Sonoma Gives: Finding a path to a better life through Goodwill

To most people, Goodwill Redwood Empire is an organization that runs a collection of thrift shops, but to others it’s the charity that gave them a hand up when nobody else would, the one that changed their lives.

Just ask Samantha de Roque.

In February 2006, when her troubles began, de Roque had just turned 21 and was working as a waitress at Sizzler. “I was sort of going to school off and on,” she said, “but I didn’t have a path yet. I’d begun thinking about going to nursing school but wasn’t quite there.”

She never got there because a savage assault by someone to whom she was close severed the median nerve in one of her arms and caused major damage to a lung.

“The surgeons said I was lucky to be alive,” she said, “but I didn’t feel lucky.”

It took years of physical therapy and a dozen surgeries before she regained nearly-complete function in her arm; to this day she still feels pain and has trouble using her fingers.

About 18 months after the assault, de Roque was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and underwent surgery and radiation. The treatment was successful, but between the ceaseless post-assault surgeries and the cancer-related hospital visits, she found it difficult to stay positive.

“I felt hopeless,” she says now.

“I didn’t have much joy in my life. It really affected my confidence. I didn’t believe I had anything to offer the world, and I didn’t see how good things could ever occur in my life. Things were happening to me rather than me being able to make my own destiny. I felt completely powerless.”

One day a counselor at the Department of Rehabilitation mentioned the Work Adjustment Training program at Goodwill Redwood Empire. People who enroll in the 12-week program learn new job skills and get on-the-job experience. While doing so, they earn minimum wage for their work.

De Roque signed up for clerical training. “I learned how to answer the office phone, got a starter course on Excel,” she said.

“But more than anything I gained a lot of confidence. I realized that I could do more than I thought I could. My hand was disabled, and I had thought I’d never type again.

“But I learned my own way of getting around it. I can only use two fingers on my right hand, but I can type fast - 70 words per minute.”

One of the best aspects of the program was the supportive environment. “On the first day, the woman who runs the program, Stephanie Munson, was giving me an overview. She was so kind that I ended up telling her my story. I actually broke down, but I felt safe. I knew it was all right.”

Unable to work, de Roque had been receiving disability benefits. “I hadn’t had a job for years,” she said.

“But in the program you earn money for the work you do. It was very rewarding to get a paycheck, and that too increased my confidence.”

Shortly after the program ended, a receptionist position at Goodwill Redwood Empire became available. De Roque interviewed for it and was thrilled to land the job. She says she would never have had the confidence to apply if it hadn’t been for the program.

The duties in the fast-paced environment at Goodwill kept de Roque challenged and constantly learning. She not only greeted clients and visitors, but scheduled meetings, assisted with payroll and carried out a host of other duties. “I truly loved coming to work, and my co-workers were so supportive.”

Just recently, after two fulfilling years at Goodwill, de Roque left the organization for a new, more challenging job with a medical transport company.

“I’m in the scheduling department,” she said. “I love it. I’m a little more behind the scenes here, but I use all the clerical and computer skills I’ve learned, and I’m very familiar with Excel now. It keeps me busy, keeps my mind active. It’s a rewarding job in a supportive environment, and I love everything about it.”

Looking back, de Roque feels tremendously grateful to Goodwill Redwood Empire.

“It’s wonderful that there are programs in our community that help people struggling, people who might otherwise be unable to make it. I don’t know where I’d be today if someone hadn’t given me that helping hand.

“I want to tell people to never give up, no matter what happens. I was on the verge of giving up, and my life has turned around. It really can get better.

“I know it’s a cliché, but I mean it. Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

Goodwill Redwood Empire can be reached at 523-0550, gire.org.