Meet the Licensing Partner: Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida 

Through the Licensing Program, Senior Planet is able to partner with local organizations to provide free, in-person classes for older adults we wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise. We spoke with Angela Hemstreet, the Director of Employment Services at Goodwill Southwest Florida (SWFL) about how being a Licensing Partner is helping their community members actually enjoy engaging with technology.  Learn more here about Licensing. 

Angela has been with Goodwill SWFL for the last 15 years. Outside of work she’s a passionate vegetable gardener who loves to “eat the rainbow” and enjoys the antics of her two German Shepherds. 

Tell me about Goodwill of Southwest Florida! What is your mission?  

Goodwill Industries Southwest Florida is committed to serving people with disabilities and disadvantages by offering life-changing opportunities to achieve independence. In some programs we serve people with disabilities, in others we serve folks who are simply interested in improving their lives. This could be learning how to start their own business, gaining digital skills, or improving their work-readiness. 

What makes Southwest Florida unique? 

Southwest Florida is an interesting place! We don’t have any very large cities, but the area isn’t fully rural either. We have both beaches and bovines! We have folks from all walks of life here and so much diversity from all over the world. I think what makes it unique for our services is the primary age group. Four Southwest Florida cities are listed in Florida’s oldest cities ranking. 

How does being a part of the Senior Planet Licensing Program help grow your impact? 

For the particular demographic we serve, being a Senior Planet Licensing Partner is truly huge! We serve seniors every day, and many of them share that they feel intimidated by technology and a little irritated that so much about daily tasks and living is now tied to (read requires) technology. We can now offer just the right paced introduction to using and actually enjoying engaging with technology. Knowing how to safely use email and browse the internet opens up new ways to engage socially and the classes are social. That’s really the best part! People are becoming more independent and more engaged. Did I mention the impact of classes being available in Spanish?! This feature might be the most impactful here in Southwest Florida. 

What are some success stories from people who have taken Senior Planet classes through Goodwill SWFL? 

Some are stories of triumph includes a man whose wife passed, and he came in because he felt lost thinking about dealing with computers. He realized that she had been using online bill pay. He can now independently pay bills online.  

One of our center’s assistants, Linda, took the 10-Week essentials course. She was so nervous to take it – with a textbook and everything! Linda now tells us that she is much more confident with computers and therefore with the tasks of her job!  

What does “aging with attitude” mean to you? 

For me, aging with attitude means that if I am interested in something, I can learn all about it and continue to enrich my life! 

Pam Hugi is Senior Planet’s Community and Advocacy Manager. Based in Brooklyn, she is a contributing writer for this site.