SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – A standout Goodwill team member was recently granted a multitude of reasons to celebrate this holiday season as her family was selected to be the beneficiary of the Adams and Reese Sarasota office’s HUGS Program. Goodwill Manasota employee Irma Orona, her mother, Virginia Guerrero (who also works at Goodwill), children and other family members living with her have received items including a Christmas tree and decorations, lots of clothing – including work clothes for Irma and Virginia – plentiful toys for the children, and a generous Publix gift card.
When Orona came to Goodwill nearly seven years ago, she was a single mom who never graduated from high school. Over time, she benefited from Goodwill’s on-the-clock opportunities for classes and training and – while working full-time – earned her high school diploma. She is someone who takes care of others: in addition to her own two children, she and her mother have provided for her two nieces and a nephew after the unexpected death of her brother two years ago. She and her mother also took care of her father – Guerrero’s ex-husband – who lived with them, was on dialysis and required a lot of care. [Sadly, he passed away the day Orona and Guerrero came to pick up their holiday gifts from Adams and Reese.]
Orona works at Goodwill’s Corporate Campus as a hanger; in the past she served as a cashier. Guerrero has been with Goodwill for nearly three years, also working as a hanger at the Corporate Campus store.
Orona is not a person who asks for help, or who complains when things don’t go her way. While she noted that she would have been okay if Adams and Reese had selected another family, she says that she is very thankful that her family will enjoy the bountiful gifts provided. She is a person who cares for others, especially her kids and her family, and she is deeply grateful for all that has been done in order for all in her household to have an exceptional Christmas.
This is the 32nd year of the Adams and Reese HUGS community service and philanthropic program – HUGS stands for Hope, Understanding, Giving and Support, and is the holiday charitable initiative through which the firm donates time, financial resources and assistance to more than 200 organizations throughout its service area.
“For nine years, Adams and Reese has proudly partnered with Goodwill Manasota through our HUGS volunteer program to provide holiday gifts and necessities for special families in need,” said Ryan Owen, Sarasota office Partner in Charge at Adams and Reese. “Our Sarasota team members enjoyed shopping for gifts and seasonal surprises for our family as well as providing them with necessities many of us might take for granted. We are grateful to Goodwill for continuing to provide us with opportunities to reach out into our community and help deserving families to have a truly memorable holiday season.”
“I can say that, as an observer, I have been deeply moved when I have been able to assist with the pick-up from Adams and Reese, just seeing the generous heart of this business and its employees,” said Orona’s GoodPartner Coach, Dana Knuuti. “They truly desire to overwhelmingly bless the family they ‘adopt’ and every year they have succeeded in doing so. They genuinely care about the people they adopt – people they have never even met. I really do believe they give from their hearts.”
For more about Goodwill, visit experiencegoodwill.org.
About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With philanthropic donations and revenue generated by the sales of donated goods, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities, veterans, seniors, and those with other barriers to employment by providing jobs, job skills training, and free career services. For more information or for a listing of locations, visit experiencegoodwill.org or call 941-355-2721.
About Adams and Reese
Adams and Reese (adamsandreese.com) is a multidisciplinary law firm with nearly 270 attorneys and advisors strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, D.C. The American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation’s top law firms, the Am Law 200. The National Law Journal also includes the firm among the top 200 on the NLJ 500 list of the nation’s largest law firms.