You can’t help but be amazed when you read Greg Stevens’ biography. He has had a career spanning chemical, environmental, energy, specialty materials and other technology driven businesses, both in very large corporate and small entrepreneurial settings. Greg has a well proven core competency in organizational leadership, growing businesses and taking new technologies to market. His career has taken him from St. Louis to Atlanta, from Taiwan to Toronto and back to his hometown of Buffalo where he developed a series of business and not for profit ventures all dedicated to green energy and economic development. Greg has been Chairman of the Board of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeepers, an organizatio

More than 40 years ago, Frank J. McGuire made an investment in our area by opening Seneca Health Care Center in West Seneca. This was followed by additional locations over the next two decades including a facility in Michigan and five additional facilities in New York State. Today the McGuire Group defies the stereotypes of the nursing home industry, demonstrating that great things can happen when a family-run organization has strong ties to the community and creates a supportive culture to give patients and staff the resources they need. Over the years their programs have grown in scope and complexity from 24-hour skilled nursing care to subacute and outpatient rehabilitation, secured memor

“Doing the workshops for Goodwill clients quickly changed my entire outlook on things. Volunteering and working directly in the community has been both humbling and rewarding.” There are two sides to Keyonna Willis. In her professional life, she is a Buyer at Praxair Inc, an American worldwide industrial gases company. She is also a fashion maven and thrifting expert who shares her time and talent with Goodwill clients and shoppers through her business, Key2Beauty. In 2014, Keyonna walked into Goodwill’s West Seneca store location with an idea. An avid Goodwill shopper, she wanted to hold a “ladies night” to share Goodwill shopping tips, help women dress well for less, and learn to love thri

“When you like to come to your job, it makes a big difference.” Herman Tate worked for nearly 30 years as a lead in the Shipping and Receiving department at the former Phoenix Frontier agency. When it closed, he was out of work for “only two days”, and then he came to Goodwill in 2013. Herman started In Goodwill’s Donated Goods processing division as a truck driver helper and dock worker. His great work ethic and personality were quickly noticed, and when he was asked to head up an area of the Recycling operation he immediately said, “Yes I can do it! Herman will tell you that he didn’t expect to “step up the ladder” at his job, but step up he did! He leads a team that never fails to meet th

“My life has definitely changed. I felt helpless before, but now I have a sense of purpose because I’m gainfully employed.” Tim Straw is a confident man who believes that good work speaks for itself. Not one to call attention to himself, Tim has been a loyal and trusted Goodwill employee since 2013. Tim had fallen on hard times and was homeless due to his serious issues with alcohol. While living at St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy, Tim met with onsite providers from the Department of Social Services as well as the Matt Urban Center who helped steer him in the right direction. After he completed 15 months of outpatient treatment services for his alcoholism, he was connected with ACCES-VR (Adult

“I wanted something better for myself and my family, and that’s where Goodwill came in.” If you visit the offices of Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) you will be warmly greeted by Zuleyka Malave-Serrano. Talking to Zuleyka, you’d never know the struggles she has gone through to get to her new position as Receptionist and Fair Housing Investigator for HOME. Living and working in her hometown in Florida, Zuleyka found herself in a domestic violence situation that “got worse”, forcing her to leave. She came to Buffalo with her four children to restart her life. Her first step was going to the Department of Social Services for public assistance. She was then referred to Goodwill for mand

”I’m grateful for everyone at Goodwill. They believed in me. Now I believe in me!” When you meet Joan Livingston, she will tell you that she is a recovering addict who has been drug free for seven years with the “grace of God, the 12-step program and Goodwill.” When Joan was two years clean, she was diagnosed with depression and sought counseling services from a local mental health agency. She was referred to ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education-Vocational Rehabilitation) who sent her to Goodwill to begin her path to employment. In the past, Joan had worked in the janitorial field and wanted to get back to work so that she could provide for herself and her two teenage children.

Now in its 23rd year, the Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale is Goodwill’s largest and longest-standing cause partnership and department store donation drive. Bon-Ton shoppers have generously donated and changed lives in our community through the Goodwill Sale held each spring and fall. The community is encouraged to get involved by donating items such as clothing, accessories, shoes and household textiles, which are sold in Goodwill’s stores to create job training and placement programs for people with barriers to employment who are unemployed or underemployed. In return donors receive valuable money-saving Bon-Ton coupons. “We pride ourselves on being a hometown shopping destination, and supporting Goo

“It’s all about being in the right place at the right time with the right people, and that place was Goodwill for me.” The first thing you notice when you meet Charles Everhart is his smile, and he has plenty to smile about. Charles is a lifelong Buffalo resident, a veteran who served our country in the US Marines. He worked as a teacher’s aide and computer specialist for many years. As much as he enjoyed his work - and was good at it - it wasn’t enough to support his family when this single father gained full custody of two of his daughters. He soon found himself out of work and homeless and having to rely on public assistance. He was “couch surfing” and was “ready to give up” when he h

Goodwill of Western New York held its 17th annual Pathways to Success Annual Achievement Awards on Tuesday, October 10th. The celebration honored five Achievers of the Year, remarkable Goodwill clients and employees who have taken their own individual path to success and great friends and supporters of Goodwill's mission of changing lives through the power of work. There is no better way to tell the Goodwill story than through the stories of the evening's honorees. This year's Achievers were Charles Everhart, Joan Livingston, Zuleyka Malave-Serrano, Tim Straw and Herman Tate whose stories can be found in the Success Story section of our website. Keyonna Willis was honored as the Volunteer of