Goodwill Indy Celebrates 40 Years of Employing People with Disabilities through AbilityOne

Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana is celebrating 40 years of hard work and dedication on an AbilityOne® Program contract employing dozens of people with significant disabilities. This AbilityOne contract is one of the oldest in SourceAmerica's network of AbilityOne federal contractors. More than that, Goodwill has a few employees who have been working on the contract since the beginning.

In 1985, Goodwill began its AbilityOne contract at the Harrison Village Commissary at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Fort closed in 1995, but there is still a significant military presence in the area, keeping the need for the commissary. Former Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana CEO Jim McClelland says during his four decades with the organization, he got to see all the benefits of this AbilityOne contract and others.

"As far as I am concerned, it was a homerun," McClelland said. "Those contracts provided good, stable jobs, good working conditions, higher wage and benefit levels than would have been likely for most of our people, and they were financially sustainable for Goodwill."

He also got to meet a lot of the people who keep the commissary running and see how this opportunity keeps them going.

"For a lot of our folks, it wasn't just a job," McClelland said. "This was where their friends were. Their coworkers became their friends. That's one of the intangible benefits of this that I saw."

McClelland has since retired, but some of the original staff on that contract are still there. Michael Daniels is a stocker at the commissary. He's been working on this contract for 39 years. Bryant Childers also stocks shelves and has been working for Goodwill for 38 years. At 23 years, James Brown is another veteran employee with a lot of years under his belt on this contract and a lot of roles. He is a forklift operator, janitor, and a team lead. He is also a military veteran. Miles Shanklin is part of the custodial team at the commissary and has been doing it for 20 years. A lot has changed over the years, but Shanklin says one of the things that remains and keeps this operation running so well is trust.

"Everybody trusts each other and tries to get along," Shanklin said. "We stick up for one another… Goodwill is all about trusting other people."

Trust keeps the operation going and something else keeps them happy. For many of the Goodwill Indy employees, this is more than just a job and they are more than just coworkers.

"That's what Goodwill is. It's all about family," Shanklin said. Getting people help, getting second chances."

Brown started working on this AbilityOne contract in 2002 after he retired from the military. He said he had a plan to stop working after so many years, but it seems the commissary had other plans.

"2013 was when I was going to stop working, but it's 2025 now, so I'm still at it, Brown said. "It's because I guess I enjoy being around military people. This is what the store was made for."

For Childers, this job is also all about the people.

"Especially when a new person comes in. We train them and see their eyes light up and we help them out," Childers said.

For many of the employees on this contract, this job means independence. Childers lived with his parents for a long time, but he wanted his own place. This job led him to that opportunity.

"I put food on my own table. I pay my bills, and I take care of myself. That's one thing that's good about the job. I could do that. I don't have to depend on someone else,” Childers said."

The job is also about the customers.

"By making a good impression on getting your job done without messing up," Shanklin said.

"You just get the job done and, I like to see those when I help somebody. I like to, basically just see their faces when I help somebody else," Daniels said.

It's a feeling of accomplishment. Something every single person who has been involved in this contract feels at some point in their role. Current CEO of Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana Kent Kramer says the commissary really embodies what AbilityOne, SourceAmerica, and Goodwill stand for, providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

"The commissary is truly special to me," Kramer said.

Kramer said he wasn't around at the beginning of this contract, but he knows just how much this one impacted the rest of Goodwill's history.

"This paved the way for all of our AbilityOne employees, showing us that we can do this," Kramer said.

They can do this, and they have been doing this for 40 years, employing people with passion and dedication to getting the job done. For everyone involved in this contract, from the past and the present, it’s a job well done for everyone and hopefully, at least 40 more years to come.

Visit the AbilityOne Program to learn more.