Wisconsin Fresh Start Centers
Rusk County
125 S. Main Street
P.O. Box 481
Bruce, WI 54819
Phone: 715-868-2150
Program Facilitator / Instructor: Carly Moline
Contruction Site Supervisor: Dan Gunderson
Sawyer County
10838 Beal Avenue
P.O. Box 127
Hayward, WI 54843
Phone: 715-634-2215
Program Facilitator / Instructor: Kris Lazorik
Contruction Site Supervisor: Lou Rondeau
Washburn County
114 Corbits Lane
P.O. Box 393
Shell Lake, WI 54871
Phone: 715-468-4216
Program Facilitator / Instructor: Mary Schmocker
Contruction Site Supervisor: Tom Kriesel
From the Director:
Due to the growing number of youths that need services, the ICAA Wisconsin Fresh Start has grown immensely over the past decade. The ICAA Board of Directors continues to support the growth of resources, expansion and sustainability to help youth, who are our future leaders, find a fresh start.
The most challenging, but most rewarding aspect of the program is providing wrap-around services to encompass the ‘whole person’ in our job-training and educational program. It takes skilled, talented and dedicated staff to work with youths who, for the most part, are disconnected to their community and are leading destructive lifestyles.
Poverty, lack of self-esteem, learning disabilities and social disconnect all play vital roles in the life choices of the program participants. Lack of education and employability skills prevent them from moving forward. Wisconsin Fresh Start offers the resources to aid in a movement of positive change, transformation and growth. It fosters an environment to help youth build success on a very personal level.
It takes human resources and financial resources to carry out the program purpose. We need both to provide the best possible services for our communities in Rusk, Sawyer and Washburn counties. Wisconsin Fresh Start provides unique, innovative and motivating strategies to help youth uncover their hidden potential and reach personal success through opportunities.
Helping Youth Build Success,
Sharyl Rodina
Wisconsin Fresh Start
In 1999, Indianhead Community Action Agency, Inc. was chosen to replicate Operation Fresh Start's nearly three decades of success in Dane County, Wisconsin. Eligible youth ages 18-24 who have had difficulty in a traditional academic setting receive individualized tutoring to complete a high school equivalency diploma (HSED) along with receiving on-site new house construction training.
The housing sites are the vehicles for employment training and are at the center of a comprehensive program of educational and support services. Instruction in basic skills and preparation for the high school equivalency examination, instruction in independent living skills, leadership development, counseling, pre-employment skills training, placement in a job or post-secondary education, and supportive follow-up are vital components of the program.
The program provides young people with the necessary tools to lead them towards economic and social self-sufficiency. Participants earn an hourly wage for their construction training and classroom time. Houses completed by Wisconsin Fresh Start participants are in turn sold to low-income families in the community.
Currently Indianhead Community Action Agency, Inc. operates three programs; in Rusk County, in Washburn County, in Sawyer County.
The most important goal of the projects is to help youth find their way toward self-sufficiency and build self-esteem through accomplishment, while staying on the path to success.
Additional Funding Sources
For further information please contact:
Indianhead Community Action Agency
209 E. 3rd. St. S.
P.O. Box 40
Ladysmith, Wisconsin
54848
Phone: 715-532-5594 Fax: 715-532-5804 or E-mail
or
Contact: Sharyl Rodina, Director, Wisconsin Fresh Start
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