For over 15 years, the Ashwaubenon Goodwill Store has partnered with Syble Hopp school in DePere to provide work experience for student learners in a safe and supportive environment. Syble Hopp is a public school that meets the needs of children with disabilities and is dedicated to nurturing the unique potential of their students by ensuring that everyone has access to inclusive and supportive environments and emerges as confident, capable and connected members of the community. Each week groups of students from the school spend time working in the store and building skills to make progress towards their individual goals.

Students begin skill building even before boarding the bus to Goodwill, as they are expected to be ready for their shift by making sure they have the proper attire and are ready to leave on time. Once they arrive at Goodwill, they check their assignments for the day and will either work in teams or independently, depending on their unique goals. Job duties may include tasks such as ticketing shoes, hanging clothes, merchandising, cashiering, and providing basic customer service.

Kim, Syble Hopp Community Work Coordinator, states that some of the goals the students have include following their supervisor’s directions, working well as a team, being kind and courteous to their coworkers and others, and producing good quality work. Ashwaubenon Store Team Leader Rosa adds, “The [ultimate] goal for our students is to build skills so that they can get employment with either Goodwill or outside in our community.”

The goal is to build skills so that they can get employment…

Kim notes that the students have experienced many successes in their time with Goodwill. She has seen them become better self-advocates, increase their self-confidence, improve their safety skills and become more responsible. She also has seen them exhibit more flexibility in their job assignments and become increasingly willing to take on jobs even when they may not be their favorite job to do.

Rosa agrees. “I’m most proud of our partnership with Syble Hopp because I get to see everyday the students celebrating their individual success,” she says. “They come in with their individual goals and they get to work hard to achieve them.” She is also extremely proud of the communication between Goodwill and Syble Hopp, and how everyone works as a team to identify the students’ goals and provide them with meaningful, individualized pathways to achieve them.

While eliminating barriers to employment is the focus of this partnership, it’s not just the students who are impacted, but the Goodwill team as well. “The impact on our team is just a daily reminder of what our mission is. It’s our mission in action,” Rosa asserts. “We get to help each other build skills, we get to help each other grow and be the best versions of ourselves.”