Voices of Hope – Teresa G.

“I was born to addicts and came from a very broken, abusive home. I didn’t have hope. By the time I was 25, I had 4 kids. I had periods of sobriety, but struggled with my own addiction. My choices landed me in prison by the age of 28, and I was faced with a […]

Ready4Work Graduates from St. Johns County Reentry Center

The St. Johns County Reentry Center is up and running, and we are thrilled to report that our partnership with the Sheriff’s Office is off to a fantastic start! Our team has been providing reentry support and training to people currently incarcerated at the St. Johns County Jail for several weeks now, and as evidenced […]

Voices of Hope – Indeah E.

“I’m from Jacksonville, grew up on the Eastside, and had a wonderful life. I was raised right, but went down the wrong path. I was introduced to alcohol at 8 and started using drugs at 11. After being gang raped at 12 years old, I ran away from home, got sex trafficked, and was doing […]

Celebrating Six Months Serving Central Florida

To meet the critical needs of the thousands of people who return home every month from Florida’s jails and prisons, Operation New Hope opened our newest program location in Orlando in September 2022 as part of our Statewide Reentry Network. After 6 months of delivering our nationally-recognized Ready4Work reentry program and providing holistic solutions for […]

St. Johns County Reentry Center Ribbon Cutting

Operation New Hope is pleased to announce that we will now be offering our nationally-recognized Ready4Work reentry training and support program to people prior to release from the St. Johns County Jail. This new and exciting partnership with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is made possible because of a generous ARPA grant from the United Way of St. […]

Second Chance Supporters – C Robinson Associates

The idiom “it takes a village” means many people must cooperate to achieve a goal. We certainly know that to be true here at Operation New Hope, and we are so thankful to the support from many in our village! Today we extend our sincere thanks to C Robinson Associates for their generous donation of Welcome […]

Second Chance Supporter – UPS

We would like to extend a big thank you to The UPS Foundation for their $25,000 grant in support of our  workforce development training. This generous funding will be used towards our Ready4Work Vocational Training program to provide work attire, transportation assistance, and job skills training to formerly incarcerated individuals in Jacksonville, Florida.  The primary […]

Ready4Work Clients Giving Thanks

During this season of thanksgiving, our Ready4Work clients focused on the benefits of gratitude during this week’s art therapy session. In the group session, participants looked at research that shows how giving thanks increases happiness and reduces depression.  The group also discussed how grateful people are more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, even […]

Mulligans for Hope 2022 Exceeds Expectations

Operation New Hope’s 2nd annual Mulligans for Hope Golf Tournament was a huge success! Over 100 golfers and volunteers enjoyed a beautiful day at Atlantic Beach Country Club while raising funds in support of second chances. We are thrilled to report that we raised over $128,000 during this year’s tournament to provide workforce training, mental […]

Second Chance Supporters – Open Road Bicycles

Open Road Bicycles in San Marco spearheaded an effort to donate bikes for Operation New Hope’s Ready4Work clients. When the owner of the bike shop located in the Miramar shopping center, Scott Gross, heard about the need for transportation so that the nonprofit’s clients could get to work after incarceration, he networked with the other […]

Jacksonville City Council Honors Kevin Gay

On September 27, 2022, the Jacksonville City Council honored Kevin Gay with a resolution nominating and commencing his work as CEO and Founder of Operation New Hope. Kevin founded the nonprofit 23 years ago to address the problems facing Jacksonville’s Historic Springfield neighborhood – poverty, crime, homelessness, disrepair, and drug addiction – and the organization […]

ONH Joins Rand Corporation’s Town Hall Meeting

On September 20, 2022, Operation New Hope’s Chief Communications Officer Amanda Mahan joined the Rand Corporation’s Town Hall Meeting to discuss how training and support increases returning citizens chances at successfully securing living wage work after incarceration. Watch the full discussion below. Share this post Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Read More…

Meet Sytisha Claycomb – Operation New Hope’s New COO

We are thrilled to announce that Sytisha Claycomb has joined the Operation New Hope team as our new Chief Operating Office. With more than ten years of experience leading and managing multifaceted organizations focused on young adults and marginalized populations, Sytisha will oversee operations of our expanding statewide reentry network. She is a highly motivated […]

Voices of Hope – Aaron H.

“I moved out when I was 16 years old, and I got caught with armed burglary charges. I was sent to a youthful offender camp and was released in 1999. I stayed out of trouble until 2009 when I got into opiates. I was doing stupid stuff like selling pills and ending up getting caught […]

Voices of Hope – Chassidy P.

“Growing up in Tennessee, I had a good family and didn’t know struggle. But when I was a young teenager, my dad got locked up and my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer. It all started to go downhill from there. We moved to Florida so my mom could get help from family to raise […]

Hope Starts Here 5k = Great Event!

On a beautiful May morning, runners and walkers of all ages gathered in historic Springfield to race for HOPE. Operation New Hope was thrilled to welcome over 350 participants to our inaugural Hope Starts Here 5k on May 21, 2022. After a competitive 1-mile Fun Run and 5k event, participants recharged with Breakfast and Brews […]