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Health & Fitness

Goodwill CEO is Presented Thomas Paine Award

Florida Veterans for Common Sense presented the annual Thomas Paine award to Bob Rosinsky, president and CEO of Goodwill Manasota on Jan. 25 at the Jacaranda Country Club.  This prestigious award is presented to a deserving person who has made an outstanding effort to assist veterans and has made a positive contribution to our communities, state, and nation.

Bob Rosinsky instituted The American Veterans and their Families Initiative in 2013. This program, at no cost to veterans, has helped hundreds of veterans with their reintegration into the civilian work force. The initiative has helped veterans with employment services, financial assistance, health benefits, housing assistance and more.

Goodwill has also produced a very successful Veterans Resource Guide to assist veterans’ in simplifying their transition process. This extensive reference lists and describes resources available to veterans from the Federal government, state, and local communities.

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Rosinsky’s attitude is best characterized by his instructions to staff managing the veteran program, “…find those veterans who really want to help themselves, and we’ll do whatever in our power to help them --nothing is off limits.”

Bob Rosinsky’s ‘can do’ attitude to help veterans is in the tradition of Thomas Paine, who wrote the famous words in The American Crisis, “These are the times that try men’s souls…” which General George Washington read to his troops.

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Thomas Paine was a revolutionary soldier and author of Common Sense, The Crisis Papers, and The Age of Reason.  Paine’s Common Sense stirred the colonists to seek independence. Some historians assert that without the pen of Paine, George Washington would have wielded his sword in vain.

For more information about the Florida Veterans for Common Sense, visit http://floridaveteransforcommonsense.org

About Goodwill Manasota

Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. For more than 110 years, Goodwill has provided opportunities through such programs as Donated Goods Employment Services, Job Connection, American Veterans & their Families Initiative,JobsPlus, Supported JobsPlus, GoodwillWorks, HomeBuyer’s Club, Mission Development Services, White Glove Services, Good Neighbor Program and Ambassadors Program. Goodwill continues to assist people with disabilities and barriers to opportunity by changing lives through the power of work. Goodwill Manasota, Inc. is legally organized under the laws of the United States and the State of Florida. We are accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota in essence belongs to this community, and is NOT owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit EXPERIENCEGOODWILL.ORG.

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