A Mother’s Tough Journey to a Job at Goodwill

At Goodwill’s “Empower Arizona Fundraising Breakfast” last week at Phoenix Art Museum, Sierra Thomas delivered a powerful personal testimonial about her mother’s journey, which Frontdoors is sharing with readers.
Good morning. My name is Sierra and I’m here to share a bit about myself and my mom. My mom is Netta Shaw, the Donor Development Specialist here at Goodwill.
One of the scariest things happened to my family when I was younger. My parents went through a divorce. It was the hardest thing that has ever happened to us. Around six years ago, right before I was about to start high school, my mom made the decision to move our family to Arizona. She said we were moving so things could be better for us because she was going to find a good job and we would be happy.
We packed up our car, myself, my brother, sister and our dog, left Illinois and drove for days across the country to our new home in Phoenix.
At the time, I was frustrated with my mom’s decision. I was about to start high school and had to leave behind my friends, my family, and everything I knew back in Chicago.
Things were rough when we got here, and it was a big adjustment. It was hard being in a new city where we didn’t know anyone. Since my mom hadn’t found a job yet, money was kind of tight. We lived in a hotel for the first few months, and we did not have much to eat, just some bread, sandwich meat – things we could store in a cooler in our room. Some nights we barely had any food.  I remember being so hurt and angry with my mom, because I didn’t understand why we moved here to struggle. My mom would tell us all the time to have faith and things would start to look up.
I remember when we finally moved out of the hotel into an apartment, we still struggled. My mom had to find a second job, just so we could have food and basic things. Sometimes she would work until 1:00 a.m. going from one job to the next. I didn’t see things getting better for us, but my mom kept saying it would get better. I remember my mom was getting ready to go to work one day and she said that our electricity was going to be shut off and she didn’t know when it would be turned back on.
Mom was always looking for a better job and I remember saying I wish I could help, but I couldn’t. My mom doesn’t know this, but there were many nights when she would come home, our lights were off, and I would hear her crying until she fell asleep. I started to pray for my mom to find a better job and for us to have electricity again. Our electricity was off for over a month and my sister, brother and I would be at home in the dark when my mom went to work.
Eventually, my mom got a job at a local Goodwill store, and we were able to move into another apartment. My mom went from two not so good jobs, to a great job with Goodwill. It was the happiest I had seen my mom in a long time and I knew it was because she was happy that she could take better care of us.
Looking back now, I recognize the decision my mom made, and why she took such a drastic step to ensure a better future for our family. One where she could find a job, and have a home for us. I was mad about having to move, but I finally understood why she did what she did, she worked so hard for us. And I’m so grateful.
I work now too. Seeing my mom work so hard has made me want to work harder in life. And I know I get that from her. I am trying things out now to learn what I’d like to do in my future. I work hard and keep busy to make sure I’m moving in the right direction.
Mom, today, I want to say thank you. Thank you for all you’ve done for us.  And for the tough decisions I know you had to make to support our family. You have set an amazing example for us that will set us up for our future success. Thank you.