Individuals and Community Recognized at Goodwill’s annual Breakfast Event

Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Inc. (Goodwill) honored individuals and community partners from the greater Cleveland area at its annual Power of Work breakfast today at Holiday Inn (6001 Rockside Rd, Independence, OH 44131). This event allows Goodwill to report back to the community on its mission programs, operations and overall impact locally.  

“Our annual Power of Work breakfast allows us to share the success stories of our participants and recognize the outstanding work of area businesses and community leaders, as well as share what our Goodwill has accomplished in the past year and what’s coming,” said Anne Richards, President and CEO of Goodwill. 

This year’s breakfast was generously sponsored by USI Insurance Services, Cuyahoga County Board of Development Disabilities, Faircrest Door, Huntington Bank, JPMorganChase, Reddy Equipment Inc., Regent Products Corp., Spartan, STAR Inc., The M. Conley Company, Visual Edge IT and Westfield Bank, and featured endurance athlete, author, clean-water advocate and U.S. Coast Guard veteran Katie Spotz as the keynote speaker.  

The breakfast highlighted the mission programs offered by Goodwill across the greater Cleveland area. Goodwill presented the following annual awards: 

Achiever of the Year: Cameron Rahman received this award after he worked with Goodwill to find a job where he could succeed. Rahman was referred to Goodwill from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. With Goodwill’s help, he was able to develop his skills, build his confidence and find work that he can excel at and enjoy. Rahman is employed at our Mayfield Goodwill store. 

Edgar J. Helms Outstanding Achiever of the Year: Christine Nolan was the recipient of this award after she worked with Goodwill to find employment after struggling to find a good fit. She was referred to Goodwill from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. She had been out of work for a while and had a criminal background and found it difficult to find employment. Goodwill helped Christine build her skillset and resume. She found employment at JACK Thistledown Racino. 

Ken Weber Servant Leadership Award: Goodwill employee Phil Romano was the recipient of this recognition, named in honor of former CEO Ken Weber and given for his dedication and leadership to the mission of Goodwill. 

Collaborative Partner of the Year: Lakeland Community College received this award for partnering with Goodwill to provide digital skills training bootcamps for free to students thinking about pursuing a career in Information Technology. 

Employer of the Year: Cleveland Clinic is the recipient of this award for their commitment to helping Goodwill participants find meaningful employment. 

In 2024, Goodwill helped impact more than 22,000 local lives and diverted more than 26 million pounds of materials from landfills. 

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