Latest News – June 2020

Operation New Hope is pleased to share our 2020 Annual Report highlighting our Vision for Hope. When we began working in the community 20 years ago to address the issues of poverty, crime, homelessness, and drug addiction, we never could have imagined that our organization would evolve into the national reentry model it is today, expanding services to meet the needs of the ever-growing number of returning citizens. We could have never imagined that in our 20th year that we would host the daughter and granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and Vice President Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump, and Governor Ron DeSantis in back to back weeks. And we could have never imagined a world racked by pandemic and a nation battling the persistence of systemic racism, both challenging us to continue   meeting the needs of clients, staff, and communities we serve.

We are proud of the Operation New Hope of 2020 and we extend our thanks to the thousands of helping hands it took to get us to where we are today. We invite you to read more about our Vision for Hope in our Annual Report. Click here!

Ready4Release Program Launch

Since the inception of our Ready4Work reentry program in 2003, we have engaged with inmates prior to release from incarceration. In 2019, we created a dedicated team of trained pre-release case managers who work with clients behind bars, providing individualized release plans to facilitate a smooth transition back into the community and we have increased our reach from 5 to 17 prisons. To learn more about the program, visit our Ready4Release website. 

Ready4Work St. Johns County Reopens

We are excited to announce that our Ready4Work St. Johns County program location will reopen June 29, 2020. Like the City of St. Augustine, our “re-opening is careful, thoughtful and measured-to ensure the safety and health” of all we serve – clients, staff and friends alike. As an organization, we are looking forward to continue serving the returning citizens of St. Johns County! 

Speaking of returning citizens of St. Johns County, we are pleased to share that our first 3 Ready4Work St. Johns County graduates continue to receive services. One client has gainful employment as a kitchen manager, and we are working with the other 2 clients to match them with the best employment opportunities available. 

Want to help support more citizens returning to St. Johns County? Donate today!

Inside Out Dad Graduation at Baker Correctional

Operation New Hope’s Case Manager Ronnie Cage was onsite at Baker Correctional Institution just in time for Father’s Day to celebrate the graduates who successfully completed the InsideOut Dad program. While the class started in early January and was scheduled to end on March 25, 2020, COVID19 changed plans.

National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) developed the first edition of the InsideOut Dad program in 2005 to address a gap in quality fatherhood programs with proven effectiveness that help incarcerated fathers to become better dads while on the inside and, for those fathers who will be released, that help continue their growth as dads when they’re on the outside. 

Operation New Hope has been delivering the InsideOut Dad program inside correctional facilities since 2014 as part of our mission to break the cycle of generational incarceration. Ronnie Cage works with incarcerated fathers to help foster the skills needed to be an effective father preparing them for their eventual release and reunification.  Click here to read more. 

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Operation New Hope Adds Juneteenth to Agency’s Holiday Calendar

At Operation New Hope, we are taking steps to focus on inclusion, and as such, we added Juneteenth to our calendar of company holidays. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed slaves almost two and a half years earlier, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent. https://www.juneteenth.com/

Voices of Hope

Ansley’s Story

Russell’s Story

We love to celebrate with our clients as they reach their goals. Ansley and Russell are living proof that second chances really do matter! Read their inspiring stories of transformation and plans for future success.