UPS Foundation donates $250,000 to Jacksonville ex-offender rehabilitation program

Operation New Hope recently received a $250,000 investment from the UPS Foundation to expand vocational training opportunities for its Ready4Work clients and to develop a community leadership program.

The Jacksonville nonprofit’s programs help facilitate ex-offenders back to their families and communities. Ready4Work provides job training, job placement assistance, case management, and mental health and other support services so they can enter the workforce.

Additionally, Operation New Hope is working with the University of North Florida’s Taylor School of Leadership on a pilot program to develop leadership skills for clients and community members identified as emerging leaders, according to spokeswoman Amanda Mahan. .

Patrick Smith, UPS regional community relations manager, presented the grant at a recent Ready4Work graduation ceremony. O UPS FoundationThe philanthropic arm of the delivery service, focuses on health and humanitarian aid, equity and economic empowerment, local engagement and protecting the planet, in line with Operation New Hope.

One of the Ready2Work graduates was Leigh Ann Bohrer, who said she experienced years of drug use, arrests and incarceration. She was a woman “with her head hung in shame, full of drugs and without hope,” she said. After signing up for Operation New Hope, she said she had “a whole team of people who cared about me. … The best decision I ever made.”

Also present was Mayor Donna Deegan, who said the timing of the April event was appropriate, during Second Chance Month.

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“This is a moment when Americans recommit to building a criminal justice system that supports people returning from prison or prison to ensure they can successfully reconnect with the workforce, their families and our communities,” she said. “When we…lead with love, promote forgiveness, and support rehabilitation, we are giving each other opportunities to learn from past mistakes.”

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared in the Florida Times-Union: Operation New Hope in Jacksonville and former offenders receives support from UPS