Ready4Work Orlando Celebrates First Year
To meet the critical needs of the thousands of people who return home to Central Florida every month from jail and prison, Operation New Hope opened a new program location in Orlando in September 2022 as part of our Statewide Reentry Network. After our first year of delivering our nationally-recognized Ready4Work reentry program and providing […]
Voices of Hope – Candace C.
“I’m a 38 year-old mother of 8 children who was never a heavy drug user until my husband and I separated after 22 years of marriage. I felt so scared and alone and threw myself into drugs and sex, but it didn’t get me anywhere except arrested for drug possession with intent to sell and […]
Education, Employment and Second Chances Matter!
Susan Kowalski, Operation New Hope’s Deputy Director of our READY4WORK Space Coast program location, attended the Florida Prison Education Project (FPEP) Open House last week at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Founded in 2017, FPEP is an initiative of the University of Central Florida that seeks to offer a high-quality undergraduate education to people […]
Ready4Release Team Making an Impact
Our Ready4Release team is making an impact in our communities and being recognized for their efforts! We are so proud to highlight two of their recent recognitions: Ronnie Cage our Ready4Release Program Manager was awarded Volunteer of the Month July 2023 by the Lawtey Correctional Institution. Ronnie has been facilitating the InsideOut Dads program to […]
Space Coast Ready4Work Director Honored by Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency
On August 23, 2023, the Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency honored Jarvis Wash with the Reentry Award for his impact in the field. For over 10 years, Jarvis has been connecting returning citizens with vital post-release services like housing, cognitive-behavioral intervention, health care, job placement and training. Jarvis recently joined the Operation New Hope […]
Congressman Rutherford Thanks Community for Support of Second Chances
Congressman Rutherford and Susan King of Feeding Northeast Florida Rev. Beth Tjoflat of St. Mary’s and Crystal Chisholm Members from nonprofit and faith communities gathered for Community Breakfast Operation New Hope’s Reggie Fullwood thanking Congressman Rutherford for being a Second Chance Supporter Congressman John Rutherford returned home to Jacksonville to speak on the importance of […]
Second Chance Support – Bombas
Operation New Hope is so thankful to Bombas for their generous donation to help ensure our clients have clean socks to wear this winter. Many of our clients return home with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. So having new, clean clothing essentials is so important to being successful in finding a job […]
Voices of Hope – David P.
“I’m originally from Bradenton, Florida and started using drugs because it was the only escape route I knew. If I couldn’t get it, I’d find a way to take it. The day I went to jail, I lost everything. I hurt the person I cared about the most and that hurt me. It broke my […]
Voices of Hope – Asia V.
“Before Operation New Hope, I was drug addicted, living on the streets, in an abusive relationship, and involved in human trafficking. My environment and the risks I was taking were very dangerous. I heard about the Ready4Work program when I was in jail in 2019, and it sounded like a great starting point from which […]
Making a Difference: Mayo Clinic’s Helps Prepare Returning Citizens for Career Success
We are happy to express our gratitude to the Mayo Clinic team for their recent donation of professional attire for our reentry program participants. Their generosity will go a long way in helping our clients prepare for successful careers. During the last 24 years, our Ready4Release, Ready4Work, and Ready4Success programs we have helped over 10,000 people […]
Expanding Reentry Services to the Space Coast
Operation New Hope is excited to announce that we are opening our newest program location – READY4WORK Space Coast – in August 2023. After our successful expansion to Orlando last year, Operation New Hope received a significant increase in State funding to support our continued efforts to build a Statewide Reentry Network with goal of helping the […]
Voices of Hope – William R.
“Growing up, I had a lot of great opportunities, and I worked hard to become a master auto technician. Unfortunately, I was more wild than I was smart. I had the mentality that I wasn’t going to get caught. But because of my own stupidity and selfishness, I ended up serving a 27 month prison […]
The Importance of Second Chances: On Stage at The 5 & Dime
The set of Clyde’s Tanaine Jenkins and Amanda Mahan at The 5 & Dime Theater ONH at The 5 & Dime Ever wonder how hard it is to get and keep a job after prison? Well wonder no more because the talented cast of Clyde’s at The 5 & Dime Theater does a great job showing […]
Unlocking Opportunities: Exploring the Role of Staffing Solutions in Today’s Job Market
Hiring a formally incarcerated worker is often seen as a risk for many employers. By embracing a second chance approach, our employment partners have the opportunity to utilize a pool of untapped talent and make a positive impact on both the individuals they hire and society. In this article, let’s explore the numerous benefits of […]
Kaley Vontz Promoted to Community Engagement Manager
Operation New Hope is pleased to announce that Kaley Vontz has been promoted to Community Engagement Manager. In this new role, Kaley will be responsible for increasing awareness of our mission and cultivating relationships to encourage support, partnerships, and engagement. Kaley is a Jacksonville native who grew up at the beach and graduated from Episcopal […]
Breaking Barriers: Celebrating the Graduation of our First Women’s Class in St. Johns County
We are thrilled to announce the graduation of our first class of women from the Ready4Work reentry program at St. Augustine Jail. Over the past several months, we have been delivering reentry services behind the walls of the St. Johns County facility to prepare people for successful transition prior to release. Their journey hasn’t […]
