National Correctional Officers Week – Spotlight on Senior Classification Officer Engel
Operation New Hope has partnered with the Florida Department of Corrections for many years to deliver our Ready4Release and Ready4Work reentry programs. We are so thankful for their support of our mission to reconnect people with their communities, families, and the workforce. To show our thanks, we would like to showcase the work and talents […]
Voices of Hope – Johnathan N.
After incarceration it’s very difficult to try and reenter society. When you get out of jail, try to reintegrate, and do things on your own, you get so disheartened. You get this sense of not being able to do it because it feels like the world is against you. It was even more difficult for […]
Voices of Hope – Shelby M.
I’m from Gulf Shores, Alabama and I’ve been working in the service industry since I was old enough to work. I started bartending at 21, and it was a lot of fun, but I got into a lot of trouble. When a friend came to visit me and saw the life I was living, she […]
Voices of Hope – Jeremy S.
After years of struggling with drug addiction and unemployment, I was finally ready to make a change in my life. While serving time at Baker Correctional Institution, I heard about Operation New Hope’s Ready4Work program, so I decided to enroll at their St. Augustine location when I got out. The Ready4Work program helped me so […]
Second Chance Supporter – Bozard Ford Lincoln Dealership
April is Second Chance Month, a time when we celebrate those in our communities who are committed to helping people make the most of their second chances following incarceration. As President Biden recently stated in his Proclamation on Second Chance Month, 2021: “America’s criminal justice system must offer meaningful opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation. After […]
Voices of Hope – Katie M.
I served 3 1/2 years at Gadsden Correctional for grand theft. The day I got sentenced I cried so hard because my daughter was almost 4 at the time. I was so sad to leave her because her father didn’t even know her allergies and had never even given her a bathbefore. As I was […]
Voices of Hope – Kedra C.
In 2019, I was working as a caregiver for an older woman. When she passed away, I was falsely accused of stealing from her and was eventually charged with a crime I didn’t commit. I lost all faith in the justice system and felt like I’d never be ok again. I gave up hope. When […]
Voices of Hope – Taniko H.
I was working as a nurse and addicted to pain meds. I was arrested on August 8, 2018 after taking drugs from the hospital where I worked. I had never been arrested before and found myself in jail for the first time, charged with a felony. I was sentenced to drug rehab surrounded by people […]
Second Chance Supporter – Marketing Students at UNF
Marketing students from the University of North Florida (UNF) prove they believe Second Chances Matter during a recent class project supporting Operation New Hope. For the semester-long group project – Understanding Market Segments of Social Service Consumers: Operation New Hope, students were asked to develop marketing campaigns for the local nonprofit. The assignment was to […]
Message of Thanks from Ready4Work Graduate
At Operation New Hope, we believe that we are all better than our worst mistake, worst day, or worst decision. We believe in people’s ability to transform their lives through commitment and hard work. We see it every day, in clients just like Red, as we support their reentry and growth.
Voices of Hope – Keith C.
By the time I realized I was too far gone, I already was. I spent 10 years in prison due to my drug addiction and the choices I made. But prison was really a rescue mission from God. During my first 3 years, I spent 26 months in solitary confinement until finally surrendered and turned […]
Second Chance Supporter – Maple Street Biscuit Company
Maple Street Biscuit Company is truly living up to their mission to “Help People, Serve Others, Be a Part of the Community.” Operation New Hope is thankful for their partnership and we look forward to working together to help people make the most of their second chances.
Voices of Hope – Aaron F.
Drugs and doing stuff to get drugs sent me to prison. I started using when I was 13 and I went to prison 8 times. Every time I got out, it was the same thing. I’d spend 2 years in and then spend 6 months out. And when I got sentenced to 10 years the […]
Letter of Thanks from Ready4Work Client
Being in the business of hope is so rewarding! At Operation New Hope, we are so fortunate to witness personal transformations daily and to champion our clients’ successes. The below letter received from a client after he graduated the Ready4Work program yesterday is real proof that second chances matter! We are so thankful to Kelly […]
Ready4Work Continues to Match Clients with Living Wage Jobs
Operation New Hope’s Employment Services Team remains hard at work and is crushing goals! Since the beginning of the year, we have placed 157 clients in living wage jobs despite the uncertain and shifting economy. Even in the midst of a pandemic, we not only exceeded our prior years’ achievements, but we have been helping […]
Voices of Hope – Michael C.
I grew up on the streets and I had been using heroin since I was 16. I got high to deal with the pain, but every time I came back down, the pain would still be there. I knew I needed to change. When I got arrested the last time, the State Attorney told me […]