| “Building Homes. Building Lives” Operation Fresh Start gets funding boost from CUNA Mutual Group |
| in the construction will be gaining valuable educational and employment training. “This grant will add a new crew of young people and give them the opportunity to develop life-skills and vocational talents that will help them build positive relationships and a desirable employment history,” OFS Executive Director Connie Ferris Bailey said. “We have a long waiting list of youth who could benefit from our program, so it’s great to be able to add another crew.” Madison Police Chief Noble Wray praised CUNA’s donation and Operation Fresh Start’s work in the community. While Madison continues to confront issues of public safety, including concerns on the North Side, Wray asserted that helping disconnected youth reconnect with their community and creating stable housing are two very effective ways to improve community safety. “Programs that improve the quality of housing and encourage residents to take a stake in their own neighborhoods have a measurable impact on reducing crime and strengthening our community,” Wray said. “[CUNA’s grant will] enable Operation Fresh Start to connect more at-risk youth with educational and community services while creating measurable benefits on the city’s North Side. The result will be more self-reliant, successful young people and a safer community.” Cuna Mutual Foundation Executive Director Steve Goldberg said that CUNA’s relationship with OFS dates back to 1970 when the program first formed. CUNA was one of the first contributors to the program and their recent grant is an effort to “revive, renew, and expand” their relationship with OFS. “One of the reasons our employee philanthropy team selected Operation Fresh Start as a recipient of such a significant donation is the organization’s focus on helping youth to gain maturity and learn positive work habits such as thoroughness and personal initiative,” Goldberg said. “The holistic approach to developing a young person’s potential and transforming negative behavior into positive results for the community really impressed our employee team.” For many OFS participants, the program is a second chance. Many come from disadvantaged backgrounds and unstable homes. Many have struggled in school, and some have struggled with alcohol/drug dependencies and law violations. At OFS, they take part in a yearlong program that includes classroom instruction, on-the-job training, and ongoing mentoring. Program participant Ricky Smith contends that OFS has given him a second lease on life. “Operation Fresh Start has changed my life in many ways,” Smith said. “Operation Fresh Start has given me a second chance at life and the opportunity to be successful.” Program participant Joey Ceaser feels the same way. He admits that he has made many mistakes, but OFS is helping him get back on track. “I have learned from my mistakes,” Ceaser said. “Deep down inside I am a human being just like you and I just needed that one chance to make a difference and set goals for myself.” While participants learn very tangible job skills at OFS and work to earn their high school equivalency diplomas, OFS Crew Supervisor Kelly Kirkpatrick contends they gain much more. “When they come here, they don’t have a lot of self esteem and hope,” Kirpatrick said. “Once they start seeing with their own eyes what they can accomplish, they start to get a little more full.” Since 1970, Operation Fresh Start has trained approximately 6,000 youth who, under the supervision of journey level construction trainers, have built and renovated 190 homes that are then sold to low-income, first-time buyers. Their motto, “Building Homes, Building Lives,” is perhaps the most simple way to describe a program that strives to better individuals and the community. |
| (Clockwise from above left) OFS participant Joey Ceaser; Madison Police Chief Noble Wray; OFS participants pose with the $50,000 check from CUNA Mutual Group; CUNA employees present the check to OFS. |
| By Laura Salinger An empty lot on Madison’s North Side will soon be filled with the cacophony of hammers and saws, as an affordable, energy efficient home is erected at 807 Troy Drive. The on-site crew, however, will not resemble an average construction crew. The majority of workers will be at-risk youth and they will be gaining employment and life skills aimed at improving their future. |
| Operation Fresh Start (OFS), an indepth program that trains struggling youth in housing construction and rehabilitation, recently announced a $50,000 grant from CUNA Mutual Group. The money will be used to fund the training of a new OFS youth team and the construction of a new home in Madison’s struggling Vera Court Neighborhood. According to OFS, the number of families on public assistance in Vera Court has increased 60 percent in recent years and 70 percent of Vera Court elementary students qualify for free or reduced meal programs. OFS proponents assert that adding quality affordable housing options in the neighborhood will strengthen the community and increase safety. Simultaneously, the approximately 10 to 15 OFS youth participating |