We all deserve second chances.  Second chances provide us with the opportunity to learn from the past and do differently in the future.

That’s what The Open Hearth is all about – second chances – giving men the support they need to change their lives for the better.

And that’s why we’ve joined in partnership with the city of Hartford and the Hartford Reentry Welcome Center to run the Neighborhood Ambassadors Program, a new neighborhood beautification and workforce development program that gives formerly incarcerated Hartford residents a second chance. 

Neighborhood Ambassadors work part-time cleaning up the city of Hartford. The program provides not only stable part-time paying jobs and resume building work experience for participants, but also the opportunity to give back to the community.  As one Neighborhood Ambassador said,

 “I really want to give back to the city of Hartford. I think it’s important that people be able to have a second chance and do something positive with that, and I think giving back to the community is one of the most positive things I can do.”

So, the next time you’re walking down the street in Hartford and see a Neighborhood Ambassador, dressed in an orange t-shirt and bright yellow vest, hard at work beautifying the streets of Hartford, please take a moment and thank him for giving back.

Warmest regards,

Chief Executive Officer