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Operation Fresh Air outlines training pathway and affordable-home builds in Sun Prairie
Summary
Eric Miller of Operation Fresh Air told the Sun Prairie Area School District board that the nonprofit’s Legacy and Build Academy programs have connected dozens of local graduates with paid construction and conservation work, including recent graduate Caleb Delbrous, and that the group has free training cohorts for 16–24-year-olds.
Eric Miller, a representative of nonprofit Operation Fresh Air, told the Sun Prairie Area School District board that his organization has expanded hands‑on training and affordable‑home construction partnerships in the city. “My name is Eric Miller. I’m with Operation Fresh Air, and I’m here today with my colleague, Faith Huff,” Miller said, describing programs that combine high‑school completion supports with apprenticeships in construction and conservation.
Miller said the nonprofit’s legacy and academy programs have drawn substantial local interest: “I believe, is it 50 I think it’s 54 Sun Prairie graduates applied to our academies in the last 2 years,” he said, and he named recent graduate Caleb Delbrous as an example of a participant now working on a local home. He described program elements that are free to participants, including driver‑license training, short cohort trainings (six‑ to ten‑week certification tracks) and stipends tied to paid placements.
Board members asked how students find the program; Miller said referrals typically come from district staff and named contacts within schools, and that the organization aims to serve as an alternative pathway to graduation and employment. “For legacy program or high school completion program, each school district’s a little bit… right now, Jennifer, Rebecca, Sarah, have been, really great partners,” he said, naming district staff who have helped make referrals.
Miller urged continued partnership and said the program emphasizes industry partnerships for job placement in fields such as construction, banking, healthcare and early childhood education. He offered to coordinate with district administrators to expand outreach and formalize referral processes.
The board did not take action on the partnership at the meeting; the presentation was part of the board’s community connections segment and the board encouraged follow‑up between Operation Fresh Air and district staff.
