Work Ethic – Fresh Start Worx offers clean slate in job arena
- Today Magazine Online
- Dec 25, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 minutes ago
• Fresh Start Worx: Seeking Ethic Of Second Employment Chances
By Bruce William Deckert
Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine Online
• Fresh Start Worx president and CEO Jenna Columbus has offered an exclusive interview to Today Magazine Online — this is the second feature in a two-part series
A noteworthy Hartford-based nonprofit that offers a fresh start in the employment realm has been celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
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Fresh Start Worx offers a new beginning via high-level job training for people who want to rebuild their lives after dealing with incarceration, homelessness, endemic poverty, drug-addiction issues, alcoholism and other challenges. Indeed, this enterprise is clearly in the business of giving second chances in the work world — a proverbial clean slate.
The nonprofit debuted in 2015 as Fresh Start Pallet Products and rebranded in January 2025 as Fresh Start Worx. The operation is based in a 10,000-square-foot facility on Sargeant Street in Hartford, Connecticut's capital city.
A groundbreaking school was established in 2021. The Richard P. Garmany Fresh Start Academy helps students build a foundation for a worthwhile career via "an intensive, hands-on program teaching woodworking, life skills, and job readiness through real-world projects and mentorship," per the Fresh Start Worx website.
Students have the opportunity to employ a diligent work ethic for an organization that aims for a higher ethic in an American employment world that too often won't offer a job to someone with a criminal record or a substance-abuse history or no permanent home address.
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• Here's the exclusive Fresh Start Worx Q&A with CEO Jenna Columbus
Fresh Start Worx
Previous Name — Fresh Start Pallet Products
Sargeant Street • Hartford • Connecticut
Phone — 860-373-7403
Email — info@fsworx. org
Website — www.fsworx.org
Social Media — @freshstartworx
Year Established — 2015
Mission — Fresh Start Worx employs and trains individuals seeking to improve their lives with a future in building high-quality custom products and, in partnership with community organizations, provides education and training through the Richard P. Garmany Fresh Start Worx Academy.
Slogan — Rebuilding Lives, Building Furniture
Most fulfilling aspect of your work?
Supporting our clients in the journey of getting back to work, learning new skills in an industry that will give them employment opportunities for the future, and creating a safe place for those looking for a fresh start.
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Your biggest obstacle, and how you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge is consistency with funding for our academy. We want everyone to participate in our programs at no charge, but sometimes we are not able to accept all students for the program due to funding restrictions. For our employees and students, their largest obstacle is getting back into the community and creating new ways to support themselves, develop confidence, and see the long-term path forward.
Most satisfying accomplishment?
Graduation day at the Richard P. Garmany Fresh Start Academy is one of our favorite days of the year. Students have completed their six-week course and have invested in themselves and their futures. We celebrate, learn from each other, and remember what has already been accomplished.
Goals for the next 1-5 years?
We hope to expand the academy and create more opportunities for students with direct employment. We aspire to gain more work at our social enterprise — that is, through our store and services — to be able to hire more people with consistent full-time jobs. Finally, we want to develop more volunteers and partners in the Hartford Community.
Volunteers and opportunities to serve:
Fresh Start Worx has a variety of volunteer opportunities, from working in the shop to helping remotely with our quarterly newsletter. Volunteers can support each other in person or remotely in one of our committees. We welcome volunteers with open arms.
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Anecdote that illustrates how you accomplish your mission:
• Fresh Start Success Story No. 1
C is kind, goal-oriented and a natural leader who faced a difficult chapter in his life. After being released from incarceration in early 2025, he moved into a halfway house and encountered significant challenges finding employment.
Thanks to our supporters, C joined Fresh Start Academy, graduated with newly honed skills, and earned the respect of his instructors and fellow trainees. After graduation, C returned for a temporary position on our shop floor, where he received the encouragement and resources he needed to thrive.
With continued guidance and determination to expand his skills, C secured a job at the Campbell’s Company location in Bloomfield, Connecticut. He quickly impressed management and earned a promotion with full benefits — now earning $36 per hour. Today, he operates a five-axis CNC machine full-time, enjoys a stable home with his family, and is saving to buy a car.
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"Graduation day at the ... Fresh Start Academy is one of our favorite days of the year" — Jenna Columbus • president and CEO
SEO: Fresh Start Worx Clean Slate
• Fresh Start Success Story No. 2
R came to Fresh Start Academy on the recommendation of a fellow resident at a residential recovery program in Hartford. At 29 years old, he had many things going for him: supportive family and partner, an associate’s degree from Manchester Community College, and work experience demonstrating his technical skills and an affinity for sales.
R had persistent anger-management issues and was asked to leave several positions. He attributed these to financial stress and a growing dependency on alcohol and marijuana. After three arrests for DUI, he served a 30-day jail sentence and his father referred him to a local residential treatment program. R found the treatment program to be a good recovery environment. After four months, he became eligible to seek employment outside the program and heard about Fresh Start.
R fit the criteria for the Fresh Start Academy training. Upon completion of his training, he was offered a position — right from the beginning, he diligently applied his academy skills and those he learned in four years of high school woodshop. When he first started, he looked at this opportunity as just a job, and he was going to look for something better. Over time, he began to enjoy his work environment and his fellow employees.
He feels passionate and empowered to be creative in the projects he is assigned. He is a skilled employee and has become a leader within the group. When asked if he is in it for the long term, his response was “as long as the company continues to grow.”
How closely do you work with other agencies/nonprofits?
Partnering is a huge part of the way we connect with our clients. Strong relationships with other agencies in the Hartford community create a whole-person approach and provide more success for those in our programs.
Interesting stats and numbers associated with your nonprofit:
The Richard P. Garmany Fresh Start Academy graduated the most students in its history in 2024 — 24 overall — and helped many students get new jobs.
Besides donations, how is your work funded?
Fresh Start has received support from our generous donors, grants from local foundations and businesses, and sales from our social enterprise.
What was your operating budget in your most recent fiscal year?
The operating budget for Fresh Start Worx is under $800,000.
What is the salary range for your employees and management?
Our salary range is between $35,000 and $115,000 annually depending on full-time or part-time status.
Employees and board of directors:
• See these Fresh Start Worx webpages for info:
• Leadership page — https://www.fsworx.org/leadership
• Meet our Team section — https://www.fsworx.org/services — scroll down
What do you appreciate most about the Farmington Valley?
The Farmington Valley is a beautiful area with a welcoming, close-knit community. It has great schools, stunning landscapes and plenty of outdoor fun. Plus, there's a lively arts scene and local markets. It makes you feel right at home!
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What constructive change would you like to see in the Valley and the state of Connecticut?
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SEO: Fresh Start Worx Clean Slate
• This article is the second feature in a two-part series — here is the first:
Featuring community news that matters nationwide, Today Magazine Online aims to record Connecticut’s underreported upside — covering the heart of the Farmington Valley and beyond
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