Employee Story
Smina Matchlie
“I had to leave my country because of the insecurity there. It was very sad for me because I didn’t want to leave. I felt scared to live in my own country and was deeply concerned for my life and my son’s life.”
This is how Sans Souci employee Smina Matchlie begins her story- one of courage, perseverance, and transformation. Two years ago, Smina fled Haiti seeking safety for herself and her son. 14 months ago, she found Sans Souci - and life began to change in remarkable ways.
Because of donors like you, Smina has found not only employment, but stability, confidence, and community.
This Giving Tuesday (December 2nd), your support can continue changing lives like Smina’s. Your gift helps Sans Souci provide job opportunities, life-skills training, and one-on-one support for employees facing barriers to self-sufficiency.
Spoken through our translator (another Sans Souci employee), Smina shared how difficult her journey was.
“Haiti has many political problems, and gangs and criminals are killing innocent people for no reason,” she said. “When I arrived in Columbus, I had to wait about six months for my documents and work permit. Besides the language and cultural barriers, it was a difficult time.”
After finally receiving her work permit, Smina found a manufacturing job- but just three months later, she was let go due to low work volume. For five long months she searched for a job. Then, she learned about Sans Souci and filled out an employment application. Within two weeks, she was hired- and her journey toward stability began.
At first, she was nervous and shy, but her confidence grew quickly. “Sans Souci has helped me a lot. When you are an immigrant with language barriers and you need help, sometimes people don’t understand or don’t take the time to help you,” Smina said. “But I feel that Sans Souci supports me and truly cares about me.”
Since joining the team, Smina has overcome challenges many of us take for granted- finding housing, navigating insurance and hospital bills, and even avoiding a scam that could have cost her hundreds of dollars. She’s also found a strong sense of community within Sans Souci’s growing Haitian team, through the English Learning Initiative (ELI) that Sans Souci provides. Smina has enjoyed the ELI classes. “I’m learning a lot, and I see my Haitian coworkers improving too,” Smina said. “Working alongside English speakers also helps me practice and get better.”
Looking ahead, Smina’s dreams are full of hope: “My plans for the future are to continue improving my English, get my driver’s license, and stay here in the United States,” she said. “I want to keep working at Sans Souci, gain more skills, and earn a certificate.” Your gift this Giving Tuesday can help make those dreams possible- not just for Smina, but for every employee working to build a better life.
Give hope. Give opportunity. Give on Giving Tuesday.
More to Know
about our impactful results
Sans Souci’s Employee Development program is designed to employ and equip individuals who have struggled to obtain or retain employment elsewhere, providing them with the support and tools needed to succeed in the workforce. Through one-on-one coaching and personalized plans, employees work to overcome barriers such as housing, childcare, transportation, or financial instability. They also participate in regular trainings led by community partners on topics like communication, financial wellness and job readiness.
For those ready to advance, our Sans Souci Build You (SSBU) program offers career exploration, job shadowing and externship opportunities — empowering participants to build confidence and transition into stable, long-term careers.
Foundations
On average, Sans Souci employs 30 to 35 individuals at a time. Many of these employees come to us in crisis mode and have struggled to obtain or retain employment elsewhere.
By working with each employee, creating an individualized goal plan and providing paid training, we empower individuals by removing barriers that have prevented them from being successful at other places of employment. We provide guidance for them to a path to lifelong self-sufficiency, breaking the generational cycle of poverty.
Additionally, Sans Souci employees learn valuable and transferable skills just while working, such as cash handling, customer service and teamwork.
Build You
Sans Souci Build You (SSBU) is an extension of our Employee Development program, which provides training and guidance for select employees who are working towards moving from stability to self-sufficiency.
Through SSBU, participants will take six-week courses in the areas of finance, communications, personal development, computer literacy and career exploration.
After the courses have been completed, an employee will participate in a six-week externship with a partner employer in a field that the participant is interested in.
Keaton Alexander
Keaton joined the Sans Souci team five years ago and has had significant personal and professional growth since starting at Sans Souci. Keaton was struggling with anxiety so much that he only completed one shift before quitting. After some support and schedule adjustments, he came back- and today, he works full-time as our main truck driver, has stable housing and transportation, joined our Sans Souci Build You program, and is building a bright future and planning to take accounting classes at Ivy Tech.
Jordan Grant
Jordan joined our team about four years ago as a young teenager who was just looking to make some income. After graduating high school, Jordan was struggling with a sense of direction of what to do post-high school. Jordan has recently moved into a leadership position as an Assistant Operations Supervisor and since being in the SSBU class, has learned he would like to continue his education at IvyTech and is taking classes in business administration.
Kristy Hartman
Kristy has been with Sans Souci for almost 9 years. Kristy came to Sans Souci for a job that would be flexible with her schedule and allow her to support her children. Since being at Sans Souci, Kristy has moved into an Assistant Operations Supervisor role and wanted to join the SSBU program to grow in her leadership skills and explore other career options. Kristy continues to enjoy learning more each day and is excited about growing in her skills even more!
Kim Stein
Kim has been with the Sans Souci team for seven years and has worked in many different areas of the store and Donation Center and supports new employees by training them in areas such as the cash registers. Kim leads by example and wanted to be in the SSBU program to grow in her professional and personal skills. Since being in SSBU, Kim has been learning about other potential career fields and enjoyed taking the communications workshop! Kim will continue taking classes about leadership so that she can continue growth in her skills.