Community Corner
The New Man Project to Make New Men
Local ministry and nonprofit in downtown Waukesha to teach ex-offenders marketable skills.
It is no secret that the economy we live in is difficult for those searching for employment. It’s even harder for those who have a past in prison.
Sometimes they have been out of work longer than others and their skills are not current. Their backgrounds may prevent them from getting a job when emerging from prison as well. Mike Oberbrunner has started a ministry/nonprofit called The New Man Project to help these men get back on their feet.
The idea is starting out as a men’s resale shop, which will fund the ministry, at 519 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Waukesha. The store will open Wednesday.
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The resale shop offers various “men’s” items such as hunting, fishing, canoeing and camping gear, as well as tools and fitness equipment. These donated items are in good condition at a discounted price and their purchase will help support a good cause.
Oberbrunner estimates the store operating for three to six months and then expanding it to include a woodworking and repair shop. The shop will teach ex-offenders the trade of turning items, creating arts and crafts, creating furniture and making repairs. This will offer these men a new marketable skill to make a living.
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“Our main purpose it to provide support, education, training and employment opportunities for the ex-offenders," said Oberbrunner. "They have a very high unemployment rate, and a lot of them don’t have the skills necessary to compete in today’s economy so we’re trying to give them skills and after they acquire the skills to launch businesses for them so they can provide income for their families,”
Oberbrunner would like to display their creations in the expanded portion of the store with other artisans for purchase to build them a client base for launching their own stores.
The building that The New Man Project occupies is owned by Jeff Seymour, known locally for starting the Waukesha art crawls. The New Man Project will be part of the next crawl taking place on Oct. 1. “Jeff is pretty instrumental in encouraging us to be part of the Art Crawl,” Oberbrunner said.
Oberbrunner is currently seeking volunteers, donated items and, of course, customers. More information can be found at http://www.thenewmanproject.com/.
For more information on area businesses and organizations involved in and other events in downtown Waukesha, check out our directory listings.
