Reggie Fullwood Receives NFL Inspire Change Changemaker Award

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced its 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Award recipient – Operation New Hope’s President & CEO Reggie Fullwood. “The Jaguars are honored to recognize Reggie Fullwood this year as our recipient of the NFL’s Inspire Change Changemaker Award,” said T-Neisha Tate, Jaguars Vice President of Social Responsibility. “The impactful work Reggie is leading […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

2nd Annual Hope Starts Here 5k = Great Success!

With over 400 in attendance, the 2nd annual Hope Starts Here 5k presented by Florida Capital Bank was a great success! The race began and ended at Operation New Hope’s main office in the Historic Springfield neighborhood on a beautiful May morning. Runners and walkers enjoyed a route  through charming tree-lined streets, past homes dating […]

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 […]

Second Chance Supporter – FINFROCK

Every season, bowling teams from different companies in Central Florida compete against each other to win the ultimate goal – first place winners get to present the funds raised from the league participants to the nonprofit of their choice. We are so thankful that the good people over at FINFROCK won this year’s bowling tournament […]

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 – Jarvis G.

“I had no idea how much the criminal justice system would impact my life. After serving 2 years in prison, the only job I could get was washing dishes. I was trying to provide for my wife and kids but having a hard time making ends meet. It was a really low point in my […]

Celebrating Second Chance Month with Boeing

The White House proclaimed April 2023 Second Chance Month, reaffirming the importance of helping incarcerated individuals reenter society. Here at Operation New Hope, we are thrilled to celebrate Second Chances with our partners at Boeing. During our weekly Ready4Work graduation ceremony, Boeing awarded Operation New Hope with a $100,000 grant to provide more second chance […]