{"id":31982,"date":"2022-05-22T01:05:53","date_gmt":"2022-05-22T01:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=31982"},"modified":"2022-05-22T01:05:53","modified_gmt":"2022-05-22T01:05:53","slug":"hope-starts-here-5k-for-those-getting-out-of-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/22\/hope-starts-here-5k-for-those-getting-out-of-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope Starts Here 5k for those getting out of prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Operation New Hope is helping people readjust to life after prison — and keeping them from returning.<\/p>\n

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 For people released from the criminal justice system, re-entry can be difficult both financially and mentally. Operation New Hope aims to ease the process<\/a> and keep people from falling back into criminal institutions. They held a 5k Saturday morning to raise funds for the programs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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More than 70 million people across the country are facing limited job opportunities because of their criminal past. People Like Ken McCoy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201c<\/strong>I had a bachelor\u2019s degree, didn\u2019t think I was going to be able to work back in my field because of the felony,” Ken McCoy, current case manager and past program graduate, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Operation New Hope<\/a> provided McCoy with job training, housing, and even bus fare to help him re-enter the community.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201c2015 to now, those 5 or 6 years I don\u2019t know where I\u2019d be if I didn\u2019t have this operation,” McCoy said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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McCoy graduated from the program and now works as a case manager with Operation New Hope. He was one of over 350 participants who took to this course in Springfield for a 5k fundraising event.
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Participants like Josh Martino, whose family owns Bono BBQ and is one of more than 400 employers that provide jobs for Operation New hope graduates.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cWho among us has not benefited from a second chance at some point in their lives,” Martino said. “It\u2019s a great success giving people that second chance to get a job, re-enter society and get their lives back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Kevin Gay was also on the course. He started Operation New Hope 23 years ago and says in that time, the program has impacted thousands of lives.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cEvery year we have about 600 men and women going through our program with new hope and that\u2019s what we\u2019re all about is creating hope,” Gay, Ceo and Founder of Operation New Hope, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Around $10,000 were raised during the event.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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