New Hope Stories

30 May - Nurses Week 2023

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The week of May 6th –12th, New Hope celebrated our AMAZING nursing team in honor of National Nurses Week. New Hope is fortunate to have a dedicated team of 7 nurses, supported by their Administrative Assistant, Tarina Joy Love. Our nursing team members are: Nicole Powell, RN (Manager) Cindy Miller, LPN Danielle Dougherty, LPN Madonna Brindle, LPN Mavis Sibanda, LPN Melissa Hill, LPN Tee York, LPN Nurses play a critical role at New Hope. New Hope’s nursing team is responsible for the overall health care needs of those we serve and provides day to day and preventative care as well as overall coordination of healthcare services. Their work...

30 May - Remembering Our Friends: May 2023

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Shayla Clark It is with sadness that New Hope announces that associate, Shayla Clark, passed away on Sunday, April 23, 2023. Shayla joined New Hope in 2017 as a DSP, working with the individuals and team at the Laboure Group Home site. Shayla also served as a DSP at the Diana Drive Supported Living site and ultimately returned to her original site at Laboure. New Hope was blessed to have Shayla as an associate. Shayla was dedicated to her family, her husband and very compassionate about serving at New Hope with the individuals. Please keep fellow New Hope associate and Shayla’s...

30 May - A Note from Allison: May 2023

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I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!May is always a great month at New Hope of Indiana! Just like so many Hoosiers, we love all things Indy 500! Thanks again to the 500 Festival Princesses, John Gause and the 500 Festival Committee for bringing the pace car here. Thanks to the Friends of the Fox Foundation and Bill Ray for his wonderful 25 year commitment to taking the individuals we serve to the track. In total 82 individuals and caregivers went this year! The 500 Festival Committee also gave us 50 tickets to the 500 Festival parade...

30 May - New Hope Celebrates the Indy 500

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This May, there are many celebrations happening around the Indy 500! On Thursday, May 11, New Hope held its annual Indy 500 Princess Party in Day Services. Four 500 Festival princesses and the Indy 500 Pace Car came to New Hope to celebrate. We took turns taking rides around the parking lot and celebrating the race. It was a beautiful day to be outside. After a break for lunch, we finished the day with a dance party, cookies and pictures. It was a fun way to kick off the Month of May in Indianapolis. The Month of May celebration continued with the...

30 May - New Hope Named IndyStar Top Workplace

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For the fifth year in a row, New Hope has been named an IndyStar Top Workplace! Check out our special announcement recording here! A big thank you to our staff for their commitment to the individuals we serve. Their hard work and dedication make New Hope the amazing organization it is today and they are very much appreciated. This award is based solely on associate feedback which makes this award all the more special. Thank you to #TeamNewHope for sharing their thoughts with us as we continuously strive to make New Hope an even better place to work. When asked why they loved...

30 May - The Cheese and Thank You Food Truck is Now Open!

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New Hope’s Cheese and Thank You food truck is officially back on the road! After being on hiatus for three years due to COVID, the truck began serving its delicious gourmet mac and cheese to our community again this month. Cheese and Thank You first launched in 2019 as a job training program for individuals with disabilities – and is the only one of its kind in the Midwest. Individuals who work on the truck are paid minimum wage and handle all aspects of the operations – preparing the food, taking orders, serving and cleaning up at the end of...

25 Apr - A Note from Allison: April 2023

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April showers bring May flowers, but April also brings Volunteer Appreciation Month!Thank you to all New Hope volunteers- we would not be able to do what we do without you!I want to give a special thanks to New Hope’s Board of Directors and our Board Committee Members. This amazing group of people provide governance and leadership to make New Hope the exceptional organization it is, and I (we) cannot thank them enough! Gretchen Sussman, Chair; Pat Gamble-Moore. Vice Chair, Liz Hoover, CPA/PFS, Secretary/Treasurer and Chair of Audit/Finance Committee Jose’ Lusende, CFR, Development Committee Chair; Steve Cook, Governance Committee Chair; Jen...

25 Apr - Celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Month

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April is Volunteer Appreciation month, and New Hope is proud to celebrate its amazing volunteers. In 2022, we had over 60 volunteers serving 1,076 hours. We currently have volunteers who drive individuals to church on Sundays, socialize with individuals in Day Services, and one volunteer helps an individual edit their autobiography. Groups have helped with outdoor beautification projects and other volunteers have helped with holiday parties. Gago Tonoyan is one of New Hope’s dedicated volunteers. He spends time at New Hope conversing and playing board games with individuals in Day Services. He also shares his interest in music by putting on...

25 Apr - Indianapolis Airport Features Art by New Hope Artists in New Display

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In honor of March being Disabilities Awareness Month, the Indianapolis Airport Authority has displayed 22 pieces of art in its Civic Plaza that were created by artists with disabilities. The Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (INARF) and Ability Indiana worked diligently in conjunction with the airport to make this exhibit a reality. The art that was chosen will be displayed throughout the month of April. Six individuals who are served by New Hope of Indiana were chosen to have their artwork featured in this display. The artwork displayed at the exhibit is featured below. Countryside By Jason Chang Traveling By Michelle Jones Moment by Eric LaMar Flowers...

25 Apr - Parent Perspective: It’s Just a Diagnosis

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In support of Autism Acceptance Month in April, Denise Caudill Irons, parent of a New Hope client, and board member, shares her perspective. It’s Just a Diagnosis “She has autism,” the psychiatrist bluntly stated. Blindsided and flabbergasted, I could not comprehend the magnitude of those words. I knew my daughter had autistic tendencies, but I never believed that she would receive an actual diagnosis. Fear, disbelief, anger, helplessness, all of these emotions swelled in me, and I wanted to grab my daughter and escape. In reality, I froze. I stood in the middle of a tiny, windowless office breaking down. How could...

25 Apr - Camp Catalyst Registration is Open!

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In 2022, New Hope of Indiana debuted a new program called Camp Catalyst. Camp Catalyst is a unique summer camp experience for children ages 9-13 with and without disabilities. The goal of this camp is to encourage campers to be confident, independent, productive citizens who will help to promote an inclusive society. New Hope of Indiana seeks to empower campers to be catalysts for change in their communities who can redefine what it means to have a disability or to be a friend to someone with a disability. Throughout the week, campers will enjoy tie-dying, science experiments, crafts, jewelry making,...

27 Mar - A Note from Allison: March 2023

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I wrote my Heartbeat column before learning of the tragedy in Nashville yesterday. It is hard to imagine the grief felt by the families impacted there. We pray for them and everyone affected by yesterday's event and the many other tragedies throughout our country and world. I hope by reading this edition of The Heartbeat you can tell what an amazing month we have had around New Hope! Our 45th Anniversary was a special and fun day as you can see! I think anniversaries are a wonderful time to pause and reflect on the people and history of New Hope. When I...

27 Mar - Cheese and Thank You is Back!

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We have some exciting news! New Hope’s Cheese and Thank You food truck is BACK and will be up and running later this spring. This New Hope program is the only mission-driven food truck in the Midwest in which food is prepared, served, and marketed by young adults with disabilities. Through this program, Cheese and Thank You participants learn skills in food preparation and serving, sales, customer service and business practices. The Cheese and Thank You food truck operates as a program of New Hope of Indiana and is, therefore, a non-for-profit program. All proceeds from food sales and donations...

27 Mar - Favorite New Hope Memories

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In honor of our 45th anniversary, we asked our associates and individuals served to complete a ‘Favorite New Hope Memory’ craft. These memories are attached to the walls at our Payne Road facility for all to see as they walk down our halls. Many great memories have been shared through this activity. Take a look at some of the wonderful times that have taken place over the last 45 years! ...

27 Mar - New Hope’s 45th Anniversary Celebration

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On Monday, March 13th, New Hope celebrated its 45th anniversary of supporting individuals with developmental disabilities in the central Indiana community. March is also Disability Awareness Month, so there were lots of reasons to celebrate. We kicked off this day of celebration with a ceremony recognizing 8 individuals we serve, our medical director, and our longest-term associate who have all been with New Hope since we opened our doors in 1978. To learn more about the 10 people recognized during this ceremony, click here. During the ceremony, we also welcomed City-County Councilor Ali Brown. To say Councilor Brown is an advocate for individuals...

27 Mar - Remembering Our Friends: March 2023

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Kyle Eakin It is with sadness that New Hope announces the passing of Kyle Eakin. Kyle passed on Wednesday, March 15th. Kyle was served by New Hope for 35 years! She moved into New Hope’s facility in 1988 where she received services and met her long-time boyfriend, James Howland, and friend, Mary Wagner Shields. Kyle moved to Naseau Group Home in 1993. In the past, Kyle worked at Noble’s workshop, attended both Payne Road and Castleton Day Services, and attended Janus Developmental Services. She loved country music, especially Kenny Chesney, reading the newspaper and magazines and going to the local Barnes...

27 Mar - New Hope’s 45 Year Honorees

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New Hope celebrated its 45th anniversary earlier this month, and during this celebration, we honored those who have been with us since we opened our doors in 1978. These 10 individuals have experienced a lot of changes during their time with New Hope, and we are grateful that they are a part of our New Hope family. Read below to learn a little bit more about the 10 individuals who have been with us all 45 years. Geraldine KeelingGeraldine holds a special place at New Hope. She was the very first person admitted to New Hope’s facility! Her nickname is “Little Miss New...

28 Feb - A Note from Allison: February 2023

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Greetings all! I hope that you all are enjoying these spring-like temperatures we have been having! Throughout this month, New Hope has been celebrating Black History Month. To kick off our celebration, we had a Traditional African Dress Parade in Day Services to honor the many different cultures of our associates. We absolutely loved seeing all the beautiful vibrant clothing, music and dance of this parade. It was such a great time, we have now decided to make this an annual event! We also celebrated by having African American associates share their stories through our social media platforms. We asked associates to answer...

28 Feb - Black History Month Spotlight: Trust Paunganwa

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I remember like yesterday, while I was in form 3 (equivalent to 10th grade in the US), I read from the “Students’ Companion International Edition” a saying that stuck with me until now, “This would be a dull and monotonous world if we all thought alike”- and the same can be said if we all looked alike. Being Black is only a small part of who I am, but it is not the only and maybe not even the most important part. I was born in Honde Valley, Rhodesia under colonial rule (now called Zimbabwe after Independence). I immigrated to...

27 Feb - March is Disability Awareness Month

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March is National Disability Awareness Month, and New Hope will be celebrating this alongside our 45th anniversary. According to the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD), “The goal of Disability Awareness Month is to increase awareness and promote positive attitudes and community inclusion of all people with disabilities.” To help promote National Disability Awareness Month, we will be celebrating the individuals we support and the positive impact they make in our community. Watch our social media sites for pictures of those we support as they are out and about in our community sharing their positive attitudes and smiles with...