Meet the Staff – Yolanda

https://youtu.be/5A-AwZN7Uzk Meet our Ready4Work Case Manager and Recovery Support Group Facilitator – Yolanda Goodman. In 2022, Yolanda made the move from Illinois to Florida to join the Operation New Hope team, bringing with her a wealth of experience in teaching and case management. Yolanda and the Ready4Work Case Management team deliver post-release services and individualized support […]

Ready4Work Space Coast Ribbon Cutting

Florida has the 3rd largest incarcerated population in the U.S. and 95% of all state prisoners will be released. Brevard County has the 10th highest number of people returning from prisons here in the State of Florida. Therefore, there is a great need for reentry programs to help people rebuild their lives, become self-sufficient, keep […]

Orlando Showed Up to Race in Support of Hope

The Hope Starts Here 5k in Orlando was a great success! Participants and sponsors enjoyed a beautiful morning by Baldwin Lake while supporting efforts to reconnect people to the workforce, their families, and our communities after involvement with the criminal justice system. Thanks to everyone who came out to race in support of Second Chances […]

Voices of Hope – Willie T.

“Before Operation New Hope, I was homeless and going to various programs and community resource centers to get shoes, clothing and meals. I really wasn’t in a good place, but I have always tried to lived by the philosophy that life is neither good nor bad, it’s what you make of it. So I was […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Voices of Hope – Fletcher

Read More Voices of Hope “Before Operation New Hope, I had a great job. I was bringing home over $2,000 per week, but I was always broke because of my $1,500 a week drug habit. I had a home, but I spent more time sleeping in my car. I was eventually arrested and spent a […]

Giving the Gift of Hope – Bank of America

Operation New Hope extends our sincere thanks to Bank of America for their most recent funding in support of our mission. Their $10,000 grant will help us continue to provide workforce training, mental health services and job placement for people affected by the criminal justice system. The comprehensive transitional services we provide helps to improve […]

CFO James Lee Completes Jim Moran Nonprofit Executive Program

Operation New Hope’s Chief Financial Officer James Lee recently completed the Jim Moran Institute For Global Entrepreneurship Nonprofit Executive Program. Focused on growth, leadership expertise, and financial success, the Nonprofit Executive Program examines business fundamentals, strategies, and best practices.  The mission of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship is to cultivate, train and inspire […]

Florida Capital Bank Donates Welcome Home Hygiene Kits

Every week at Operation New Hope, we welcome people back from jail or prison with nothing more than the shirts on their backs. That’s why we are so thankful to our good friends at Florida Capital Bank for their generous donation of hygiene products that will help welcome our clients back to the community. These […]

Voices of Hope – Janice W.

“I had a great career working as a train engineer for Conrail before a horseback riding accident left me disabled in 1998. My injury led me down a path to addiction, and a series of bad choices led to my arrest in 2015, followed by an 8 1/2 year prison sentence. I didn’t know where […]