Jason Tate

Rising above the noise from the loading docks and the forklifts at the 10th Ave. plant can be heard a booming laughter - laughter that had been missing at the end of 2006.

Jason Tate was born with cerebral palsy and suffers from a heart murmur. While some may have lost hope, Jason’s mother, Linda, had plans for her son.

“Some people may stay hidden, but I wanted Jason to be out in the world. I pushed for him to be mainstreamed. Some people resisted, but I kept pushing,” said Linda.

Linda and Jason first heard of Goodwill while he was attending Antioch High School. A teacher gave Jason information about Goodwill’s Summer Youth Program, which helps teenagers with disabilities find summer jobs in the community. Jason worked as a stocker at Kroger and enjoyed

“He really enjoyed it and liked the people at Goodwill. So when he graduated, I knew he would be happy working there,” said Linda.

That was 10 years ago. Jason works in the production plant hanging clothes that will be sent to the stores. Part of that responsibility includes meeting goals for each day, which he does despite a very outgoing personality. Jason can often be heard talking and laughing to his friends as he diligently works his shift.

“Jason does a good job. He tries hard everyday,” said Mike Eisenbraun, director of production. “Everybody loves him. Jason never has a bad day. He’s always up and has lots of energy. He makes everybody’s day fun.”

Late in the fall of 2006, the fun had to be put on hold while Jason recovered from surgery. Four years ago, a car hit Jason as he was trying to cross Nolensville Road. The accident left him with a broken right arm and a broken left leg that never quite healed properly. Jason’s leg kept swelling. His doctors didn’t know what was causing it and they recommended it be removed.

“It was a tough decision, but the doctor said the leg could become infected and put Jason’s life at risk. Plus it would help his quality of life. He basically had 75 pounds of dead weight removed,” said Linda. “A friend at Goodwill talked to Jason about it and really gave him support.”

Jason has recovered nicely. Although he missed his friends and is glad to be back at work, he did like the time off. He got the chance to play video games and watch the Titans with his new favorite player Vince Young.

His goal is to get a prosthetic leg and walk on his own again. He and his mother are both ready to put the surgery behind them and move forward. That first step came when Jason returned to work at the start of 2007.

“Jason loves sports, especially the Titans,” said Eisenbraun. “I knew it was going to be a good year when I came into work in January and my sports page was missing. That’s when I knew Jason was back.”

Jason is happy to be back at Goodwill surrounded by his friends and coworkers. He takes pride in his job and his role in helping others. If you ask him about it, he’ll tell you in his excited booming voice that he works at Goodwill.

“I’m so proud of him,” said Linda. “He’s a good worker and he accomplishes so much every day. The people at Goodwill really treat him with respect and that he matters. We need more programs like Goodwill.”

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