Race to Success: Highlights from Our 3rd Annual 5K Event

With over 350 runners and walkers participating, the 3rd annual Hope Starts Here 5K presented by Florida Capital Bank was a great success! We raised over $25,000 in celebration of our 25th anniversary! 

At the starting line, Reggie Fullwood, President and CEO of Operation New Hope said, “We do this because we want to raise awareness for second chances. That is what Operation New Hope is all about. Second Chances Matter.”

The race began and ended at Operation New Hope’s main office in the Historic Springfield neighborhood on the morning of Saturday May 18th. Runners and walkers enjoyed a route  through charming tree-lined streets, past homes dating back to the early 1900s, and along sections of Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail. After the race, our great neighbors at Strings Sports Brewery hosted the post-race party where all participants could use their race number to get a free beer and burrito. 

This year, a new addition to the event was the generous donation of a digital photobooth from The Photobooth Company. All were welcome to take photos or GIFs with friends and family, and digital copies were sent directly to them. This provided a fun atmosphere to capture special moments from the event. 

Thank you to our title sponsor Florida Capital Bank and all of our other great event sponsors and all race participants for their support of second chances. Proceeds from the race supports our mission to build safer communities, stronger economies, and more stable families through workforce training, mental health services and job placement for people affected by the criminal justice system. Thanks to everyone who helped make the day a success!