Operation Fresh Start to host gospel fest Friday, neighborhood cleanup Saturday

Operation Fresh Start will have a gospel fest Friday to benefit new teachers and a cleanup Saturday to spruce up and revitalize some neighborhoods.

The gospel fest will be 6:30 p.m. Friday at the New Jerusalem Baptist Church at 1420 Borton Street, according to a media release.

"There will be great gospel music up in the air Friday evening at the New Jerusalem Baptist Church," the media release stated.

The musical event sponsored by the volunteer organization will raise money for new teachers starting in the fall at schools that send students to Kirby Middle School, according to the media release from the Rev. Angus Thompson of New Jerusalem.

“We want to help the first-year teachers starting in the fall to supply their classrooms,” Thompson, New Jerusalem pastor, said.

The junior and senior choirs will be under the direction of Mineasa Nesbit, a well-known vocalist and longtime school teacher and choir director. Nesbit is the music director for Operation Fresh Start.

There is no charge for attending, but those who would like to contribute may make their checks payable to Wichita Falls ISD Partners in Education. On the "for" line, please write Operation Fresh Start.

“If you give a dime, we’ll appreciate that. If you give $100 or $500, we appreciate that," Thompson said. "Some come just to lift up their voices. We appreciate that.”

Operation Fresh Start is a volunteer initiative to help low-income communities, seniors and others, as well as revitalize neighborhoods. New Jerusalem launched it in 2018 to raise money to buy athletic equipment for Hirschi.

Saturday will also be busy for Operation Fresh Start volunteers. They will take part in a cleanup effort coordinated among volunteers from schools, churches and military members with the assistance of the city of Wichita Falls.

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Volunteers will gather at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at New Jerusalem and then fan out to clean up and revitalize neighborhoods around Hirschi High School, Booker T. Washington Elementary School, East and West Lynwood and the Kemp Addition.

Getting homes painted will be a priority, Thompson said. Volunteers from the Navy Seabees training program at Sheppard Air Force Base will be painting houses.

New Jerusalem is providing much of the building materials to be used Saturday, but the paint was donated by paint companies, Thompson said.

“We are grateful for every donation we receive," he said.

Air Force and Army volunteers will also pitch in for Saturday's revitalization event, as well as volunteers from New Jerusalem, Shiloh Baptist Church, Welch Street Church of Christ and Antioch Baptist Church.

In addition, students such as those from Hirsch High School's football and basketball teams will also be among the 50 to 60 volunteers Saturday.

Thompson said Operation Fresh Start organizers are requesting residents restrain their dogs during the cleanup activities Saturday.

“We want to make sure the young people are not hurt,” he said. "We want the young people to have a pleasant work experience."

They will work outside and not inside houses, Thompson said.

“We want to assure those who live in those neighborhoods that we want to do a good job," he said.

Volunteers will be cutting lawns, cleaning up branches and trees, and performing other cleanup tasks for four or five hours, he said. Lunch will be served about noon, but volunteers working later than that will still have food provided.

Two dumpsters will be located in each of these areas Saturday:

• Lynwood East Park

• New Jerusalem parking lot

• The east parking lot of Hirschi

• Near the Kemp-Sunnyside Center

• The north parking lot of BTW Elementary School

Organizers are requesting that residents don't dump construction materials, paint, tires, batteries, computers and other unauthorized materials into the dumpsters.

In addition, organizers are asking residents to put their items in the dumpsters and not leave them on the ground, Thompson said. By arrangement, trailers will come by to pick up trash from residents who are unable to get it into the dumpster.

Thompson said this year, Operation Fresh Start is regrettably not working in the Wichita Falls High School area. But organizers hope to in the future.

“We think we’ve made good progress in many of our areas. We regret that we can’t cover the whole city. We pray that one day, Wichita Falls will declare Operation Fresh Start throughout the city, and we will have a citywide cleanup," Thompson said.

“As we’re trying to sell our city and trying to entice people to move here, I think one of the big selling points will be the community spirit of our citizens," he said.

Anyone who would like more information on Operation Fresh Start can contact Thompson at 940-766-4022.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Operation Fresh Start hosts gospel fest, neighborhood cleanup