Correspondent photo / Sean Barron From left, Shelley Murray, Goodwill Industries’ chief executive officer; Michael Dent, a Goodwill volunteer; Holly Hahn; her son, John Hahn III; and Kathy S. Gerberry, a board member, were among those who attended Thursday’s second annual mission fundraiser breakfast at Woodland Estate in Liberty. Dent, Holly and John Hahn and Gerberry gave testimonials regarding how the longtime agency has helped improve their lives.

LIBERTY — In a few decades of his young life, John Hahn III has transitioned from a child who had few social skills and friends to an adult who holds a job he cherishes — and from which he has carved out a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment.

The conduit for much of the process has been Goodwill Industries Inc.

“They provided me with an extended education,” Hahn, 26, of Austintown, said.

Shortly before he turned 2 years old, Hahn was diagnosed on the autism spectrum, which, in his case, meant he didn’t begin to speak until age 5, and with few words and other challenges. Today, however, he has a bevy of friends and a job three days per week in which he scans books in Goodwill’s e-commerce department after being hired June 22, 2020. Before his current position, Hahn took photographs of objects the agency sold on eBay and other websites, he recalled.

Hahn’s testimony of triumph also was a centerpiece of Goodwill’s second annual mission fundraiser breakfast Thursday morning at Woodland Estate, 3128 Logan Way.

Money raised stays in the Mahoning Valley and will go toward its community-oriented programs, Shelley Murray, Goodwill’s chief executive officer, noted.

Also offering her reflections to an audience of about 200 community leaders, agency heads and others was Hahn’s mother, Holly Hahn, who is Potential Development’s program coordinator for students in kindergarten through grade six. Hahn’s son had been enrolled at Potential Development.

Even though John Hahn III graduated in 2019 from Austintown Fitch High School after being in its special education programs, Holly Hahn and her husband, John Hahn, were “uncertain about his future,” she said, adding that Goodwill dramatically erased that concern.

“I don’t have to worry about what his future looks like after graduation,” she added.

The agency was founded more than 130 years ago with the mission that society should not be content until its most vulnerable members are given what they need to reach their full potential, Murray said in her remarks.

To that end, Goodwill, which serves five counties with 10 retail outlets, has developed initiatives that include partnerships with the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and others. In addition, the agency hired a community solutions director in December to further assist with accessing resources and assets in the Mahoning Valley that can expand Goodwill’s ability to help clients overcome a variety of barriers, Murray noted.

Also, the agency has launched a three-phase pilot program that offers training to assist those who are in recovery and is aimed at giving them the necessary means to pursue their goals, she said.

The programs provide tools for success that most people tend to take for granted, but for clients, they can build confidence and self-esteem, Murray added.

Providing video testimonies about the impact Goodwill has had on their lives were Michael Dent and Kathy S. Gerberry, both of whom are volunteers. Gerberry also is a board member.

Dent, who was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder at age 5 or 6, recalled having lost his sister to violence and that he also lost his mother, who instilled in him and his siblings the importance of obtaining a good education and making a decent living. Goodwill has provided an invaluable pathway for him to befriend others and help them along the way, he said.

“You have potential, you have merit, and you have worth,” Dent said in the video.

Gerberry shared the impact her late sister, Diane L. Schrum, had on her and the community, which led to the launch of the Diane Schrum Food Pantry to help the agency’s employees.

Despite a plethora of health and physical problems, Schrum dedicated herself to the agency and reaching out to others. She was hired in 1991 to work in the textile department, then learned a variety of skills that included balancing a checkbook, Gerberry recalled. Most importantly, however, Schrum developed higher self-esteem and self-confidence, Gerberry continued.

“Some are autistic, some are blind, but all are happy,” she said in assessing employees’ overall sense of being part of Goodwill.

Schrum died unexpectedly of a heart attack, Sept. 10, 2021. She was 64.

Perhaps more than making a fulfilling job possible, Goodwill Industries has given her son, whom she describes as kindhearted, trustworthy and dedicated to his job, a valuable avenue to connect and bond with others, Holly Hahn said.

“Once he meets you, he doesn’t forget you,” she added.