SARASOTA — Goodwill Manasota learned in December that it was one of 384 nonprofits to receive multimillion-dollar donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
Following its $10 million windfall, Goodwill is launching new programs and expanding existing ones, including its veterans and families program, which will now be staffed and ready to help in Venice and North Harbor.
To lead this effort, Goodwill hired veteran career development facilitator, Mike Salomon, who has already begun networking with veteran-serving agencies in South County. Salomon works at Goodwill’s Rialto (676 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice) and North Port (14879 Tamiami Trail) locations.
Goodwill expects the program to serve at least 200 additional veterans — through case management, career services, emergency assistance and the Lutz Buddy Up networking program — in South County. . According to US Census data, there are approximately 1,500 veterans in the census tracts surrounding Goodwill’s Rialto and North Port sites.
Salomon is a bilingual (English and Spanish) military veteran and logistics professional who served in the United States Army from 2000 to 2014; his service included two tours in Iraq. He was offered the opportunity to become an Army recruiter in 2014. Since then, he has recruited from Sarasota and surrounding counties, completed a year-long tour of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has supported high-risk detention operations, then recruited to Bradenton upon his return. He has lived in Venice for six years.
“I’m proud to be part of the Goodwill Veterans Services team and to help South County veterans,” Solomon said. “It’s great to work with people who share the same passion for helping veterans.
The Goodwill for Veterans and Families program was established in 2013 to help veterans reintegrate into their families, communities, and jobs. The program, which is staffed by veterans, offers comprehensive case management and job training services, networking opportunities, and assistance in navigating the wide range of social service programs available.
“Goodwill is excited to expand its services in our territory,” said Bob Rosinsky, President and CEO of Goodwill Manasota. “At Goodwill, we believe our veterans deserve more – they deserve to have access to the services they have earned, employment and housing. We look forward to seeing Mike’s contributions as we work to serve. the heroes of South County who have served us.”
To learn more about Goodwill, visit experiencegoodwill.org or call 941-355-2721.
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