“Everybody has a story. That story may be about defeat, depression, hardship or something else. But we all need champions.”
A community service project in high school ignited a spark in Jackie Godlock that set her on a path to helping those with disabilities.
“As a teenager, I started working with Special Olympics,” explains Jackie, “and just found myself being closely connected to individuals who wanted to have a sense of normalcy regardless of what their differences were.”
A graduate of Ashworth College and North Carolina’s Leadership Department of Health and Human Services program, Jackie has devoted more than 25 years to community service in Rutherford County and surrounding areas, focusing especially on enhancing inclusionary opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
“Everything about my life has always been about working with those who had different learning styles and abilities,” says Jackie. “My job is about giving people the tools to be the best ‘them’ they can possibly be.”
She has served the last 15 years as a business relations representative for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, covering a four-county area to help people remove barriers to meaningful employment. With domestic abuse, poverty, drug abuse and accessibility to quality health care challenging those in the area, there are people walking through her door every day needing help.
Recounting one particularly memorable story, Jackie said, “One day, a woman came in who had been contemplating suicide. Her husband had left her and her kids, and she thought they would be better off without her. There were a lot of obstacles in her way to the life she envisioned.”
But Jackie helped her go through her list of obstacles and eliminate them one by one through vocational rehabilitation and community resources. She went on to finish her degree, advance in her job, and now she and her family are thriving.
Jackie’s history of community involvement includes serving on the board of trustees for both Rutherford Regional Hospital and Isothermal Community College. She also serves as an ambassador for Rutherford and McDowell County Chamber of Commerce and as a mentor for The McNair Educational Foundation, which fosters college and career awareness, readiness and success for all students in Rutherford County.
Mentoring students has taught her about looking at the whole person and the whole situation. She’s learned to ask questions, but also to pause and wait for the story. And then help them get the tools they need.
“It’s not just about having conversations,” says Jackie. “We also need to get in the trenches and walk through it with them. That’s something I’m hoping to do as a part of the Dogwood Health Trust Board.”
Address:
890 Hendersonville Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
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Asheville, NC 28803
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Support programs and networks that reduce deaths, treat addiction, and prevent first use
Help reduce disparities based on race, location, education and income factors
Invest in integrated heath care with seamless connections to supportive services
Support communities that promote healthy living and resiliency and help mitigate the impact of trauma, isolation and stress on individuals and families, especially those experiencing poverty
Support a well-funded, sustainable, competitive entrepreneur and small business ecosystem throughout the region
Help build a regional economic ecosystem that supports increased creation/retention of jobs and business ownership
Help build a skilled workforce with the knowledge and technical abilities to excel in a wide range of industry employment opportunities that provide a competitive, sustainable wage
Source, analyze and share a comprehensive, county-by-county data set that paints a full picture of work readiness, economic development and entrepreneurial needs and opportunities specific to Western North Carolina
Work in tandem with Economic Opportunity Strategic Priority to invest in career readiness at the community college and university levels
Support K-12 learning experiences with the resources and sustainability to provide an excellent academic and social-emotional education, so that all students graduate ready for college or career
Invest in an improved early childhood education ecosystem with the resources and sustainability to provide developmentally appropriate, affordable and accessible education and care to support ages birth to five, so that all children in WNC enter kindergarten ready to learn
Source, analyze and share a comprehensive set of publicly available data that provides a regularly updated, county-by-county picture of access, workforce and student outcomes in early childhood education and K-12 education specific to Western North Carolina
Loans, guarantees, and other financial tools to leverage funding opportunities
Increase affordable housing for lowest-income individuals and families
Support age-appropriate resources in affordable and workforce units, rental and owned
Invest in housing with sustainable supports for physical and mental health and wellbeing
Support healthy and safe revitalizations that work against displacement and gentrification, preserve home ownership and create generational wealth.