“Planting potatoes on the Farm Squad was hard. Crawling on my hands and knees in the field in the bitter cold without being paid really informed my outlook on work. Once I reached a certain level of maturity, I decided it was time to change my life.” “After 10 years in prison, I returned to my hometown of Jacksonville and …
“A heroin and meth addict since I was 12 years old, I was in and out of rehab and jail for years. I felt defeated and had accepted that I was going to be a lifelong addict. It wasn’t until I was arrested for a probation violation and facing 18 months of prison time that it hit me – I …
Despite the current crisis facing our world, nothing can dim the light shining in Shane Hutto’s smiling face. Full of hope, Shane recently began pursuing a lifelong goal and enrolled in an IT program to earn his A+ certification. He said it’s “great to have motivation again!” Shane spent much of his 20’s in what he described as a “dark …
Athena shares her story of success!
Tracey Fisher was in her early 40’s and had a successful career but got caught up in drugs and ended up behind bars. “Even when I tried to turn my life around, my past just kept pulling me back down. Jail took something from me and left me with hopelessness, insecurity and shame.” “But Operation New Hope raked the ground …
After serving time for a felony fraud conviction, Erica Jackson worried that she would never find work in an industry other than fast food service. She began to believe that no one would trust her again. However, those concerns diminished after entering the Ready4Work program. “The program taught me a lot – from being on time to the importance of …
Ready4Work Graduate shares how Operation New Hope changed her life, helped her find her path, and gave her the faith needed to succeed. “I’ve gotten so much courage to go out there – like a lion! – just to go out there and do it, with the skills that I’ve learned.” – Crystal Chisholm
Following a devastating personal blow in his early twenties, Anthony Bryant began drinking recklessly and was charged with a DUI. As a result, he lost his job driving as a street sweeper. Feeling lost and defeated, Anthony was referred to Operation New Hope by his probation officer and enrolled in the Ready4Work program in November 2014. “That’s the moment my …
After serving a 20-year sentence for attempted robbery with a firearm, possession of cocaine, and aggravated battery, Terrance Platts came to Operation New Hope through enrollment in the post-release Ready4Work® program. However, Terrance’s transition to the outside world was not easy. Modern advances such as computers, flash drives, tablets, and search engines were foreign to him. He found it difficult …
“I am truly blessed! I believe God used the Ready4Work program for a reason. Operation New Hope was the footprint that helped me start my way. I am a living witness that Second Chances do matter!”