Summer is here, and as New Hope’s fiscal year comes to a close, it is a time of both reflection and exciting forward momentum at New Hope.  Please indulge me, this note is a little longer than normal.

First, I am incredibly grateful for the tremendous support so many of you have shown for our Imagine More Capital Campaign. Thanks to your generosity and the incredible $1.5 million matching commitment from United Way of Central Indiana, we are in the homestretch! To date we have raised over $3.5 million (including the UWCI matching grant). The funds raised will create transformative spaces and opportunities for the individuals we serve. We are so close to the finish line, and every gift helps us cross it. If you would like to join us and make an impact, please visit newhopeofindiana.org/imagine-more-campaign. Thank you for believing in our vision!  The individuals we serve are so excited about the future of this building, one person asked me this morning when the new basketball area is going to be done!

Our Camp Catalyst celebrated its fifth year this year.  It is always such a fun week, seeing all the kids’ happy faces and feeling their energy.  Thankfully, the weather was good for our inclusive camp that celebrates each camper’s individual gifts!

July brings changes to New Hope’s Board of Directors. We are excited to welcome three new members who bring valuable expertise and deep commitment to our mission:

• Jeff Chapman brings significant development experience as well as public relations and marketing expertise. He is a parent of a child with a disability, worked for the St. Vincent Foundation, and has served as Chief Executive Officer of an organization in Indianapolis serving individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Leslie Compton brings non-profit accounting experience to our Finance Committee and Board of Directors. Leslie has a background in public tax accounting and nonprofit accounting/reporting.  She operates her own company called LDC Tax & Accounting.
• Adele Smith is the parent of an individual served in Day Services. Adele serves on the Capital Campaign Cabinet. She is passionate about philanthropy and gave an impactful speech at the public campaign kick-off event.

We are also pleased to announce our new board officers: Audra Blasdel will serve as Chair, she has been vice-chair and serves on the Finance and Capital Campaign committees; Alan O’Rear will move to Vice Chair/Treasurer; he also chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Capital Campaign Committee; and Mary Gaughan will become Secretary.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Steve Cook, who has served as Board Chair for the last two years. He is an outstanding leader and has brought wisdom, dedication and a great sense of humor to the board. Steve has been a steady and thoughtful guide for New Hope during a time of tremendous growth and change. We are so thankful for his service and are delighted that he will continue on the Board. We also thank Jen Northern, who has served on the Board and as Marketing/Advancement Committee Chair. Jen brought creativity, energy, and a true passion for advancing our mission and telling New Hope’s story. We are grateful for her many contributions and wish her all the best.

New Hope and other disability services providers begin a new chapter on August 1, that is when we believe new changes will go into effect for our waiver program, resulting in reimbursement reductions from the State of Indiana.   Thanks to a Resiliency Roadmap grant from the UWCI, New Hope has been preparing for these reductions since October, and we have worked and will continue to work internally so that only a limited number of individuals will be affected by these changes. New Hope will continue to become more efficient over the next 12-18 months in anticipation of future changes. If you have any questions about this or other Medicaid issues, please contact me directly at awharry@newhopeofindiana.org.

To help us through these revenue reductions, this year’s Silver Cup Celebration is more important than ever.  The event will take place on Wednesday, August 12^th at the Biltwell Event Center. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.newhopeofindiana.org/silver-cup-celebration/ and look for the Silent Auction to open in mid-July! Thank you for your continued support of #TeamNewHope—you make everything we do possible.

Enjoy the summer!

Allison