serve our community through education and empower tremendous student success over the last decade.

What started with one Austin community campus and a graduating class of 50 people has become six campuses, with a graduating class of 356!

At Goodwill, we believe that education and employment are true pathways out of poverty. In 2013, the legislature and Texas Education Agency authorized our proposal for the first high school model where adults ages 18 to 50 could return to school to earn their diplomas and complete training for a highdemand career.

Excel maintains the fundamental tenet with which we began when we opened our doors in 2014 – wholeperson support.

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THE GOODWILL EXCEL CENTER THEN AND NOW

Excel at a Glance

The school empowers students to achieve through:

• Personalized learning

• Coaching

• Access to childcare

• Mental health counseling

• Transportation assistance

• Basic needs and resources

• Career education services

In honor of our 10 years, Excel is hosting multiple celebratory events throughout the school year – including an alumni reunion, open house, and a ‘Student, Friends, and Family Day’.

SECOND-CHANCE EDUCATION FOR JUSTICE CAMPUSES!

As a testament to our belief in the transformative power of education, and thanks to a collaboration with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Windham School District, The Goodwill Excel Center operates four campuses within correctional facilities.

Justice Education (JE)

Campuses are designed to serve students facing the challenges of incarceration and provide long-term support and preparation for re-entry into the community.

We opened our first JE Campus in 2016 at the Coleman Unit for Women in Lockhart with 23 students. Excel also operates Justice Education Campuses at Billy Moore Correctional Center and the Diboll Correctional Center in East Texas. A fourth campus will open at the John B. Connally Unit in Kenedy, Texas later this year. As of June 2023, these campuses have served more than 4,100 people with more than 700 graduates obtaining their high school diploma.

JE graduation Class of 2023

14,000+ 356 356 14,000+ Class of 2023 Grads Credits Earned

From 2014...

Michaela was looking forward to the future after she graduated from The Goodwill Excel Center in 2015. When she started classes, she walked to and from class at the Norwood campus while her infant daughter was in daycare (prior to the opening of the Exploration Center early learning center).

After school, she walked to multiple night jobs to make ends meet. She knew she wanted a better life for her family, so she promised herself that she would buckle down and finish with the first graduating class. “I was grateful for the opportunity. My teachers were all supportive and helped me get through. I still have connections to my Life Coach and other friendships I built there,” said Michaela.

After graduation, Michaela completed her training and nursing assistant certification through the Goodwill Career & Technical Academy (GCTA). She continued to receive support from Excel and

Goodwill through career services, community resources, and financial literacy classes. “I opened my first bank account. And, with it, I was able to purchase my first car!”

Michaela is now embarking on the next step of her career journey. After eight years of success in the medical industry, Michaela sought guidance from her Excel alumni coach and will soon begin college for registered nursing.

...to 2023

The Class of 2023 Valedictorian, Student Leadership Award winner, and Netspend Tuition Scholarship recipient, Olga Leal, earned her nursing assistant certification in April while completing her high school diploma at Excel. Next, she intends to pursue a career in healthcare.

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I always tell people about Excel. There are amazing people there who love to do their jobs. They made me feel like I could do it. And I did.

The Goodwill Excel Center Class of 2015

Thank you to our sponsors to-date!

GOOD NIGHT FOR GOOD WILL

UFCU

Frost Bank

Higginbotham

Way Service, Ltd.

Clean Scapes

Margaret & Mat Moten

Kristin & Tony Ruff

Cara & Mike Clifford

Cushman & Wakefield

Mara & Phil Fouts

Mojdeh Gharbi & Max

Hoberman

Elizabeth & Gary Gunter

Marsh McLennan Agency

Please join us to celebrate A Good Night for Goodwill and support programs that break the cycle of poverty through meaningful pathways to work.

SEPTEMBER 29 ★ JUNIOR LEAGUE OF AUSTIN CENTER

6–8:30 PM RECEPTION, DINNER, AND PROGRAM ★ 8:30–11 PM AFTER PARTY SXSW RAFFLE ★ SILENT AUCTION

Sunrise Technologies

Texas Capital Bank

Cheryl Koury

Catherine Savage

Smarter Benefits Solutions

Bank of America

Bracewell LLP

Ferguson Facilities Supply

Mohan Kharbanda

Corky Logue

Diane Ring

Shopgoodwill.com

Media Partner | Curated Texan

Host Committee

Sam Bakir

Mike Clifford

Elizabeth & Gary Gunter

Mohan Kharbanda

Cheryl Koury

Margaret Moten

Rob Neville

Curtis Page

Catherine Savage

AFTER PARTY TICKETS ★ SXSW RAFFLE PLEASE VISIT: thatsgoodwill.org/good-night-2023 OR SCAN QR CODE

Richard Shields Bridge Fund Supporters

Sam Bakir

Glenhill Asset Management

Myra Leo & Billy Atkins

Claire Mathias

Monica Matous

Margaret Moten

Rob Neville

Tracie Stookesberry

That’s upside down.

Tops & more

Find more than you think for less than you imagined.

Sometimes when you come in to Goodwill looking for a find, you score a black and grey top perfect for living upside down. On top of that, your purchases help people in the community in need. There’s Goodwill in all of us. That’s Goodwill.

www.goodwillcentraltexas.org