When you donate items to your local Goodwill store, have you ever stopped and wondered what happens to those items?

I mean really stopped and thought about it?

To you, you're getting rid of clothing you no longer want, gently used kitchen pots and pans or perhaps furniture and household items. But to someone at Goodwill, those items can be life-changing.

Goodwill Industries of Arkansas does so much more for Arkansas than being a retail store. The items you donate that are sold in stores across the state and the proceeds go to fund programs that help members of the community.

One the those programs is the Transitional Employment Opportunities program, or TEO. This program helps people who have committed nonviolent crimes and have served their time to transition back into daily lives. The TEO program gives them hands-on job training, current employment status and helps them get back into a daily routine of living and being a contributing member of society.

The video is a testament to the lives changed because of Goodwill. Watch Teresa's story and you'll see why and know that everyone deserves a second chance. Goodwill gave her that second chance.

Along with BackFocus Productions and Kumpuris Communications, I was honored to work on this project. We would like to congratulate Teresa on her award.

So go out and donate to Goodwill Industries of Arkansas.