MEET THIS CHANGEMAKER: John Hursh is the co-founder of Toolbox4Life, an eight-week program that teaches adults the skills they need to work in a commercial kitchen or construction site. The project grew out of a nonprofit called 306 Foundation that Hursh and his wife, Jane, started in 2012 to connect communities through partnerships and networking.
WHAT HE’S DOING: As part of Toolbox4Life’s construction training program, participants learn how to read a blueprint, construct prefab walls and get real site experience thanks to a partnership with the local Habitat for Humanity. With her background in the culinary arts, Jane teaches students how to handle knives, food safety standards and how to work in a commercial kitchen. The program is focused on helping people who have been in jail, dealt with substance abuse or who have been sex trafficked. The program has graduated more than 125 graduates since launching in 2014.
FUN FACT: John is a self-proclaimed HGTV junkie and loves taking on construction projects around the house.
QUOTABLE: “I have always been thinking about a box that we all carry, whether it’s your person, your psyche, your soul. What are you putting in that box? We’re trying to put in skills that are going to be beneficial to them,” John said.
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED: Apply to be a culinary arts volunteer by calling Jane at 407-470-0765 or reaching out to Jane@306foundation.org. To get involved in the construction track, call John 407-470-0741 or email John@306foundation.org. Apply to participate in the program by filling out an application on their website ToolBox4Life.com.