Hiring staff through Goodwill has numerous benefits

Hiring staff through Goodwill has numerous benefits
…………………………………………………………………

BY DANA BENSON
Rice News Staff

Managers in Rice’s housing and dining department know a good deal when they see one. And they certainly have found a good deal — and good employees — through Goodwill Industries of Houston.

Rice established a relationship with Goodwill about four years ago and since then has hired several housing and dining employees through the nonprofit organization. But while Rice has benefited from the program that trains and provides work opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, so have Goodwill and the employees now working at Rice.

“We recognize that most people desire to work, and we understand that many individuals find their aspirations crushed by such conditions as injury, abuse, poverty and low self-esteem,” said Patricia Dornak, director of workforce development at Goodwill. “We’re so appreciative of Houston employers like Rice University who offer people a chance to re-enter the workforce.”

Mark Ditman, director of housing and dining, and Rice Catering Manager Angela Riggs agreed that finding employees to work in Rice’s kitchen facilities as dishwashers and in food preparation can be difficult, and keeping employees is even harder. But they have seen success with the employees hired through Goodwill.

“Our relationship with Goodwill has been great,” said Riggs, who has supervised the hiring of the Goodwill employees. “We have wonderful employees who are anxious to work and anxious to please.”

At one point, as many as 10 employees hired through Goodwill were working at Rice, Ditman said, leading to the designation of Rice as the Goodwill Employer of the Year in 1997.

Currently, there are four Rice employees who were hired through Goodwill, Riggs said. She explained that some of the employees no longer working here left after obtaining the skills and confidence to move up in the workforce.

The four employees still working at Rice have been incredible assets to the university, Riggs said, and working here has been positive for them as well.

“Watching them grow, especially in their respect for themselves and their pride in their work, has been very rewarding,” she said.

Ditman recalled when Joyce Andrews came to work at Rice. “For the first six months that Joyce worked here, I couldn’t get her to look me in the eyes, and she had just one-word responses when spoken to. Since then she’s just kind of bloomed. She’s a great example of a Goodwill success story,” he said.

Andrews works in the Baker College kitchen. She was hired as a dishwasher and now is working in salad preparation. Working along with Andrews in the Baker College kitchen is Paul Comeaux, who also was hired through Goodwill. In addition to Andrews and Comeaux, Manuel Rodarte, who works in the Lovett College kitchen, and Kendrick Robinson at the Hanszen kitchen also were hired through Goodwill.

“The people who came through this program arrived much more well-prepared to work than many of the people we hired through conventional avenues,” Ditman noted.

The Rice employees came through Goodwill’s Education Employment and Training Center, explained Dornak. The center serves as a bridge between employers’ needs and the preparation of clients to meet those needs. Training is a short-term process; however, the result is often long-term employment, Dornak noted. “We equip clients with the skills and motivation to remain on the job, and we offer supportive services to ensure their ultimate success.”