When you become a project sponsor, you sign a standard OFS contract to which your OFS project application becomes an attachment. The list below outlines your obligations and OFS' obligations under that contract. Don't be scared off by this list; just be aware of the resources you'll need for a successful project. When you think about it, the benefits of an OFS crew are well worth the investment you may have to make.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember about your role as a sponsor is that as a sponsor you become a partner with OFS in its quest to fulfill these goals:

• to employ young adults
• to conserve, develop, and enhance Wisconsin's natural resources, and
• to develop crew member work skills through meaningful work experiences and training opportunities.

An OFS crew represents a commitment to provide crew members with a meaningful work experience and the opportunity to learn good work skills and habits. In exchange for this commitment, sponsors receive quality work projects that might otherwise not be done.

OFS provides:

• approximately $5,000 in total funding per week for crew wages and program support (including workers' compensation)
• 40 hours per week, including travel time, of crew labor performed by six to eight crew members
• daily crew supervision by a trained supervisor who works directly with the crew
• crew and crew supervisor support from OFS staff
• time reporting and payroll system
• liability and workers' compensation insurance
• $4,700 scholarship for crew members who successfully complete one year of service
• basic safety equipment for each crew member, including a hard hat with face shield and winter liner, hearing and eye protection, and rain gear

You provide:

• any number of weeks of proposed project work
• general project direction to your OFS crew supervisor
• materials, supplies, and any specialized tools necessary to complete projects
• inclement weather work
• crew orientation to your project
• project related skills training as needed
• all necessary permits and authorizations prior to the start of the project
• final project report
• a $1,500 per week funding match to pay for part of the crew's cost