Operation Fresh Start (OFS), a local organization that empowers emerging adults on a path to self-sufficiency through education, mentoring, and employment training, is inviting the greater Madison community to an open house to showcase the newly expanded offices, classrooms, and construction workspace at its facility on Madison’s East Side on Thursday, Jan. 23, 3-5 p.m.
The expansion was constructed by OFS Tier 1 Build Academy crews and funded through a $3.3 million Wisconsin Workforce Innovation Grant awarded by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
“This expansion marks a significant milestone for Operation Fresh Start, highlighting its mission to empower young adults on their journey to self-sufficiency. It also underscores the impact of the Build and Conservation Academy programs in addressing workforce challenges and creating transformative opportunities for emerging adults,” Operation Fresh Start said in a press release announcing the open house.
Operation Fresh Start’s Build and Conservation Academy program is one of 12 statewide programs funded through the Workforce Innovation Grant in January 2022, according to a press release from OFS, and this initiative addresses regional workforce challenges by offering industry-focused instruction that leads to family-supporting employment for individuals aged 18–24 in the construction and land management fields. To date, 144 young adults have completed programming during the current 2.5-year grant cycle.
At the Open House, attendees can tour the new facility, meet the crew members who built it, and learn about OFS programs that empower emerging adults through education, mentorship, and employment training.
Remarks will be made by WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, OFS staff and Build Academy participants, and Brian McMahon, executive director of Operation Fresh Start.
