1. 60 / frederickgorilla.com
[Michael_VYskocil]
“You’ll never be able to graduate.”
“You’re not smart enough to go to college.”
“You’ll never be able to find a job.”
Joanna McVicker heard such comments from
a variety of people for much of her young life.
The Middletown woman’s battle began 20 years
ago with a brain injury she sustained after being
kicked in the head by a horse at age 4. It was
unclear at first how this accident would affect
her life, but her classroom experience slowly
revealed the extent of the damage. “They started
noticing it when I was in school, and I had trouble
concentrating, learning and understanding,”
McVicker recalls.
A battery of exams and testing confirmed
what she and her family feared — her cognitive
functions and ability to retain and process
information had indeed been impaired.
Growing up, McVicker struggled to perform
simple tasks, such as remembering where she
placed objects in her home. These challenges also
spilled over to her young adulthood, impacting
her dreams of furthering her education and
securing a good job.
That’s where Goodwill Industries of Monocacy
Valley (GIMV) entered McVicker’s life.
The nonprofit Frederick County organization
conducts a unique Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
program devoted specifically to helping individuals
with head trauma learn strategies to cope in their
personal and professional lives. The program has
been in place there for two years.
Joanna McVicker overcame a brain injury to build an
independent, productive life with the help of a unique
Goodwill rehabilitation program
Mind Over Matters

2. june­_july 2012 / 61
“For the first time, I feel empowered
in my life. I enjoy sharing what
I’ve learned at Goodwill with other
people.” /Joanna_McVicker
After numerous failed attempts to secure
meaningfulemployment,inAugust2010,McVicker
received a GIMV referral. Her Department of
Rehabilitation Services (DORS) counselor felt she
would benefit most from a course that provided
both cognitive and vocational training skills, and
the ABI program was a natural fit. The instructor,
Patie Elsberry, like her pupils also has a brain injury.
“She understood my issues because she lives with
the same things I was struggling with,” McVicker
acknowledges.
“You learn memory skills. You do word
scrambles where you have to challenge your
brain. There are lots of things you have to
read about how to improve your memory. We
had tons of journaling that we had to do every
day,” McVicker recounts of her time in the
ABI class. “The program teaches us how to be
independent, and through that, we received job
training skills workshops.”
But the real test remained – would she be
successful at finding employment?
McVicker ultimately landed a job with the
Tourism Council of Frederick County’s Visitor
Center. Robyn Hildebrand, the center’s manager,
says McVicker was the first person the organization
hired from Goodwill’s programs.
However, Goodwill was no stranger to
Hildebrand. “Initially, Goodwill was doing our lead
fulfillment mailings offsite, at their Church Street
facility. This was arranged by Tom Buttner, business
consultant with Monocacy Valley Goodwill. After
a time, Tom approached us with the idea of placing
a candidate from the
ABI program to do
the mailings on site
at the new Visitor
Center. Joanna was
that candidate,” she
explains.
McVicker admits to being hesitant to accept
the offer: “I was a little nervous at first. I was afraid
I’d lose a job again.” But thanks to her ABI training
and Hildebrand’s help, McVicker says she has the
confidence and ability to fulfill the duties of her
position, which include organizing mailings,
restocking brochures, preparing welcome bags for
tour groups and manning the center’s front desk
where she fields questions from visitors.
“Everyone is very happy to have Joanna as a
staff member. In addition to her sweet personality,
she is an asset with skills that have been helpful
beyond her responsibility for the lead fulfillment
mailings,” Hildebrand says.
“For the first time, I feel empowered in my
life,” McVicker exclaims. “I enjoy sharing what
I’ve learned at Goodwill with other people.”
In addition to those personal achievements, her
efforts, work ethic and determination to succeed
have also earned a national award. In late June,
McVicker will travel
to Florida to receive
the 2012 Kenneth
Shaw Graduate of
the Year award from
Goodwill Industries
International. The honor recognizes individuals
who have successfully completed a Goodwill career
program and attained subsequent employment by a
non-Goodwill employer in their local communities.
“Disabilities like Joanna’s are often invisible to
the public,” remarks Jim Gibbons, president and
CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “She
proves to others with similar disabilities that there
are ways to be successful in the workplace.”
McVicker says that the help she received through
Goodwill has inspired her to return to college to
study gerontology with the goal of one day working
with the elderly.
“I would tell anyone not to give up and to keep
going after their dream,” she says.
To learn more about Goodwill
Industries of Monocacy Valley and
the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
program, visit www.gimv.org/
programs_Brain.html.
Goodwill Industries of
Monocacy Valley
400 E. Church St., Frederick
301-662-0622
www.gimv.org
images courtesy of Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley