A Jupiter Goodwill employee is being recognized for nearly two decades on the job during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, observed each October.
WPTV reporter Christy Waite spoke with Jeffrey McFadden Jr., who has worked at the store for 19 years. McFadden said he likes to smile at people and lift their spirits. He said his family considers staying with one employer that long a major accomplishment.
McFadden said he got his start through Goodwill’s transition school, where he received job training that helped him find work. Abra Joseph, director of donated goods, said about 60 percent of Goodwill’s team members identify as having some type of barrier to employment. The goal, she said, is to create a workplace where those employees feel valued, respected and supported.
McFadden is also a Special Olympics basketball player. He stands 6 feet, 5 inches tall, plays center, has won multiple gold medals and was named Athlete of the Year in 2013.
The observance began in 1945 as a weeklong recognition and became a month-long event in 1988. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy now leads it.
