Operatn New Hope's Kev Gay retir; helped Jacksonville-area ns

Contents:

• PHOTOS: OPERATN NEW HOPE'S FOUNR/CEO KEV GAY RETIRG
• ONE OF US: KEV GAY MA TRANSN OM SELLG SURANCE TO CHANGG LIV
• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• NONPROF CEO SHOWSE: KEV T. GAY
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE COACH TO COME OUT AS GAY MAJOR U.S. SPORTS
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

PHOTOS: OPERATN NEW HOPE'S FOUNR/CEO KEV GAY RETIRG

"What he did, " he said of Gay, " worked. "'Cy that r':Operatn New Hope and two other Jacksonville nonprofs regnized for cril role of muny partnershipsOperatn New Hope: Jaguars and Geia-based nonprof brgg ee nstctn class to JacksonvilleThe chance meetg was emotnal, particularly for Gay, who is partg the nonprof Thursday after 23 years. Meetg succs stori like Hill, Gay said, "that's what fuels  … every day.

"Missn trips closer to homeBegng the early 1980s, Gay was the rporate world. He sold surance for Jacksonville bs and civic lear Tom Petway's pany, now lled US Assure, and rose to vice eply relig Gay often took ternatnal missn trips until his spirual adviser, the Rev.

"In 1999 Gay found Operatn New Hope, which ially foced on rtorg old ho Sprgfield — to provi affordable hog — and hirg and trag neighborhood rints to do the work. Such jobs were particularly cril to workers wh crimal rerds, which often ed potential employers to bypass them, Gay said. "In 2002 Gay met Print Gee W.

ONE OF US: KEV GAY MA TRANSN OM SELLG SURANCE TO CHANGG LIV

Such rults help rne fai and rebuild muni, Gay also "make the se for return on vtment" for donors such as philanthropists Petway, Gary Chartrand and Wayne and Delor Barr Weaver, he said. Augte for formerly rcerated"Kev Gay’s remarkable acplishments durg his tenure at Operatn New Hope are a ttament to his visn and his termatn to help others, " Delor Barr Weaver said.

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

"Gay and the nonprof he found, she said, gave her "the blueprt to bee a succsful mother, grandparent and cizen. "Succsor wh empathy ready to serveThe closer Gay gets to his fal day at New Hope's Ma Street office, the more emotnal he gets about his he is nfint his succsor, Reggie Fullwood, who was promoted om chief operatns officer to print last year. " When he and the Operatn New Hope board ponred a succsn plan, they realized Fullwood, his 3½ years on the staff, has "shown we've got our guy right here … to hand the keys to, " he meetg program participants, Fullwood not only exhibs "huy and grace" but empathy, Gay said.

When he meets new program participants, Fullwood tells them "by the way, I know how you're feelg" bee he was their uncerta posn once, Gay he tells them he overme his challeng and is "about to bee CEO. "Not retirg om advotg for goodAfter partg the agency Thursday, Gay plans to travel for a few months wh his partner of 16 years, Jse Kraker. And both sentenc tend to be worse for ex-offenrs who are Black or Hispanic than their whe unterparts, Gay said.

Mimum wage: Proposal to exempt felons om new mimum wage emed a no-go by Jacksonville NAACP and others stateKev Gay lumn: We mt nont the addictn of racism"In Ameri, we never let go, " he said. "Gay is passnate about addrsg such barriers.

NONPROF CEO SHOWSE: KEV T. GAY

Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay is shown portra Wednday, June 22, 2022 at Operatn New Hope Jacksonville.

Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay, left, talks wh Aaron Hill who pleted the program Wednday, June 22, 2022 at Operatn New Hope Jacksonville. Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay looks to objects he is packg away his office Wednday, June 22, 2022 at Operatn New Hope Jacksonville.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay mak a phone ll Wednday, June 22, 2022 at Operatn New Hope Jacksonville.

Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay talks about a few of his service awards while tryg to clean his office Wednday, June 22, 2022 at Operatn New Hope Jacksonville. Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay is shown portra wh former U.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE COACH TO COME OUT AS GAY MAJOR U.S. SPORTS

Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-UnnFounr and CEO Kev Gay is shown portra Wednday, June 22, 2022 at Operatn New Hope Jacksonville. Gay is retirg after 23 years of leadg the nonprof that provis support, life and job skills trag for people wh a history of volvement wh the crimal jtice Perre/Florida Tim-Unn. Kev Gay, who found Operatn New Hope and led the anizatn as CEO om 1999 to 2022.

From 1983 to 1999, Kev Gay was a succsful surance salman. To feed his soul, the eply relig Gay would go on missn trips to far-flung rners of the, the Rev.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Davette Turk, his spirual mentor, "h me the solar plex, " Gay had e to her to talk about his plans for another missn trip.

JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

"What I want you to do is get your fancy ltle r and drive to the Northsi and tell me why you are gog to South Ameri and Ai, " Gay, who drove a BMW at the time, remembers Turk tellg was a jolt.

"I had lived this town I love all my life, " Gay said.

"That challenge led to Gay's cisn 1999 to lnch Operatn New Hope.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

"Man, was I naive about , " Gay uldn't keep ntractors on the job bee their tools were stolen. Gay tried buyg a trailer to hoe the tools. "I didn't unrstand the dynamic of the muny, " Gay he hired a uple of teens livg an abandoned hoe on Pearl Street and put them to work, promisg to tra them and pay them.

Gay traed them and put them to 2002, Gay and the Rev. Garland Stt of Cy Center Mistri on Eighth Street, who was providg spirual unselg to Gay's employe, were ved to Washgton, D. But Gay also tablished a work of about 300 Jacksonville bs which have hired people traed by said the succs of Ready4Work, whichonlyhas a 5 percent recidivism rate, should get people to qutn a system of jtice which Ameri, wh 5 percent of the world's populatn, has 25 percent of the world's rcerated people.