New Hope of Indiana | Blog

For over forty years, New Hope of Indiana has been committed to supporting individuals and families, encouraging them to live their most independent, fulfilling lives. Through services for individuals with disabilities, counseling for families in the child welfare system and advocacy efforts, New Hope of Indiana is making an impact in our communities every day.

paged,page-template,page-template-blog-large-image,page-template-blog-large-image-php,page,page-id-16566,paged-6,page-paged-6,tribe-no-js,tribe-bar-is-disabled,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-theme-ver-6.5,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-5.4.5,vc_responsive

Blog

31 Mar - Zeller, Speak!

Posted at 08:48h in Zeller, Speak! 1 Comment

0 Likes

Greetings Friends, I hope you are all well! So much has changed in the last month. I am having to follow the shelter in place guidance, and I admit I am getting a little stir crazy! How about you? New Hope of Indiana has been doing everything we know to do to keep people healthy and happy. I even sent out a picture (of myself, of course) saying hi to everyone. Our recreation and music therapists and others are sending out activity ideas that can be done in the home. Everyone here is operating out of love for those we serve. Me? I look...

30 Mar - Lynn Feldman Receives 2020 INARF Pinnacle Award

Posted at 15:16h in News 1 Comment

1 Like

After her four decades of service at New Hope of Indiana, Lynn Feldman has been enjoying retirement since early December. We thought it only fitting that she end her career with a very special honor - or two. In December, New Hope proudly announced a new distinction for outstanding direct support professionals (DSPs) at New Hope named in part after Lynn. Now, INARF, New Hope's trade agency, has named Lynn as the recipient of the 2020 Pinnacle Award. This award is given to an outstanding professional level staff member in the human service industry who has demonstrated a commitment to...

30 Mar - A Note from Allison: #TeamNewHope

Posted at 14:03h in A Note from Allison 0 Comments

0 Likes

Hello loyal Heartbeat readers, Wow! So much has changed since I last wrote to you. In just one month, New Hope’s entire operation has shifted to accommodate a new focus on the health and safety of those we serve and the people who are directly serving them. While this is always our top priority, our operations have taken a turn to adjust to this new normal. We have suspended Day Services, transitioned therapy services to telehealth delivery and restricted visitors in all New Hope homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our associates are monitoring their own health before every shift...

27 Mar - Staying Connected

Posted at 16:49h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 4 Comments

2 Likes

Every month, Bill McCreary looks forward to visiting his father in an assisted living facility. He checks the calendar and knows exactly when he'll get to see his father next. Nearly 30 years ago, New Hope Team Leader Gail Mehrlich started serving Bill and eventually organized these monthly dinners. Today, it is the dedicated staff of Justin Group Home that ensure that Bill gets to see his family each month. But this month, and for the foreseeable future, Bill won't get to visit his dad. Bill is deaf and communicates using limited, basic sign language. Last week he was obviously upset and...

27 Mar - COVID-19 Response Update

Posted at 16:42h in News 0 Comments

0 Likes

Maija Augenbergs, Quality Assurance Coordinator As New Hope of Indiana continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking several measures to keep the individuals we serve as well as our associates happy, healthy and safe. New Hope’s COVID-19 working group continues to meet daily to discuss strategies for prevention and preparedness and to maintain communication across various programs. New Hope leaders continue to coordinate with New Hope’s Medical Director, Dr. Daniel Shull, as well as other organizations including INARF, the Indiana State Department of Health, BDDS and others in the disability industry to remain current on quickly developing information, access necessary...

26 Mar - It’s Time to Pay Those Who Care for People with Disabilities a Living Wage

Posted at 14:18h in News 0 Comments

0 Likes

by Allison Wharry, CEO This National Disabilities Awareness Month, I want to take a moment to advocate for those who assist 40,000 Hoosiers with intellectual and developmental disabilities each and every day and help show the world how truly ABLE they are. I’m talking about Indiana’s Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). More than 20,000 DSPs in Indiana support clients in homes, in the community and at their places of employment. Their work is needed and invaluable. Yet, they are paid a low wage due to insufficient Medicaid reimbursements. Because of this, New Hope of Indiana and other service providers have a difficult time...

26 Mar - Behavior Services Make A Difference

Posted at 14:09h in New Hope Stories, Service Spotlight 0 Comments

0 Likes

by Lonya Thompson, LCSW, Manager of Behavior Services What does a Behavior Consultant do, and how does their work impact the lives of the clients here at New Hope? This is question that often come up during the initial meeting with clients, parents, and sometimes even from direct support professionals (DSPs). In order to get a better understanding of what Behavior Consultants do and how their work impacts the life of the clients, it may be helpful to first gain some background information about the Behavior Consultant’s role. Each Behavior Consultant at New Hope of Indiana is required to have at minimum a...

16 Mar - Mission Minute: Wisdom in a Moment of Crisis

Posted at 10:27h in Mission Minute 0 Comments

1 Like

During this uncertain time in the world, it's important that we take time to recognize the good in our lives. This month, we are more focused on our mission than ever, and we are seeing the good in all of our associates and community members as they strive to support the individuals we serve in a moment of crisis. Thank you to all of our associates for their continued dedication and service! They are truly a bright light in a dark time! New Hope, like many other organizations, has made some hard decisions recently that affect all of our clients, their...

16 Mar - Service Spotlight: Chris Moore

Posted at 10:12h in Service Spotlight 0 Comments

2 Likes

Group Home Team Leader, Chris Moore, was uninterested in being spotlighted to say the least. With a little encouragement from his Manager, he begrudgingly agreed to answer some basic questions about himself. Thanks to Chris for his 17 years of dedicated service to New Hope in the Group Home program! Where you are from? I am from the small town of Cayuga, Indiana. What's your family like? My wife Jessica and I have a ten year old son Ethan. I have a younger brother who lives in Michigan. I have three nephews and two nieces. What was high...

25 Feb - Zeller, Speak!

Posted at 13:29h in Events, Zeller, Speak! 0 Comments

0 Likes

Greetings friends! This month, I celebrated my 11th birthday. That's 77 years in dog years. Some days I feel my age, but most of the time I still love the same things I did when I was a puppy: getting a good snack, playing with my favorite toys and getting so much love from all of my friends. Birthdays make you think about stuff like that...

25 Feb - Remembering Our Friends

Posted at 13:02h in Remembering our Friends 1 Comment

1 Like

Shandi Vance 1980-2020 It has been a pleasure to have had Shandi Vance in our Frederic Group Home all these years. She moved in 5/2002 and was a delight from Day One! Shandi enjoyed singing and dancing in her room to Disney musicals and she had no shame in sharing her skills with the entire home. Shandi also loved to shop, with a particular affinity to headbands and sunglasses. We were so blessed to have Shandi with us for so long, and she left us too quickly. She will be missed. Read more. Marcia Carithers 1932-2020 From the beginning, Marcia Carithers was a beloved member...

25 Feb - Finding My Joy

Posted at 12:52h in New Hope Stories 0 Comments

2 Likes

by Denise Caudill Irons, NHI Board Member Because I have not felt inspired the past few months, I have not attempted to contribute an article. I have been mindlessly struggling with the endless routine of daily life. Nothing exceptional has occurred, and it’s been disheartening. Recently, my daughter and I visited her honorary grandparents in Florida. During our stay, Mims came across this poem by William Martin, and she reminded me of it. I read it years ago, but it was long forgotten. As I needed the reminder, it appeared again. However, it wasn’t for...

25 Feb - A Note from Allison: My Proud Look

Posted at 12:42h in A Note from Allison, Events, News 2 Comments

0 Likes

My mom has what we call her “proud look”. Which is awesome because her kids and grandkids always know when she is proud of them. If you would have seen me last week, you would have seen my equivalent of a “proud look”. That is because New Hope of Indiana was accredited as a United Way of Central Indiana agency. This was the first class of accredited agencies for UWCI in many, many years. This accreditation is significant because it tells the greater Indianapolis Community that New Hope demonstrates "a responsiveness to community needs; diversity and inclusion in governance, operations,...

24 Feb - A New Hope Love Story

Posted at 09:54h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 2 Comments

0 Likes

James and Kyle first met in the late '80s when they were living at our residential facility and began dating shortly after. Even after moving out into the community, into different parts of the city, these two have been inseparable. You'll never find James without his baseball cap which he likes to match to his outfit for the day. He has a caring heart and likes to help the staff at his house by taking out the trash. James loves to spend time with Kyle, even after over 30 years together! Kyle enjoys listening to country music and getting dolled up...

20 Feb - New Hope of Indiana Receives Accreditation from United Way of Central Indiana

Posted at 13:39h in Community and Corporate Partners, News 0 Comments

0 Likes

Indianapolis – New Hope of Indiana is pleased to announce it has received accreditation from the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI). The accreditation indicates the organization has strong organizational and fiscal standing and supports United Way's mission of elevating families out of poverty in Central Indiana. New Hope provides innovative approaches to serving individuals with disabilities through community-based residential services and a variety of therapy, day, vocational and transition services for Hoosiers with developmental disabilities in Central Indiana. New Hope is one of three nonprofits to receive accreditation under United Way's new accreditation process. According to United Way, “To...

14 Feb - Valentine’s Day at the Statehouse

Posted at 14:18h in New Hope Stories, News 0 Comments

0 Likes

New Hope clients gave some Valentine’s love to lawmakers and state officials this week! The members of our AIM program participated in The ARC of Indiana and Self-Advocates of Indiana’s annual Valentine’s Day at the Statehouse event on February 13th. The clients connected with state legislators and other elected officials to thank them for their hard work and remind them that people with developmental disabilities and their families are people that should be considered when making decisions in Indiana. The New Hope clients first gave handmade Valentine’s to Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson outside her Statehouse office and got...

13 Feb - Mission Minute: Connections of Hope

Posted at 09:50h in Mission Minute, New Hope Stories 1 Comment

3 Likes

by Cassi Dean, Director, Supported Living Program I first heard of New Hope in 2007 from a co-worker of mine. At that time, I was working a full time weekend position with at-risk juveniles. Although I loved my job and felt like what I was doing mattered, I was also concerned about missing family time each weekend. Working from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM every Saturday and Sunday was difficult for me and I was missing my then 2-year-old son tremendously. At first, I was reluctant to make a change, but my co-worker continued to talk about his work at...

13 Feb - Service Spotlight: Donna Murphy

Posted at 09:48h in Service Spotlight 3 Comments

2 Likes

If you've visited New Hope's Payne Road offices recently, you were likely greeted by Donna. What you probably didn't know, was that Donna is much more than a receptionist. Donna came to New Hope nearly twenty years ago when she was looking for a job with flexibility and good benefits. She'd never worked in healthcare before but had wanted to be a nurse in her younger years. She decided that direct care at New Hope might be the best of both worlds. Donna originally worked as a DSP in our FCS program, serving the same client in his family home for...

28 Jan - A Note from Allison: Goals

Posted at 14:47h in A Note from Allison, News 0 Comments

0 Likes

I hope 2020 is off to a good start for you and your family! As we begin a new year and a new decade, I find myself reflecting on my goals from recent years. Which ones have I accomplished and which ones were forgotten? Which ones will take just a little more work? I'm glad to say that at New Hope, we've reached many of the goals that we set out to achieve when we separated from St. Vincent six years ago. We are entering into the second year of our strategic plan, and we are well on our way to...

27 Jan - AIM Continues to Grow

Posted at 13:30h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 1 Comment

0 Likes

It's been so fun to see new faces in our AIM program this winter. We wanted to get to know them a little better, so we asked them some interesting questions. Q: What is your theme song? A: Old Town Road A: Anything by the Backstreet Boys A: Free Falling by Tom Petty Q: What would be the most amazing adventure or to go on? Where would you like go on vacation? A: Australia A: Hawaii A: The beach where it's warm A: Visit family in New Jersey A: New Orleans Q: What's your dream car? A: Cadillac A: Purple and blue Hummer A: Convertible Mustang A: Big truck Q: What do you want people to...