Goodwill | Good Morning Opportunity!

Hello and welcome. We are coming to you live this morning from the Goodwill Opportunity Campus here in West Charlotte, and what a beautiful morning it is. The sun is shining, it looks good out there. I'd like to welcome you to this new day and say good morning hope, good morning possibility, and of course good morning opportunity. I'm Dedrick Russell with WBTV, and I will be your host for the next 55 minutes. So fill your cup of coffee and your tea, and we have a special time for you on today, for we have partnered with Goodwill on their journey to prosperity. Goodwill CEO and President Chris Jackson will join us later to share some exciting changes that will take place at the nonprofit organization. Also, nationally known TED Talk speaker Xia Jiang is here with a riveting discussion of how to break free of the stereotypical boxes that often keep us from achieving our goals. His words on wisdom come from his own personal experience and extensive research into the subject. Plus, another major announcement will be made in just a few moments. I love that. It seems fitting that we're here at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, the hub of where so many community connections occur. Since its inception back in 2016, Listen to this, tens of thousands of people from across the Charlotte metro area have come right here for job skills training, career coaching, job seeker support services, and much more, all at no cost. What makes this campus so special is that it also offers a time to connect with strategic partners that will provide services that support the whole individual. including mental, physical, and dental care, banking needs, financial education, and more. Words like possibility, opportunity, and equity speak to the work fostered inside these walls and felt far beyond this physical space. Now, there are words worth repeating again. Possibility. Say it with me. Possibility.

Possibility.

There we go. Equity.

Equity.

Prosperity.

Prosperity.

We all love that one, prosperity, right? Words that define what goodwill means. So listen, while we would prefer to be all together in one room today, out of an abundance of caution, our studio audience includes only a few representatives from our event sponsors, which I want to take a moment to thank because without them, this would not be possible. Let's give it up for Lowe's. Bank of America. Atrium Health. Bragg Financial. Fifth Third Bank. Ally. David E. Looper and Company. Childress Klein Properties. And most importantly, PNC. And that's not all. Listen to this. I also like to thank our table sponsors. We're talking about Novant Health, Little Architecture, Charlotte Works, Trad Commercial, and Michael Elder. That's right, we applaud you on this morning. We thank you for your support, and we are so grateful to the hundreds of you joining us from your offices and homes. And we also, in the space that we're in now, social media is so important. So we encourage you to, to do what you can so we can spread this message international on social media ways. We want to do that. And so I am here in the social media center with our guru, Meredith.

Hi.

We want you to log on and let us know how Goodwill has impacted you. What benefits have you received from Goodwill? So Meredith, how can people connect with Goodwill? Where is Goodwill on social media?

Yeah, sure.

So we're active on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, but today we're going to be focusing on Twitter.

Okay.

So like you were saying earlier, it's a little unfortunate that we can't all be in the same room. But that is not going to stop us from engaging and interacting with everyone here and everyone viewing from the comfort of your home. So what I want you all to do is to tweet using the hashtag #GoodMorningOpportunity. It's a long hashtag, so let me say it again, #GoodMorningOpportunity. And when you do that, we'll be able to see and monitor your tweets, and then we can display them up here. So let us know, you know, what you think of the event, what inspires you today, what opportunity means to you. And we'll circle back a little bit later and see what folks are saying.

Oh, I love it. I love it. Thank you, Meredith. That's good. So make sure you do what you can because we want everybody to know what's happening right here on the west side of town, right here at this Opportunity Center. Good morning, opportunity. Let's do it, right? Come on, audience. Let's do it, right? Let's encourage them. That's right. Ah, feel the energy. Listen, Goodwill has provided job training and placement programs to individuals and businesses in the Charlotte area for more than 55 years. During that time, a lot has changed. We're now one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. Our population is more diverse than it has ever been, and our economy is thriving across multiple sectors, including IT, advanced manufacturing, finance, construction, and logistics. With all of that, we still have a long way to go to achieve equitable housing, right? Education and job opportunities for many in our community. That's why Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is excited to share breaking news today. We love that. I just want a banner to just say breaking news.

Breaking news.

Today with the announcement of a new mission and vision, a bold pledge to create a brighter future for everyone.

Good morning, opportunity. Good morning, possibility. Good morning to the hope and the promise a new morning brings. The hope to imagine and achieve, to look forward and conceive a new strategy that leaves all of yesterday's challenges a memory in the breeze. Because we've all struggled, we've all faltered, we've switched lanes and altered our ideas of what Career could be and how things should be. That pathways to prosperity should be open to all. That with the right tools, we can help others answer their call to be more, do more, and move forward with pride. To build on the talents they have deep inside. To come together and find all of the resources they need In a community that wants every person to succeed. And as we look forward, we've changed our position and sought a new mission to match our new vision of what goodwill means: to be bold, to build a village, and to listen actively. Upon these pillars, our new vision and Mission Ring.

Hello, I'm Chris Jackson, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. It truly is a good morning. Whether you are a dedicated supporter, a donor, a shopper, an employer partner, or this is your first time with us, it brings me great joy that you are the first people to experience our new mission and vision. This is a big moment for our organization and our community. And as Dedrick shared, a lot has changed at Goodwill and the world since we last updated our mission more than 50 years ago. Our aspirations have grown and our focus has shifted. Simply put, our mission has grown beyond Finding people work. We offer tools, resources, support, and guidance that help people in our community discover pathways to prosperity. And as we evolve to help meet the changing needs of our community, we believe our mission, vision, and values should grow along with us. The new language you just saw reflects the path Goodwill started many years ago and the exciting direction we're headed in with— as we partner with people to help them envision and achieve the life they want for themselves and their family. We've launched programs that provide skills training, career advancement opportunities, social capital, and more to help people not only get a job but prosper in their career and in life. We also feel it's important to acknowledge the systems in place that make it difficult or impossible for all members of our community to thrive. By actively listening to those most impacted, Goodwill aims to advocate and bring our community together and create change and advance equitable access to career and personal development opportunities for all. Our new guiding statements provide clarity and direction on how we will serve the community. This new mission and vision will reiterate that every person in our community has access to support on their journey to prosperity, and that no matter your circumstances, you are welcome here and you matter here. We are here to partner with people and help them uncover their passions, enhance their skill sets, and achieve more for themselves and their families, creating a brighter future for all of us. Today's a special day for Goodwill, and I am so pleased to share this milestone moment with you. It's my hope that each day you can welcome a new day and say, good morning, opportunity. Please enjoy the rest of this morning's broadcast. Thank you. Back to Dedrick.

Thank you, Chris. I love that. Let's give it up for Chris.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chris. I love that no matter where you are or who you are, you deserve an opportunity and a pathway to prosperity. Love it. Love it. Every Goodwill success story, begins with a donation. And everybody's story is different, regardless of your circumstance. Goodwill can help. Goodwill University offers free job skills training programs in IT, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, computer basics, customer service, construction and trade skills, getting your GED, as well as other online workshops and learning resources. Its career centers offer comprehensive job search services, including counselors who can assist with hiring opportunities, resume writing, job fairs, interview skills, and career counseling. Bottom line, Goodwill is about so much more than most people realize. In fact, Goodwill graduates and the companies they work for just might surprise you.

Take a look.

Goodwill is absolutely impact on the community, and in particular, In particular, helping individuals see possibilities, seize opportunities, and prosper. We target all of our training as well as the wraparound services, the coaching, the coaching them for the job interview, the helping them connect with employers is all towards that goal. We try to keep track of what's going on in the job market. Where are the job openings? So we can make sure we're tailoring that training to give those skills that are going to make them competitive. When they go on that job interview, they're competitive. The individuals who work in the stores, they have a passion for helping to fund the mission. The individuals who do the training, they have a passion for helping people learn the skills. And nothing feeds that passion more than getting to meet a person that the work has really helped them, and then we get to hear their stories.

In 2020, with the pandemic, my resources were very low, and I had gotten laid off.

I really didn't know that any of this I was in internet marketing previously, and I didn't really have a support system at the time. Goodwill definitely did help me get to that next level.

Nothing is too impossible if you're really wanting it, and that's what I would tell a lot of people. Decide and then commit, and there's support here, there's help.

Most people know Goodwill for the stores, But there's, but there's so much more. The mission is about providing job skills and making sure that individuals have an opportunity to get the skills that are going to allow them to move into in-demand jobs with strong wages.

So construction is something I've always wanted to be a part of. There aren't many women in the field. Even driving a truck, people are not used to seeing that. The skills that I gained through Goodwill were valuable on the job and valuable to me to be able to talk to an employer. I was able to come in, get OSHA certified and NCCER certified. Right now, I work for a company that distributes water and gas supplies to different municipalities and also to construction sites. It's just nice to be able to be in a field that is male-dominated and show my son that women can do things that men can do too. It's given him a different perspective also, but I appreciate the fact of being able to monetarily also provide for my family.

I came into the course already knowing HTML, CSS, and a decent amount of JavaScript. The fact that it is offered free of charge, especially for, for those who need it, it gives a lot of people an opportunity who may not have been able to be a part of a professional course. That's an amazing opportunity, and it shows a lot of commitment for those that truly do get through the course and make it to that next step. It's truly a great program to be a part of. The fact that I was able to land that, that dream job that I was looking for and, you know, shortly after that have my first child. That's, uh, that was a great experience and, uh, I'm extremely grateful.

I've been in IT for 3 years and currently I am in IT support. It's through Spectrum Small Business Repair Department. My first career was in broadcast news and then I had worked in some other domains like insurance and higher institutions of education. I always looked over there and I said, technology is for the math smart guys, because I truly didn't know at the time very many women breaking into the technology field. So to have had a female instructor and to see myself in this community of others, I was very happy and surprised at the hands-on Ability to learn technology, the resources, the career development staff and team. I call them my makeover crew because they did truly have a good hand in encouraging me, keeping me motivated. You will be so grateful for investing in yourself. The program that they offer here, it will— if you commit to it, it will turn out and work I think the passion is really all about helping our community.

How do we make this community the best place possible so that everyone has the opportunity to have access to the things that they need to have the quality of life for their families?

For all of the ones To all of the donors that did donate and give to Goodwill, I have to say a million thank yous.

Thank you, Goodwill. I just can't wait to see what else is coming.

Wow, we can't wait to see what's coming up next either. Uplifting and encouraging stories. Thank you to Lori, Doug, and Portia. Thank you, Portia, for sharing your personal experiences and helping to dispel the image of a Goodwill client. Good to hear from them because now we know today we have evidence that Goodwill works. We're back now in the social media desk with Meredith Robinson, who has been monitoring all the chatter that has been happening on social media. So tell me, what are people saying about Good Morning Opportunity?

Yeah, they are saying some great things. So just a few of our favorite tweets so far. We have Justin saying that he is feeling so inspired this morning, which is exactly what we're hoping to, to give you all. We have the Linging Tree Foundation saying that they are spending the morning learning about the amazing impact of Goodwill. That's wonderful. And then we have Kilby saying that she just loves the mission and the work of Goodwill, and she's thanking us for doing everything That is good.

And I love the impact because that's what we want to do. We want to impact everybody and make Charlotte a better place.

Absolutely. That's what we're here for.

I hear you. Thank you, Meredith. Thank you.

Keep—

don't let it stop. Don't let it stop.

Keep tweeting. Remember, #GoodMorningOpportunity. We'll be monitoring that hashtag all day, so keep it coming.

All right then. I love it. Thank you, Meredith. Thank you. Beyond the hard skills acquired in the classroom, Goodwill Services provide so much more. They provide a lot that we need. Goodwill Services provide an intangible value to its graduates, a renewed sense of confidence and worth. Our keynote speaker refuses to allow rejection or fear control his fate. We're talking about Xia Jiang. He has shared his message to millions, empowering people to break out of the stereotypical box that society places on us so we are able to achieve the success we all deserve. So at this moment, it is my pleasure to introduce national TED Talk speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Jia Jiang.

Hi.

Fear of rejection—that's one of the biggest problems you will face in your career. This type of fear that you know keep us in line, make sure people like us, make sure we don't do anything crazy. But it's also type of fear that holds us back. I do think I think we're all afraid of rejection in some way, but especially me. And I had all these dreams about being entrepreneur. I want to. I want to be happy, but I felt, wow, I'm constantly being judged by other people, and I was so afraid of those judgments. So I started looking for help to overcome rejection, and I searched online. I found this game, it's called rejection therapy. The people who really changed the world are people like Martin Luther King Jr., like Mahatma Gandhi, like Nelson Mandela, or even Jesus Christ. These are people who faced violent and gruesome rejections. Some, they all died for it, but they let their action after rejection define them. Hello, Goodwill. I'm so happy to be here today. I'm actually very proud. Because I made my dad proud. I'm at a certain age that I have to constantly impress both my kid and my father. My kid is sometimes impressed, but my dad is never impressed. But today, I told him I'm going to Goodwill to speak. He was like, what Goodwill, the store? I'm like, yeah, not only the store, but also the training center. They train people to find opportunities. Now he's really impressed because he loves Goodwill. Our family loves Goodwill, but my dad loves, loves Goodwill. He goes there all the time. He was like, there's so much story, so much you can see and history you can see there. So I'm impressing my dad. I'll take a picture before I go. It's like my gift to him. But speaking of gift, when I was 6 years old, I got a gift. I hope all of you like gifts, you know, giving gifts and getting gifts. I love getting gifts. But when I was 6, I got a gift that I would never forget. My first grade teacher, one day, he came up with this brilliant idea, brilliant, that she wanted us to not only get gifts, but also learn to compliment each other at the same time. So she bought all of us gifts and stacked in the corner. She had all of us come to the front of the classroom. I grew up in Beijing, China, so it was, so we had this kind of a holiday like that every, during every winter, and she was like, why don't you guys say nice things about each other? If you hear your name called by someone else, you can go get a gift and sit down. What a great idea, right? What could go wrong? When it started, it was great. Every time I heard someone else's name was called, you know, I'll be like, yay! Good for you. When's my turn? And then there were 20 people left, and 10 left. At the end, there were 3 kids left. That's where the compliments stopped. And guess what? I was one of them. I mean, at that moment, I didn't want gifts anymore. I didn't want compliments anymore. I just want to sit down. I had no idea why no one would say anything nice about me. I thought I was cool. I thought people liked me. Then I saw the 2 kids next to me. I knew otherwise, because I hated those And the teacher was freaking out, and she was like, oh my God, did anyone say anything nice about these people? No? All right, go grab a gift and sit down. You guys behave better next year or so, someone will say something nice about you. Like, I'm describing this like it happened to me yesterday, right? Ever since that day, I would just die not to be in that situation again, you know, speaking in public and getting rejected. But I don't know who felt worse that day, whether me or the teacher.

You.

She probably realized that her team-building event turned into this roast of 3 6-year-olds. You know, without the humor. If you get roasted, it's supposed to be funny. There's nothing funny about that day. So that was when I was 6. And fast forward 8 years, you know, I also got my ambition. You know, I learned how to be afraid of rejection, but I also got my ambition. I met Bill Gates. He came to China to promote Windows 95. I heard him speak, I just fell in love with that guy. I just loved everything about him, his entrepreneur story, his idea of using technology to change the world. So one day, just that night, I wrote a letter to my family telling them, hey, don't worry about your son, I got my life figured out. But I'll build the biggest company in the world, just like Bill Gates. And someday I'll buy Microsoft. And I didn't make this up. My family kept this letter for me all those years. They sent it to me when I was 30. They were like, hey, have you done this? So that was when I was 14. And as it turned out, my life was all right. I did something. I came to America as a high schooler. I went to school. I found my first job. And then I made some money. But it was not, it wasn't a bad life, but where's the kid who wrote that letter? You wanted to change the world. Even at work I felt stuck. I felt I wasn't progressing. I was like, what happened to me? As it turned out, every time I have a new idea I wanted to do, every time I wanted to explore some opportunities, every time I wanted to take a risk, Even at work, I wanted to speak in front of people. I wanted to have a proposal. Every time when that happened, there was this constant battle between this 6-year-old who was afraid of rejection and the 14-year-old who met Bill Gates. And guess what? Every time, that 6-year-old won. And this fear of rejection even stayed with me, and even after I started my own company. It's like a box I could not get out, I could not get it off. I had to constantly ask people to like me. I had to find ways to get people's approval. And even I started my own company, it didn't change. We, when I was 30, I quit my job and started building my company. If you wanna build goods, you have to start sooner or later, right? And soon, a local investor, I thought he had interest in my company. I really thought he was gonna invest. And I even dreamed about this idea that he's going to— I mean, he's very well known. I even dreamed about him investing in my company 5 different times. It's like answer to my prayers, my company will be saved. Then there was those dreams and this reality. The reality is one day I was at the restaurant celebrating a friend's birthday. People were happy all around me but me. My phone vibrated and I pulled it out and saw it was the email from the investor. It was a one-liner. It said, nope, we're not doing this. Didn't tell me why, didn't tell me how I could get it, it just said no. At that moment, I had to just step out and so people wouldn't see me cry in front of them. I didn't know why I was hurt that bad. I thought I was tough, you know, I took a chance. I wanna be an entrepreneur, I wanna succeed. I thought I was smart. But at that moment, the 6-year-old was standing on my shoulder again. Just whispering into my ears. He was like, who do you think you are? You wanna be entrepreneur? You wanna succeed? That's for the geniuses. You're just wannabe. You probably read too many books about those entrepreneurs. You should quit now. That's where it dawned on me. Would Bill Gates wanted to give up after rejection like that? Would anyone succeed at anything after rejection like that? No matter what I do, I can build a better company, I can build a better product, but no matter what I do, I gotta put that 6-year-old back to his place. I gotta get out of this box that constantly have, I'm afraid of rejection. So what did I do? I searched online. Google's my friend. So I searched, how do I overcome my fear of rejection? First of all, I saw a bunch of articles written by psychologists and telling me, Hey, where's your fear and pain coming from? No, that wasn't helpful. Then I saw a bunch of articles written by motivational speakers or sales gurus, just these rah-rah articles, and just screaming in my face. They're like, hey, don't take rejection personally, just overcome it and move on. I'm like, who doesn't know this? If it were that simple, I would've done this already. Then I saw a website, That was interesting. And it caught my attention. It's called rejectiontherapy.com. Okay, for those of you who don't know, rejection therapy was this game. It's a game invented by this Canadian entrepreneur. And he's got some real rejection issues. That's why he invented this deck of cards. It's a deck of 30 cards, and each card will give you a suggestion to get rejected at something, on purpose. The idea is, if you're afraid of rejection, Instead of running away, why don't you go look for rejection? If you do it for 30 days, by the end, you'll desensitize yourself from your pain. You become this badass. I'm like, this is the best idea I've ever heard. You know, I wanna be a badass. You know? I wanna be the baddest ass of them all. So, I said, I'm gonna do this, but I'm not gonna do this for 30 days. Let me do this for 100 days. Let me overdose on rejection. I wanna see what happens. And then, instead of doing this by myself, let me film this. Film myself getting rejected, and I'll put this on YouTube. And I'll make a vlog out of this thing. So, if I do this by myself, I'll quit pretty easily. But if I put this, if I tell the world about it, people hold me accountable, so I wouldn't quit easily. So that's what I did. So I started. By asking people, a random, some random person to borrow $100. Got rejected. Another day, after having a burger for lunch, I asked for a burger refill. Got a no. Then as I kept doing this, strange things started to happen, like weird things. People started to say yes to me, one after another. For example, one day, I was at the— I had a soccer ball in my hand and I went and knocked on someone's door. The guy opened the door. I lived in Texas at the time. I mean, the guy has a giant Texas flag on his t-shirt. If you ever lived in Texas, you know people do that there. So I said, sir, can I play soccer in your backyard? And he looked at me. He was like, soccer in my backyard? Then he saw me. I got shin guards and cleats, all decked out. I was ready. He was like, I guess so, all right, come on in. I was like, now what? How do I play soccer with myself in the backyard? I didn't think this part through. So I just did a little bit of dribbling and had him take a picture of me. But before leaving, I said, how can you say yes to me? He was like, dude, this is so off the wall, how can I say no? I'm like, okay. Then there's another day I was getting on a flight. And I talked to the flight attendant, and I was just like, hey, instead of you giving the safety announcement, can I do it for you? I mean, you do it every time, and people don't pay attention to it, but if a customer does it, they will pay attention. And he was like, I can't do it, because by law, when I was giving the announcement, you have to be sitting. You cannot be standing. And I was like, okay, I got my rejection. But he's like— But. I can invite you after I give the announcement. I can invite you to the front. You say whatever you want. I'm like, I got to do open mic now? That's way harder. So after he called my name and I got up there, I was sweating. Like, I was sweating bullets. I was just like, everyone, I just want to say hi. And thank you for the airline to let me do this. And I just want to say hi. And people were like, wow. You're so brave. I mean, I was like, you have no idea. I was like, do they think I'm a terrorist or something? I hope someone wouldn't tackle me. Then another day I just got a bunch of yeses in a row, okay? I was like, I got frustrated. I'm like, this is rejection therapy, not acceptance therapy. How do I get a no today? How about if you took one step higher? How about if I try to fly a plane this time? By the way, I have no idea how to fly a plane. I don't have the license. or courage to do it. I just don't get rejected that day. So I went to an airfield in Austin. I saw a guy that looked like a pilot. I said, sir, do you have a plane? He's like, yes, I do. I said, can I fly it? He's like, do you know how to fly? I'm like, nah. He's like, yeah, it's okay, I'll teach you how to fly. You wanna do it now? I'm like, why? What's going on? As it turned out, he didn't own a commercial jetliner. He owned a gyroplane. For those of you who don't know, a gyroplane, it's like a motorcycle in the air, like a miniature helicopter type of thing. So this is a rich hobbyist. He just bought his new gyroplane. He flew in from Houston to Austin. I saw him. And he taught me how to fly. It was amazing. I'll tell you more about it later. By the way, if you go to my YouTube channel, You can see all of them on video. It's all pretty fun. Speaking of video, I gotta tell you this one experience that just, that really caught the world by storm. One day, after work, I went to a Krispy Kreme. I know it's very popular here. I went to a Krispy Kreme donut shop, and I want them to make me donuts that look like Olympic rings. You know, it was the Olympic year, and I thought about, hey, there's no way they're gonna do that, right? Link the donuts and make them look like Olympic rings. I just want to get in there and make a joke and leave. Guess what? The donut maker took me so seriously. She was like, what does the color look like? Hmm, how can I link them together? If I do this, I'm going to get stuck. And 15 minutes later, she came up with a box of donuts that looked like Olympic rings. I couldn't believe it. When I was walking out of there, I just had tears in my eyes because first of all, I just, I didn't, I couldn't believe the customer service or human kindness that this woman showed me. But more importantly, how many donuts moments have I missed in my life just because I thought there's no way I would get a yes? I can make some changes now. And I couldn't believe it, and the world couldn't believe that either. After I put this video on YouTube, it went to the front page of Yahoo, Reddit, Daily Mail of UK, MSNBC, Time of India, it went around the globe. It got over 5 million views. And actually Krispy Kreme stock actually went up. It's like a marketer's dream, you should see the video, it's really fun. And because of video, I started getting emails from people from all over the world, and people sharing stories with me. You know what, I thought I had this box of My fear. As it turned out, everyone had this box, and they're all trying to fight through that, and they couldn't. But then they started making breakthrough after they saw this video. There are people, there are artists who started sharing their art. And there are people who get stuck in the same job for a long time, and then he made a breakthrough by finding his dream job. There are people starting their new businesses, There are two people started very popular podcasts because they saw this video, and they all chose a path that was different from before. So throughout the process, I learned a lot. I was like, I got all kind of boxes down in me that I didn't know. I had a mental box of me, this guy who want everyone to like me. I was afraid of rejection, but also there's society box. And people all living in their society box. There is a pretty famous study of researchers, psychologists. They did research on schoolgirls, specifically Asian schoolgirls. And they wanted to— they asked them to take math tests. But before the test, they asked them to identify themselves as either by their race, which is Asian, or by their gender, which is women. Or there's a third group, they didn't ask them to identify with anything. As it turned out, it's the same— when they started taking the test, the results was very different. The people who identify with their gender, which is girl, their average score is about 46. The people who didn't identify with anything, they just put down their name, Their average score is 49. But the people who actually identified them, them with race, say Asian, their score is 52. And there's a big difference. Why is that? Because society has told you who you're supposed to be. Society told women, you're not good at math. And somehow society told Asians, you're good at math, which is not true for me. But these are the same people, but because of the way they identify themselves, they listen, at the moment they listen to what society is telling them, they start behaving differently. They start performing differently. They started performing to the expectation than other people tell them. So everyone has their mental box, but also they have this society box. But, and I had my own box. I was this tech guy. I wanted to just go through tech and build a business. And there's no way I thought I could actually influence people. And then I got my chance. Not just through YouTube, but through speaking. Because I was doing the YouTube and I got a little bit well known, and I have a friend who knew Nancy, Nancy Giordano, who was the organizer of TEDxAustin. TEDx, like, you know TEDx, right? It's the independent TEDx events. I'm a big fan. And my friend told Nancy, hey, I got this guy. He's doing some weird rejection thing. It's pretty fun. You should ask him to speak. And I was a fan. I was like, wow, I want to do it. So Nancy sat me down. And she was like, it was like a job interview. And she looked at me. And as you can see, she had doubts. I mean, I would have doubt too. I'm no public speaker. English wasn't, you know, isn't my first language. I had no experience. I can tell, I can see, like, she was like, huh, I can give this guy the stage, but this also could be a big mistake I'll make. In the end, she took a chance on me, for which I'll be forever grateful for. She gave me 5, she said, I'll give you 5 minutes, okay? Don't blow it. And, I did the only— I just got the biggest stage in town. But I did the only thing I learned from rejection therapy, which is that, only 5 minutes? Can I get 18? I want to get— okay, rejection is a very important topic. I want to give the audience a full TED experience. I couldn't believe I said that. What I learned is, if I advocate for myself, sometimes I feel I'm negotiating at the position of weakness. But if I advocate for some other people, like my audience, I'm negotiating with a position of strength. Nancy was surprised. So we went back and forth, we settled on 10 minutes. And Nancy said, don't go over it or I'll kill you. No, she didn't say the I'll kill you part, but I think she would. So it's one thing to get the stage, it's another thing to speak. And guess what? I'm no speaker. And if you want to speak, you have to have experience. You have to have real audience. I have none of that. You know, last time I was on stage when I was six, I got in trouble. It wasn't good experience. So what did I do? I did the only thing that rejection therapy taught me, which is I went to the street of Austin to speak on the street to two strangers. One day, my wife, my wife went with me. I had a son. I mean, I had a my sign said. Public storytelling at 7:30. Stop if you're interested. So I just sat there with the sign. And there are people just walking by. There are people jogging. There are people walking their dogs. And there are people riding bicycles. No one stopped. Then I saw one guy walking by. He looked at me. I looked back and smiled. And he just walked away. 7:30 came and went. No one stopped. I took an eraser and said— and I took out a 7:30, I said 7:50, I gave myself 20 more minutes. And then that came and went, no one stopped. So my wife asked me, what do you wanna do? I thought about going home, but I'm the rejection guy now. There's no way I was gonna go home without someone rejecting me in my face. So I saw one person walking by, I just walked toward her and said, hey, I'm gonna do a storytelling, starts right now. It's not that long, it's really good, do you wanna listen to it? She was like, uh, sure. Before she could change her mind, I start speaking. Quickly, 1 person becomes 3, 3 becomes 10, I drew a crowd. And when I finished, people give me applause. I got my first standing ovation. I mean, people were standing there anyway. So a week later, it was TEDxAustin. Beautiful stage. 1,000 people came. And the people who were speaking, as they're sharing stage with me, there's one person who went to Africa, changed their entire medical input system. There's another person who did a program that, that she started running with homeless people and giving them exercise. And there's the inventor of Microsoft Kinect. And who am I? I'm the rejection guy. And when my time was about to come, my mouth started to dry. I feel I couldn't measure up. I was so nervous, I was pacing back and forth in the backstage. And a volunteer saw me. She was like, how about I teach you some yoga so you can stretch? Just try to calm down. I could tell what she was thinking, like, if he vomits, that's his problem. If he faints, then that becomes our problem. Then she asked me, aren't you the rejection man? I'm like, yeah, I'm the rejection man. Wait a minute, I'm the rejection man. Sounds like a superhero. It's not as cool as Spider-Man or Iron Man, but I'm the rejection man. Okay, I didn't, I didn't get any Nobel Prize like everyone else here did, but I bet none of them went to the streets of Austin to speak either. I bet none of them went to get rejected on purpose. Man, at that moment I felt powerful. I felt I was putting on an invisible cape. I felt I had a superpower. Then my name was called. I stepped into the limelight. And for the next 10 minutes, I felt I had this out-of-body experience. I saw myself speaking powerful words, rejection-proof words. And when I was done, there was a standing ovation of 1,000 people in front of me. And I saw my wife in the audience. She was smiling, almost crying, and I was so happy as well. Ever since that day, I went on some even much bigger stages. I got my real TED Talk, and I went to— and just a couple years ago, I was given the Golden Gavel Award by Toastmasters International for leadership and communication. But all this time, I could trace back to my day, to the day I went to the street of Austin to speak to strangers. We'll have boxes in life, whether it's mental box or society box. And my box, and just no one told me I had to, I didn't know I could influence people beyond being a tech guy. But I did that, I gained that superpower because I became uncomfortable. Because they start looking for failure and looking for rejection instead of running away from it. Whatever your dream is, whatever your aspirations are, if you want to have the superpower, if you want to influence beyond your box, become uncomfortable. Look for rejections, look for failures. We're our worst rejector. And no matter what happens, let the world reject you and don't ever reject yourself.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Wow, that was powerful. Good morning opportunity about rejection and taking a chance on yourself. That was just very wonderful. Let's give it up again for Zha Zhang. Very good. Now you, you have empowered me to find a Krispy Kreme donut where I can say, can you make donuts out of for WBTV. Maybe I can do that, right? But thank you so much. That is great. Chris, you are here and this just must be just a magical moment for you. What's going through your mind right now and leading an organization like this in a moment like today?

Well, first of all, Dedrick, thank you so much for being here. And what a powerful message from Josh Yang about getting outside your box and your comfort zone. And, you know, I'm just— I'm blessed. I feel extremely proud and honored to lead this organization. And what I can tell you is I know every day our team, almost 1,000 team members get up and, you know, they're working hard to create a great experience. And whether that's for our customers, shoppers, our program participants, but what they're really doing is trying to advance the mission, right? They're really focused on prosperity and equity and possibility. And this is what we all care about. And, you know, my vision and thought is this is how we make the kind of community that we want to have for Exactly.

So a lot of people are watching this moment right now. What is the one thing, the ask that you have that you want to, you know, convey and tell the people who are watching us right now?

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I would hope that folks take what they learned and what they heard today and they reframe their thinking about goodwill. And more importantly, they take that information and they share it with others. Again, in order to create the kind of community we all want to have where everybody can prosper, the way to do that is to work together and to share information and resources that are available to others like Goodwill.

Yeah, that's good. Work together to make the possibilities and opportunities happen for all. I love it. I love it. Let's give a round of applause for Chris. Thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it. Appreciate it. Listen, What we've learned this past year and a half is that when we support each other, we can achieve anything. Nothing is impossible. Chris, that really is the message we're hearing today. Whether it is dropping off items at one of the local Goodwill Donation Center locations or making a monetary pledge, every donation makes a difference. a difference. Let me say that one more time. Every donation makes a difference. Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont is very fortunate to have such supportive corporate partners who not only help to fund the programs that are putting people to work, but also providing them with well-paid, sustainable careers. And there is so much more to be done. So here to share more about where your donations go and the real difference it's making in our community is Goodwill Board of Directors member and past chair Sarah Garcés Roselli.

Hello, I'm Sarah Garcés Roselli, and it gives me great pleasure to serve as a member of the Goodwill Board of Directors. I hope you've enjoyed our time together this morning. It has brought us joy to share stories of inspiring people who live right here in our community who have chosen Goodwill to support them on their journey. This morning, you were part of a milestone moment for Goodwill as we launched our new mission, vision, and values, and we couldn't be happier to have you with us to share and celebrate the evolution of our organization. And what a message from Xia Jiang! How lucky we are to receive his inspiration and knowledge. Xia, we thank you so much for Thank you for spending your morning with us. As we begin to close out our time together, I hope you reflect on what you learned about Goodwill this morning and the impact our training programs and career services have on entire families in our community. We are so proud to be able to create pathways to prosperity, possibility, and opportunity. If we've learned anything in the last 18 months, It's the increasing value of partnership. It is through partnerships that we can move closer to our vision of a community where equitable access to career opportunities is available for all. It is imperative that we come together as a community to build pathways that help people pursue the life that they want to achieve. And I know you are aware of the important role that skills development and access to employment plays in bridging deep divides in our community. With expansion of equitable access to training in job-specific sectors, people like Doug, Lori, and Portia have an opportunity to build their own pathway to prosperity, a pathway that will undoubtedly impact their family for future generations. On behalf of Goodwill and its Board of Directors, I am personally inviting you to invest in the thousands of people each year who choose Goodwill to be their partner on their journey to prosperity. I invite you to be a part of the solution that sees individuals in our community for their goals, aspirations, and contributions that they want to make in this world. In 2020, over 7,500 people chose Goodwill as their partner. And almost 700 new careers were launched after participants enrolled in training to build their skills and become more competitive in this job market. Join me and so many others by making your contribution today to help even more people receive life-changing services. Giving is really easy. To invest in our work today, simply click on the bright green Give Now button on the side of this video and select the level of impact that you wish to make. If you are able, I would encourage you to consider becoming a sustaining donor by joining our J. Michael Elder Giving Circle. Sustained giving has a profound impact on the services that participants receive. Contributions to the Giving Circle will support investments in technology to increase community access to services, in innovative tools to efficiently deliver services, for quality instructors and career navigators to deliver the highest level of services to our participants, and scale training and career services to neighborhoods and even rural communities in our area. Click on the Invest tab below this video to become a sustained donor. No matter the level of impact that you choose to make today, you are part of a movement to help people see possibilities, seize opportunities, and prosper. I personally am committing myself to the cause today. Please take a moment now to join me in making your gift online and celebrate with others in the chat who join in your generosity. Together we can do so much good. I thank you Thank you for your gifts of hope and possibility.

Wow, thank you, Sarah. We all want to be a part of this movement, right? So folks, it's time to take a moment to click the Give Now button. Not only are you giving, but you are investing. While making your gift, we have a special message from Good Morning Opportunity sponsors. Representatives from Lowe's, Bank of America, and Atrium Health share why they give to Goodwill programs.

Hi, I'm Keith Cockerell, President of Bank of America Charlotte. And at Bank of America, our purpose is to make financial lives better through the power of every connection. We're here to assist whether trying to manage your finances, buy a car, or purchase your first home, we're here to help. And it's through partnerships with agencies like Goodwill Industries that we know we can make a substantial difference in economic mobility and the opportunity for all to fully participate and fulfill their dreams in life. You see, we're proud of the work that Goodwill Industries does. I'm proud of the partnership that we have because we, we know the power of work in changing lives. And so the importance of job training, skills, career planning, and preparedness are all key ingredients to help us all advance not only our own lives but the lives of our children. We couldn't be more pleased to be in partnership with Goodwill. We thank all the sponsors who have joined us for this activity and the support. We wish you the very best.

I'm Betsy Conway, Director of Community Relations at Lowe's. Lowe's is a proud partner and supporter of Goodwill. We are committed to advancing economic mobility for all in our hometown of Charlotte, and we do that through partnering and investing in programs with Goodwill in both the skilled trades and technology fields. Thank you so much for your support of Goodwill and for joining us in the efforts to impact lives across our hometown.

Hello, my name is Gerard Camacho and I'm the AVP of Workforce Development at Atrium Health. Just like Goodwill, Atrium Health is dedicated to serving those members of our community that need it the most. We believe in addressing those social determinants of health, whether it's going to be through workforce development activities or through providing patient care. We believe that everyone in the Charlotte region deserves better service, and we are here to provide it. Thank you for your time and for your contributions.

Thank you, sponsors. Now, as we come to the close of our time together this morning, Let's reflect for a moment on the key words in Goodwill's renewed purpose: to see possibilities, seize opportunities, and help everybody prosper. So now, your generous gifts are appreciated and will go directly to programs that support Goodwill's renewed vision, mission, and purpose. You are making a difference, and your donation is building pathways that people people pursue the life they want to achieve. So I guess a drum roll is in. We need a drum roll. Can we all do a drum roll? Oh, so we're going to check back in with Meredith to see what the giving and the investment looks like. Hey Meredith, good morning, Opportunity.

Good morning, Opportunity. All right, Dedrick, one more is coming in right now. Looks like we are at $117,584 raised.

Wow, that is good. That's amazing. Not bad for 1 hour, right?

Not bad at all.

Oh, and they can still continue to give, right?

Absolutely, absolutely.

Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for everybody who are investing in Goodwill. Thank you. Keep, keep the, the money coming. We will always It's always a good thing to give to Goodwill, right? So thank you. As we leave today, I ask you to consider this. Like I said before, imagine what we can all do together. We can all put our monies together to have a pathway to prosperity to everybody. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Tell somebody else about what happened here today at Goodwill. Thank you so much. And remember, good morning.

Good morning.

Opportunity. Have a great day. Bye-bye.

It starts with a purpose, a vision, a mission, a shared call to action when we actively listen to what our community needs and then work together to build pathways for all to succeed. In helping others to pursue the life they want to achieve, In providing hope and possibility, in uncovering passions and opportunity, in opening doors and giving reasons to believe that worth is more than work and a career is just a starting point to fulfilling a dream for yourself and for your family. That is what good Will means. And we want to thank those who have supported our vision and took part in our mission of pathways and equity, because it takes a village to make hope a reality. And as we boldly look forward to making futures brighter and better, we ask you to imagine the good that we can all do Together.

Good job. All right.