Rebekah Blane

November 2011

Rebekah Blane

Rebekah Blane has benefited from Goodwill’s flexibility and commitment. After being only the second person in her family to graduate from high school, Rebekah had a promising future ahead of her. But when her mother was diagnosed with a mental illness, Rebekah stayed at home to care for her. Even with her caregiving responsibilities, she managed to enroll at Indiana Business College and earn an associate’s degree. But when her mother passed away, everything changed.

With no support system, Rebekah struggled with the loss of her mother and became an alcoholic. She began writing bad checks, and eventually, she was arrested. Convicted of forgery, Rebekah served time and was eventually referred to Goodwill from work release.

Rebekah has made great strides since beginning her work release program. She embraces the need to do the best job she possibly can, to go that extra mile. In fact, she is the only employee in Goodwill Commercial Services who is trained on every piece of equipment and in every role on the assembly floor. When there is a need to be filled, her supervisors can count on her to do it.

Rebekah’s future became even brighter when she began the New Beginnings Program, a six-month program that requires individuals to maintain employment, attend training sessions and make progress on their goals. They work on creating support systems and building critical life skills and also build and improve computer literacy and write effective résumés.

She also has begun to pursue some of her personal dreams, like working with children at the transitional housing facility where she lives. She understands that she will have a tough road ahead to rebuild people’s trust in her. Rebekah explains, “The nature of my crimes will make it harder to get back, but I have the tenacity to go for what I want.”

Rebekah refuses to let go of her dreams. “Even though it looks rough, and it looks like you can’t make it, that you can’t move – you have to get up and keep going. Each day gets a little bit better. It gets a little bit easier – you just have to keep pushing through.”

See her video