Thomas Sullivan

It is a chilly Autumn day and Thomas Sullivan, an ADC attendant at the Bellevue Donation Express Center, is busy chatting with a donor.  “Thomas is great to work with,” says Tyron Eason, who recently relocated from Williamsburg, Va.  “My family is still unpacking and we make several trips a week to this donation center. Thomas is always there to help me off-load including a heavy kitchen table and four chairs that we no longer wanted.”  

Eason’s warm feelings for Sullivan are shared by many of the donors who stop at the convenience center.  “There are several older ladies who come by a few times a week with one or two items.  They really just want someone to talk to and they bring me cookies, cakes and soda,” says Sullivan as he takes a quick break.  

Sullivan feels lucky to be working at the Bellevue center.  He spent several months working alone at the Dixon and Charlotte attended trucks before transferring to the donor center a year ago.  “Here I can use a dolly to move the heavy items and I don’t get soaking wet when donors stop by in the pouring rain.  And there is a microwave and refrigerator on-site.”

The 64-year-old Sullivan is a native New Yorker who moved to the Nashville area more than twenty years ago.  He spent most of his career in the auto body and repair business.  He believes his age kept him from getting a job recently and is grateful that Goodwill has treated him so well.  “I can outwork most of the young people, but no one was willing to take a chance except Goodwill.  I come to work now and it’s fun.”  Sullivan takes great pride in the Bellevue center and even after a long shift, mops the floor, cleans the bathrooms and handles the garbage.  “This place has to stay clean,” he says.

Sullivan enjoys his job so much, that he has had a hand in helping several younger employees find work.  “These kids graduate from high school and can’t get jobs.  I recommend them to my supervisor, Charles Watson, and he interviews them and they are hired.”  To date, three employees have found jobs thanks to Sullivan.  

For Sullivan, the busier he is at work, the more he enjoys his job, even when he has to turn down a donation.  Goodwill does not accept merchandise in less than pristine shape and while the donor might be annoyed, Sullivan tells them, “If you wouldn’t buy it, why would I want it?”  He adds, “I believe the mission here at Goodwill is easy to remember.  It’s to put people to work.  It takes money to do that and I am helping in the process when I work with the donors.”  

Thomas works at the Bellevue Donation Express Center Thursday-Sunday each week.  If you are in the area, he would be happy to chat, especially if you have items to donate.