Maribel Contreras sighed with relief when she found a stroller in the dumpster behind her apartment building.
She had been taking out the garbage when she spotted it.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispered to herself. “Thank you, God.”
Contreras moved to Wisconsin with her husband and three children in 2007, looking for new opportunities. Her husband was a shift worker and left the house early every morning. Without a car or driver’s license, getting her five‑year‑old son to school with a one‑year‑old and infant in tow was difficult.
The stroller allowed her to push her one‑year‑old while her five‑year‑old walked. She would put blankets in the bottom basket of the stroller as a makeshift bassinet for her infant daughter, so she could set the baby down when her arms got tired.
Eventually, a classmate’s parent noticed Contreras and followed her home one day. Seeing her struggle, the parent offered to give Contreras’ son rides to school. It was a weight off her shoulders, Contreras says, and a moment when she felt less alone.
“I have a lot of gratitude [for] so many communities here in this area, because all of them gave me a hand. I didn’t just do it on my own; it took a village,” she says. “And I’m very, very grateful for every person that’s poured into me.”
Contreras, who is part of this month’s cover story on Goodwill NCW, shared her story Oct. 7 at Goodwill NCW’s annual gala. She was recognized as Career EXCELerate’s Graduate of the Year, having received certification in early childhood education.
Contreras found a path forward through Career EXCELerate, Goodwill NCW’s workforce training program, which helped her pursue an in‑demand career in early childhood education. Today Contreras works as an educator within the Menasha Joint School District while working toward her associate degree.
Northeast Wisconsin employers continue to cite talent shortages as a top business concern. There are so many individuals in our region like Contreras who don’t lack talent. They lack resources. Access to things many of us take for granted, like transportation, child care and education, can determine whether someone can even take the first step toward a career.
This is why programs such as Career EXCELerate matter. They help people overcome barriers to employment while connecting employers with talent they might otherwise overlook. Businesses that invest in removing those barriers — whether through their own hiring practices or by supporting programs that prepare people for work — will be the ones who win the talent war.
Find out more at goodwillncw.org/ career-excelerate-wisconsin
