It was cold and rainy, but OFS crews and staff had a blast out at Donald County Park to celebrate Earth Day on April 18! We saw electrofishing up close, learned how to identify endangered bumble bees, made some clay “native seed balls”, hung out with arborists, plus learned so much more! Huge thanks to Dane County Parks, Friends of Donald Park, Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Dane County Land & Water Resources Department for sharing their passions and knowledge with us.

🚗 Celebrating Drive cohort

Congratulations to Yasmine, Alayshia, Wynter, Ciara, and the rest of the Drive cohort for finishing the program and earning their driver’s permits! Next step is working toward getting their license.

💙 Happy volunteer week!

A huge thank you to our volunteers during National Volunteer Week! From the classroom to the work site to our board and beyond, a lot of the magic at OFS is thanks to our passionate volunteers. Learn more about how you can join this amazing group of individuals!

🎓 Academy graduations

Congratulations to Keenih for graduating from Conservation Academy! They were also the recipient of the tool and gear scholarship which they used for prescription safety glasses. Keenih is now the program manager of Powerful Teen Leaders at Sustain Dane and will also be working at the City of Madison Engineering.

"I'm so grateful that folks here are dedicated to their mission of empowering young people to grow as people and professionals," said Keenih, "The staff at OFS supported my growth in a way I hadn't experienced before. I had the opportunity to connect with so many smart, talented people who are passionate about the world in the same way I am."

Congratulations to Nick for graduating from Build Academy and starting his career in the trades as a Mechanical Technician! The ultimate goal of this advanced training program is placement into a self-sustaining career.

“Nick will not only build things that stand the test of time, but will also create a workplace where laughter and camaraderie abound,” said Faith, Build Academy Coordinator, at his graduation.

Congratulations to Taylor, who graduated from Conservation Academy! He started with Madison Parks and plans to enroll at Madison College this fall to pursue a Biology degree.

“Taylor put in a lot of work over his time with OFS, both personally and as a professional,” said Jake, his crew supervisor, “Taylor showed a natural leadership and took time to think about who he could be as a leader and what that meant to him.”

🎓 Legacy graduations

“Jay'Renee came in with drive and a sense of power around her,” said Taylor, her crew supervisor, “She had her goals and she knew the direction she wanted to go. And she proved her dedication by having perfect attendance for her entire term. She has such a huge heart and so much love to give. I know your future will be fulfilling as long as you continue with this unmatchable drive.”

Jay’Renee has already started at Chanell Ardor Schools of Beauty and Culture where she’s earning her licensure in manicuring! She is a skilled artist and we’re so proud of her ambition.

“Ray is somebody who doesn’t sit down until the work is done,” said Taylor, his crew supervisor, “He’s an extremely hard worker, not only at OFS, but also at his job at the nursing home, where he’s highly respected and appreciated. He’s so polite, and so well spoken to everyone around him. I hope that he sees how much potential he has.” Ray's next step is attending school in May to earn his CDL through the Latino Academy program.



“I want to give thanks to my supervisor, Taylor,” Ray said in his graduation speech, “She’s definitely the best supervisor here, my personal take. She’s not only a cool supervisor, she’s a person who truly cares. Not only a boss, but someone you could get to know as a friend or mentor.”

“It didn't matter how tough the work was, Andre was here,” said Taylor, his crew supervisor, “Throughout his entire term, he had amazing attendance. He brought new perspectives to the crew. One of my favorite ideas Andre shared was the idea to do a check-in at the start of every day with the crew. He thought it was important to know if someone wasn't at their 100% that day. And this just shows what a caring and kind person Andre is.”

Following graduation, Andre will join Ray in the May training at the Latino Academy to earn his CDL. We know he’ll do great and will continue bringing compassion and motivation to everyone around him.

“Izaiah is not afraid to do his best,” said Tom, his crew supervisor, “I could see the disappointment in his face when things were done wrong. But he would jump right in and fix it. And I think that's one of the traits of a great carpenter, and I'm realizing in life too, to just get after your mistakes, fix them as quickly as you can, and as best as you can. Izaiah has taught me one of the best ways to live in life is just deal with it and move forward.”

Izaiah’s next step is to join Build Academy at OFS and pursue a career in the trades, possibly as a carpenter. We know he’ll continue to do amazing work!

“From the word go, Jose showed us tenacity and never gave up with his drive,” said Tom, his crew supervisor, “He enjoyed getting the job done and asking for more. A leader and motivator by doing, I heard many times, ‘let's finish this before break’ and I knew we were on a roll when I heard the phrase ‘locked in’.”

Jose has already started in Build Academy and doing great! We’re excited to see what the future holds for him!

“While Chase has been a huge aspect of our growth as a team, he has also exhibited exceptional personal growth while he's been here,” said Nate, his crew supervisor.

“I'm really grateful to OFS for giving me this amazing opportunity,” said Chase in his graduation speech, “Before I joined I was scared and super nervous. I had no idea what I was getting into. But if I had decided against it, I would have missed out on amazing work, amazing experiences, and amazing friends.”

“Ousainou is someone who who can't help but make his presence felt wherever he goes,” said Nate, his crew supervisor, “He’s someone who's very easy to root for, and someone who makes you want to be on his team. He made of a van full of people who were often not having the greatest day of their life really laugh out loud on a regular basis. And I’m most proud of his role as an advocate for OFS.”

“I really did feel like I belonged here,” said Ousainou in his graduation speech, “I liked having time with everyone together, doing something that made me feel like I had a purpose.”

Ousainou is currently working at Whole Foods and has just been promoted. In the fall he will be going to Madison College.

“Key's success in life can be attributed to his ability to see both sides,” said Miles, his crew supervisor, “A wiser person than I once said that the best way to walk through life is the middle path. Key walks that path. He demonstrated his skill on site by being a leader. He was patient and willing to be wrong, and listen to others.”

“I appreciate everyone on my crew, especially Miles,” said Keyante in his speech, “When I first moved out here, I ain’t know no one, I ain’t have no friends, but now coming to and leaving OFS, I have a crew that changed that for me. It’s been a crazy year but I’m glad it was with y’all.”

Following graduation, Keyante is moving on to Madison College where he will train to become a firefighter! His bravery and compassion will be perfect for such a role in the community.

“Alex has really blossomed and opened up in his time here,” said Nate, his crew supervisor, “It's been so cool to see Alex really grow into himself during his Legacy term, going from me pushing him to give a crew update, to him standing up under his own accord to talk at crew members’ graduations.”

“This has been one of the best decisions of my life,” said Alex in his speech, “I would like to share something with the people who are new. This is one of the greatest opportunities you’re going to have in your life. Make sure you treat it as such. It’s hard, it’ll make you want to give up, but if you stick through it, you will be very successful. I myself am going to be starting internships and going to college in the fall. This proves that if you follow the program, you can be very successful. Because of how connected to resources and opportunities I was in this program, I was able to make my life a whole lot easier."

Alex will registered for the fall at Blackhawk Tech to pursue a degree in IT.

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