Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund Supports Operation New Hope’s Response To Coronavirus

From The JAX Chamber:

September 9, 2020

Operation New Hope is honored by the tremendous community support being offered to us during these difficult times. Delores Barr Weaver, a long time supporter and advocate of our work, recently made another generous grant to support our COVID-19 response efforts. Because of this $25,000 grant, Operation New Hope can continue our mission to help people as they transition back home from incarceration during a time when support is critical.

The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida was created by Delores Barr Weaver in 2015 as the natural evolution of the Delores Barr Weaver Fund, which has awarded more than $86 million in grants since she created it in 2012. She also provides separate, annual support to 20 local, nonprofit organizations for their annual fundraising events through the Delores Barr Weaver Forever Event Fund. Like the Delores Barr Weaver Fund, the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund’s purpose is to provide grants to nonprofit organizations that do work she has supported over many years and to encourage others to do so as well. Mrs. Weaver has an extraordinary legacy of philanthropy, and she has provided transformative support to dozens of nonprofit organizations that uplift, enlighten, and advance our community.

“Thank you for the good work you do to build a better community,” says Nina Waters, President of The Community Foundation. “Together we will make a difference.” The Community Foundation is committed to its mission of stimulating philanthropy to build a better community.

Operation New Hope is so thankful for the generous gift and continued support of The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund. The past six months have impacted every aspect of our lives and every level of our organization. But despite the many challenges associated with the pandemic and current social unrest, we remain full of hope. Our Operations Team swiftly adapted programming to keep our staff, clients, and community safe through the development of Ready4Work-Light, serving over 80 new clients since May. We have continued to provide safe, transitional housing, transportation, and other supportive services and connect clients with full-time, living-wage work.

With over 20 years of experience providing reentry services, Operation New Hope is the leader in the field. Their mission is to provide support to people with a criminal history and place them in employment that offers a sustainable quality of life. They build stronger communities by creating opportunities to realize second chances and reduce recidivism through strategic partnerships with employers, community partners and the judicial system.

Their nationally-recognized Ready4Work® program saves taxpayers millions of critical dollars each year that can be reinvested back into communities to help address poverty, lack of quality affordable housing, limited education, mental illness, substance abuse, and other root causes of incarceration. The success of the program is evident in the transformation stories of its clients, enhanced hiring practices for employment partners, healthier communities and families, and better public safety through reduced recidivism.

More info can be found at operationnewhope.org.

This press release was produced by The JAX Chamber. The views expressed here are the author’s own.