Paul Goldsborough

A Resume Loyal to Goodwill
From coast to coast, Paul Goldsborough searches for the smiling “G.”

Full of energy and quick to compliment his teammates, 60-year-old Paul Goldsborough says he loves to work at Goodwill.

“I like my job and I’ve got a great team that helps,” he says.

In fact, Paul loves to work at Goodwill so much, he’s dedicated several years of his career to four different Goodwill locations—Orlando, Fla.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; and now Spring Hill, Tenn.

Paul and his wife, proud grandparents of four, are movers and shakers.  Wherever the grandkids go, the grandparents follow.  “She wants to be near those grandkids,” says Paul.  And from the way he talks, it’s easy to see Paul puts his wife, Nancy, first.  “I just want to make her happy.”  

Ever since he was born, Paul has lived with a disease that causes retina deterioration.  Being legally blind, he describes it as tunnel vision.  Sitting across from someone, Paul explains that he has to “find ya” in his narrow line of sight.

When he was a young man, Paul dreamed of becoming a CPA.  “I loved math,” he says.  Paul never realized that dream--he couldn’t see the numbers. Besides that, Paul assumed that working was beyond his abilities.

Because of that misconception, Paul collected a disability check for almost 20 years.

Paul’s career began when he got his first real job with Goodwill. “Goodwill treats me nice and good.  They understand about my eye problem.”

When Paul volunteered with the Kiwanis Club in Florida, the organization encouraged him to attend The School for the Blind.  There, he learned to become more independent and discovered he was capable of working.  “I didn’t know I could work,” he says.

Paul, lively and eager to help, admits he can’t sit still—and holding a steady job cures that itch.  

“I believe in working for a living,” he says. Paul earns the only paycheck in his family since he says his wife, Nancy, has Hepatitis C and is often sick.

Spring Hill Bound

Paul’s and Nancy’s daughter moved her family from Knoxville to Spring Hill at the end of the summer. When the two were driving through Spring Hill one day scoping it out, Nancy saw the Goodwill sign.  

“She said, ‘Hey, it’s a Goodwill. Maybe it’s a sign from the Lord.’”  At that point, Paul contacted Goodwill, interviewed, and was practically hired on the spot.  

Having worked at several different Goodwill agencies, Paul has experience with warehouse work, loading trucks, baling, and now accepting donations. “Some people still discriminate against a person with a disability,” says Paul.  But he thinks differently of Goodwill.  

Paul requires slight accommodations on the job as a donation attendant in Spring Hill.  For example, he uses a magnifying glass to track the donations and asks donors to fill out their own tax receipts—he just can’t see them.  “No one seems to mind,” he says.  

Paul relies a lot on his memory to aid him through the day.  Gliding through the back area of Goodwill, he memorizes where racks usually reside, the break room’s location, and other obstacles in the way as he maneuvers through the congestion.  “I just waved to the break room and I don’t know if anyone’s out there.  I thought I should wave anyway,” he smiles.  

Paul insists he has to have fun despite his poor vision.  

Taking Root

Paul and his wife have decided to make Spring Hill their permanent home and are building a house in the same development as their daughter. The movin’ and shakin’ days are over according to Paul.

The last brick put on his house will signal the final township where the Goldsboroughs will make a home.  “We love it here [Spring Hill]. I plan on dying here,” says Paul without a hint of sadness in his voice.

Paul is looking forward to the move.  In his new home, he boasts about a weight area for him to build his muscle mass.  “It makes working at Goodwill easier if you build strong muscles,” he explains.  “It’s easier to lift and handle the furniture.”  

He loves to lift weights but has let that hobby slide for the past three years.  He can’t wait to get started again.  “It’s a stress reliever for me,” but quickly adds he doesn’t get too stressed out to begin with.  “I just take it one day at time.”