Have you ever wondered what goes into a day's work for an Operation Fresh Start (OFS) construction crew?  No doubt there's hard work being done, but what skills are worked on? How do the young people and their crew supervisor interact and work together as a team? 

Here's your chance to get an inside look into a day in the life of an OFS construction crew! 

The following is a short look into a day's work for Eddie's construction crew working on a house rehab in Oregon, Wisconsin. 

The day begins with a quick pep talk outside OFS by the supervisor. Eddie, OFS' Construction & Conservation Manager, discusses what the team will be working on that day, and they all break and climb into their crew van. At this point, the OFS no cell phone policy goes into effect and all attention should be on the job ahead. Some chatter about what everyone did the previous weekend occurs in the van on the way to the job site but mostly it's all business.

Once at the site Eddie, gathers everyone in the living room of the two-story home. This particular job is a rehab on an existing home built in 1919. OFS works on both construction of homes as well as rehabs. Since 1970, OFS has built or rehabbed 280 homes in Dane county.

The crew breaks off into two teams. One team is working on tiling in what will be the kitchen and dining area of the home. The room is just about finished and our crew explains what they will be doing today, as well as some other skills they have learned while at OFS and how they might use them for their future careers. A newer participant, Brian, said, "I'm glad I am learning all of these skills. I'd love to eventually start my own landscaping business and the skills I'm learning at OFS can help me achieve that."

Back in the living room, the other team is working on trimming. Eddie demonstrates how to use the miter saw to cut the trim and watches the participant follow his instructions. Using a nail gun, the crew takes turns on applying nails to the trim along the bottom of the living room wall.

By day's end, the crew had made significant progress on their projects and were tired from their hard work but proud to be one step closer to their end goal: rehabbing a low-cost home for a family in need.

Our crew supervisors try to remind participants on a daily basis how their hard work results in this end goal.  Making each young person aware of the amazing impact they are having on their community is key to personal growth and pride in their work, which will ultimately lead to successful careers.

These young people matter. Their work matters. They are making a difference not only in the lives of a family in need, but also for themselves and their futures. The personal growth and skills development that comes from the work our young people do is amplified once they see the final results. 

The work not only matters to the participants but is uniquely powerful and rewarding for our crew supervisors. Eddie has been with OFS for 7 years. He put it pretty perfectly by saying, "I used to call my mom and tell her THANK YOU for being my solid. I couldn't imagine not having one. Now I get to be one for a whole group of kids, and it's super cool."

Each crew member working on this home in Oregon will undoubtedly be excited and proud to see the finished product, which usually is accompanied by an Open House event for the family moving in.

We hope you enjoyed a glimpse into a day in the life of OFS Construction, and we look forward to bringing you more stories like this in the future!