P.1

Strong Planning,

Openness to Change are

Cornerstones of a

Bright Future

This year Operation Fresh

Start faced major changes in

the housing market and how

development of affordable

housing is supported. Our

response has been strong

planning and openness to

change.

It’s through the

community’s support that

we’ve weathered some recent

storms and are coming out of

it a stronger organization. The

young people who are our

participants are a core part of

this success. At a recent Open

House, I heard stories of

wasted childhoods turned into

promising futures by the will of

the youth and the courage and

compassion of our staff.

Operation Fresh Start

works because of the

wonderful people who work

here and a community that

believes we cannot cast away

a troubled youth. Together we

have held strong, overcome

some difficult storms, and are

seeing a brighter future.

Gregory Markle

Executive Director

This summer, the Madison

Metropolitan School District (MMSD)

board unanimously passed an

amendment to the budget that allocates

funding for 30 Operation Fresh Start

(OFS) students, ages 18-21, to earn their

MMSD high school diploma by

successfully completing their

programming at OFS. The program,

titled Pathways, is the most efficient way

to address the achievement gap.

After dozens of Fresh Start supporters

signed petitions at the Awards Ceremony

Luncheon in June—coupled with

numerous young people from OFS telling

their success stories at school board

meetings—the MMSD board and key

members of the MMSD administrative

team approved this new initiative.

This partnership between OFS and

Madison schools continues and

enhances a longstanding referral

relationship. It creates an opportunity for

all MMSD kids who meet the graduation

criteria while at OFS to leave with a

diploma.

Through partnerships with MMSD, half of

all students at OFS are on track to gain a

diploma. This will turn dropouts into

graduates.

The high school diploma Pathways

partnership with MMSD has been an

ongoing effort by numerous OFS staff

over the last 10 years. Prior to this

agreement, MMSD contract students

worked towards their High School

Equivalency Diploma (HSED).

The District provides funding for a

certified teacher 50% of the time to

provide on-site instruction directly at

OFS, evaluate progress, and assess

proficiency in curricular areas such that

students may be eligible to earn a high

school diploma.

“This new partnership with MMSD has

a major, positive impact on our OFS

education department as we continue to

focus on student attainment of a high

school diploma and industry-recognized

career certifications,” says Greg Markle,

Executive Director.

Contents

Education P.1

Construction & Conservation P.2

Participant Demographics P.2

Year-in-Review P.3

Annual Report 2012

Operation Fresh Start

Education: MMSD Partnership Offers High School Diplomas for

30 Fresh Start Participants

In 2012, Operation Fresh Start (OFS)

assembled six crews led by dedicated

supervisors who served as trainers and

mentors. The crew members not only

gave back to their community but

worked to set their lives on the right

path through job skills training and

education.

Construction. Four OFS construction

crews worked on six sites; building and

rehabilitating affordable housing for

income-eligible homebuyers. Two

homes were completed in 2012, both of

which were the result of community

partnerships. The first home on

Hoboken St. was built through a

partnership with Madison Community

Land Trust and Commonwealth

Development. The second home on

Sundstrom St. was funded in part by

Wisconsin Partnership for Housing

Development.

This summer, OFS partnered with

Urban League of Greater Madison and

START (Skilled Trades Apprenticeship

Readiness Training) to offer

Foundations for the Trades. This

program, funded by the Workforce

Development Board of South Central

Wisconsin, prepared participants for

work in the trades.

Fresh Start’s Graduate Crew, made up

of former participants who have

completed at least two terms at OFS,

completed 3 multi-unit buildings in

collaboration with Commonwealth

Development in the Marquette

neighborhood. They also worked on

rehabilitation projects with Porchlight

and Housing Initiatives.

Conservation. Two OFS conservation

crews worked with city, county, and

national organizations in 2012. Seed

collection and invasive species removal

was carried out in partnership with

Swamp Lovers Foundation. Crews also

removed invasive species for

Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

Work with the City of Madison, City of

Fitchburg and the Village of Deforest

included invasive species removal,

removal of old fencing in city parks, and

building enhancements along a new

pedestrian path that runs along the

upper Yahara river corridor.

Crews assisted in spring prescribed

burning and slash pile cleanup with

Riverland Conservancy and The Nature

Conservancy respectively. They also

worked on two different Department of

Natural Resources sites girdling aspen

trees and removing invasive brush and

trees.

OFS was one of 20 organizations

nationwide chosen as part of America’s

Great Outdoors: Developing the Next

Generation of Conservationists initiative

sponsored by the U.S. Department of

Interior’s Bureau of Land Management,

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest

Service and the National Fish and

Wildlife Foundation. A conservation

crew received plant identification and

canoe training. Navigating the

Wisconsin River, they inventoried 21

islands, covering a total of 592 acres.

Points of interest were GPS-mapped.

Participant Demographics (December 1, 2011—November 30, 2012)

Participants: 160 Black/African American: 62.5%

Male: 79% White/Caucasian: 29%

Female: 21% Hispanic: 5%

Age Range: 16 - 24 Asian: 2.5%

P.2

January

Connie Ferris-Bailey,

former OFS Executive

Director of 32 years

and current YouthBuild

Coach, is awarded the

combined City of

Madison and Dane

County Humanitarian

Award honoring Rev. Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr.

March

Four OFS Graduate Crew members

complete START (Skilled Trades

Apprenticeship Readiness Training).

Two members would later be hired in

Union Apprenticeships, one was hired

in a pre-apprenticeship position and

another enrolled full-time at MATC.

April

Ed Wing is honored

for his 39 years of

service on the OFS

Board of Directors.

May

Visit to

Silverwood

Lake

Farms.

OFS is

currently exploring a partnership with

Dane County to create an educational

farm that would also provide an

additional service platform for

participants.

June

Madison Chief of Police Noble Wray

addresses attendees at the OFS

Annual Awards Ceremony Luncheon.

Accomplishments of participants are

celebrated and community and

business partners are honored.

July

UW Women’s Basketball team joins

conservation crew members to

remove invasive species at Olin Park.

September

Conservation

crew members

harvest 855 lbs.

of potatoes and

deliver to Luke

House,

Goodman

Community

Center,

Salvation Army,

Community Action Coalition and

Mentoring Positives.

October

Participants, staff and community

members donate blood at an OFS

sponsored American Red Cross blood

drive.

OFS hosts

an Open

House.

Participants

share their

experiences

and hear

from Dane

County

Executive

Joe Parisi

and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin.

November

OFS participants deliver funds they

raised through a penny war between

crews for the United Way of Dane

County Annual Giving Campaign.

2012 Year-in-Review

P.3

United Way of Dane County

Serve Wisconsin-AmeriCorps

YouthBuild USA

City of Madison-CDBG

Dane County Department of Human Services

The Corps Network

Workforce Development Board of South Central WI

WI Department of Corrections

U.S. Department of Labor

Madison Metropolitan School District-Work & Learn Centers

Madison Community Foundation

Alliant Energy Foundation

City of Madison Parks

Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation

Gates Foundation

Cremer Foundation

Financials Funders

OFS Leadership Staff Board of Directors

Gregory Markle, Executive Director

gmarkle@operationfreshstart.org

Brian McMahon, Program Director

bmcmahon@operationfreshstart.org

Nina DeHaven, Senior Accountant

ndehaven@operationfreshstart.org

Gloria Nelson, Operations Director

gnelson@operationfreshstart.org

Paul Kamps, Community Investment Director

pkamps@operationfreshstart.org

Bill Kean, Case Management Coordinator

bkean@operationfreshstart.org

Emily Cochran, Education Manager

ecochran@operationfreshstart.org

Kelly Kirkpatrick, Construction & Conservation Manager

kkirkpatrick@operationfreshstart.org

David Lehrer, President

Robin Carley, Vice President

David Worzala, Treasurer

Beth Lewis, Secretary

Karen Ball

Theresa Balsiger

Brenda Brown

Anne Fischer

Steve Hartley

Tom Linfield

Cindy Hasenfratz

Paul Moberg

Judith Wilcox

Operation Fresh Start • 1925 Winnebago St. Madison, WI 53704 • 608-244-4721 • www.operationfreshstart.org

P.4

OFS Budget October 2011—September 2012

Income

Public Support 1850886

Private Donations 405828

Total Revenue 2256714

Expenses

Program Services 2061831

Management & Services 117664

Total Expenses 2179495

Excess (Deficit) 77219

Assets

Current Assets 1424764

Property & Equipment 67944

Total Assets 1492708

Liabilities/Net Assets

Liabilities/Net Assets 1462076

Unrestricted/Net Assets 30632

Total Liabilities/Net Assets 1492708