Pictured: Goodwill 'second chance' team member Sue Ottomanelli, who has overcome past drug abuse and to become a store manager at Goodwill.

April is Second Chance Month, a time to raise awareness of the challenges facing people with criminal backgrounds and to spotlight the important work being done by community-based organizations – like Goodwill – that empower second chance individuals to achieve career and life success. At Goodwill Manasota, as of February, 58 team members (7% of the organization’s workforce) noted that their primary barrier to self-sufficiency was that they were ex-offenders. Across all of its programs, Goodwill Manasota served 165 ex-offenders, or 9.2% of program participants. "At Goodwill, we believe that anyone who wants to work and strive for a better future deserves the opportunity to do so," said Goodwill Manasota vice president Margie Genter. "We find that our second chance team members are extremely motivated to work – they are hardworking, reliable, and eager to get on the path to a stable, successful future. We are proud to help them get there."

Pictured: Goodwill 'second chance' team member Sue Ottomanelli, who has overcome past drug abuse and to become a store manager at Goodwill.