The 2011 Annual Awards dinner scheduled for tonight, February 4, 2012, has been postponed due to the weather.

A reschedule date has not yet been set, but the important thing is to stay safe tonight! We will be in touch when we have more information, but in the meantime, be safe, smart and warm, and if you have any questions, please contact your supervisor.

Necklaces are tricky. We love to wear them, but how do you store them without getting tangled? How do you display them so you have easy access to your jewelry options? I’ve done the ‘pins on a fabric covered bulletin board’ thing, but when I moved to a new apartment I wanted something a little different.

Enter Goodwill. One afternoon when I was browsing the store for nothing in particular I came across this great wicker dream catcher. A quick coat of clear spray paint sealed up the wicker and added a little bit of shine. I picked up S hooks at the hardware store to hang the necklaces. Hanging above my dresser, the dream catcher now serves as both wall art and a clever way to store and display my jewelry.

That’s the thing with Goodwill. You never know what you’re going to find, but sometimes what you find is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

In this month’s massive issue:

• President and CEO Frank McGree gives us his 2011 Year in Review…
• We get to know Regina Bell, our December Employee of the Month, and Rose Sloderbeck, our latest Manager of the Quarter…
• We learn about YouthBuild Omaha’s new partnership with the Abide Network, and what that means for some North Omaha neighborhoods…
• Vice President of Human Resources and workout enthusiast Dave Pfeffer gives us some treadmill-based workout tips, including three sample workouts that will help you get the best out of your time on the treadmill…
• Facilities Manager Ross Tremaine tells us about Goodwill Omaha’s new environmentally friendly lighting…
• We meet avid dancer Marshal Rabe, who is also one of our Work Experience students…
• Learn about our stunning 2011 recycling and salvage numbers, plus the answer to our Question of the Month…
• Another exciting word search…
• Birthdays, anniversaries and new hires…
• …and more!

Visit our Publications page to download your copy today!

Marshal and Cassie at Dancing with the Omaha Stars / photo courtesy of Rod Rabe

By day, Marshal Rabe is one of the 26 Work Experience students at Goodwill’s Retail Operations Center, learning problem solving, independence, and various tasks around the facility. But by night, Marshal is a world-champion ballroom dancer!

Marshal and his dance partner Cassie Lacy were featured performers at the Omaha Ballroom’s “Dancing with the Omaha Stars” event on January 14. Marshal and Cassie danced a waltz during intermission, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and some perfect 10 scores from the panel of judges.

Marshal has been dancing all his life. His family owns the Rabe Dance Studio in Omaha, where Marshal has trained since childhood. He is a Country Western Dance World Champion, and he teaches Hip-Hop Dance at the Rabe Dance Studio.

He and Cassie met at a play production and have been dancing together ever since. Like Marshal, Cassie has Down syndrome, and she too has been dancing all her life. In addition to the Waltz, the two also perform Tango, Swing and Cha-Cha numbers.

Marshal began working with Goodwill’s Work Experience Program in August of 2011. WE Trainer Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik said that Marshal currently works on sorting and bundling shoes, which has been his favorite task so far. Throughout the course of the year, he will also work in the e-waste / computer recycling, clerical, production, custodial, contracts and retail departments.

“He enjoys interacting with the other students and has a good sense of humor,” Sarah said.

In addition to working at the ROC, Marshal also maintains a part-time job at the Garden Café.

Congratulations Marshal. Keep up the great work, and keep on dancing!

UPDATE! – Jan 23 WOWT Channel 6 ran a story on Marshal over the weekend! In addition to getting to know Marshal and Cassie better, you can see the two in action from last week’s Dancing with the Omaha Stars event.

ANOTHER UPDATE! – Jan 27 Marshal and Cassie are both featured in a video at Kirstie Alley’s 100DaysofDance.com! Scroll down to the bottom under “Featured Videos.”