New Hope of Indiana | New Hope Stories

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.

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New Hope Stories

29 Dec - Holidays at Home

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If we learned only one thing this year, it was how to cope with change. Most people don't like change or but 2020 left us no choice. In the weeks leading up to the holiday season, New Hope's leaders had countless discussions about the safety concerns related to COVID-19 spread in our community and the additional risk that family visits would carry this year. New Hope made the difficult decision to limit these visits including family visiting New Hope homes or New Hope individuals visiting their family home. Without these visits, most New Hope clients spent the holidays at their...

24 Nov - Offer a New Hope this #GivingTuesday

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As we do each year, New Hope is preparing to celebrate the start of the giving season next week on Tuesday, December 1st with #GivingTuesday. We are excited to announce that this year, our Board of Directors has pledged to match the first $5,000 in donations made to support our giving season fundraising efforts! Join us by offering a new hope this Giving Tuesday and throughout the rest of the year. Your gift will help brighten the holiday season for the individuals and families we serve as well as the dedicated caregivers who serve them. While your generous gifts will...

24 Nov - Hope for the Holidays Continues

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Every year for over 20 years, our friends at Ascension St. Vincent bring hope and offer holiday cheer to the individuals at New Hope who may not otherwise have much to celebrate. Hope for the Holidays is a program in which St. Vincent staff or departments sponsor patients, former patients or other individuals served through St. Vincent’s ministries who might be in need of some extra hope during the holidays. In a year with so many other changes, we were happy to learn that Hope for the Holidays would still be happening. This year, over 50 individuals with disabilities, and...

24 Nov - When Detours are Part of the Journey

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Allen Saunders once wrote “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” In 1992, other plans for DeShawn Hale included graduating from Indiana University where she was studying on an academic scholarship and soon to be venturing out on a new career. But when she became pregnant in her senior year and her child was born three months prematurely, her dreams, aspirations and career were put on indefinite hold. Her son Christian was born with what would later be diagnosed as Cerebral Palsy and Failure to Thrive. He spent his first three months...

27 Oct - The Kathe Rae Garden Club

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After nearly forty years of dedicated service to New Hope of Indiana, Kathe Rae celebrated her retirement in December 2019. Kathe left a beautiful legacy at New Hope that was honored this month with the dedication of New Hope's gardens. Kathe's many friends and long-time colleagues hoped to dedicate the gardens this spring, but COVID-19 demanded plans be changed. After many months of planning and waiting, Kathe Rae was surprised with a new plaque at the front of the Payne Road raised bed garden which reads, "In honor of Kathe Rae's 39 years of dedicated service to helping individuals with...

28 Sep - New Hope Community Thanks DSPs

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Every September, New Hope and other disability providers across the country recognize Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and the amazing care they provide to our most vulnerable friends and neighbors. We had a great time celebrating DSP Week, and thanks to our New Hope community, we were able to share so many messages of gratitude and support to our caregivers. They are truly more than essential. They're EXCEPTIONAL! Thanks to our friends for sharing these messages. For all our New Hope DSPs - Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for your patient time and caring. Thank you for your...

28 Sep - A Career Full of Smiles

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New Hope client Peggy Sales spent the last two decades helping others at her job at Walgreens where she cleaned, stocked shelves and helped out wherever she was needed. The most rewarding part of her job, though, was sharing a smile with someone else. Anyone who knows Peggy knows that she is full of joy! She enjoys sharing that joy with others in her everyday life and especially enjoyed doing so at her job. Recently, Peggy retired after 25 years on the job at Walgreens. While she'll miss her coworkers (and the extra money!), she is looking forward to spending more...

25 Aug - Camp Bingo Returns!

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We can't say how thankful we are for the patience and support that our donors have shown us this year! In March, we were excited to invite you to Camp Bingo, a fun event to support a fun new program, Camp Catalyst. However, we all know how March turned out. Just days after postponing the event, New Hope and most of the State shut down in favor of social distancing, remote work and masks. Since then, New Hope has shifted our focus to maintain the health and safety of the vulnerable individuals we serve and our dedicated associates. Now that...

25 Aug - New Hope Celebrates DSP Week

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Direct Support Professionals, or DSPs, are a truly under-appreciated group of dedicated caregivers. Not only do they provide necessary healthcare, they are often the biggest source of support for our most vulnerable neighbors. Individuals with disabilities often rely on DSPs for their daily needs such as personal care, meal preparation, medication administration and more. These caregivers are often the much needed support that allows individuals with disabilities to live as independently as possible. It is because of them that organizations like New Hope are able to provide high quality care. Each year in September, we recognize DSP Week, and this year,...

17 Aug - Mission Minute: Connections of Hope

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Kindness and Consideration Are the Only Skills Necessary By Lauren Palmer I didn’t know much about my friend and neighbor Amanda Boyd’s job, but I knew she worked with individuals who have special needs. I also knew she was extremely passionate about it. So when Amanda invited me to a community engagement event at New Hope a few years ago, I gladly accepted. I’m ashamed to admit I have not spent much time interacting with people who have special needs, and that I have sometimes felt like I didn’t know quite what to say or how to engage with someone whose abilities and...

15 Jul - Service Spotlight: Andrea Paille

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For several months, New Hope thought about how best to transform our training programs to both meet the State’s requirements and grow our associates to meet their potential. We created a new position to facilitate a meaningful learning program for all associates with the title of Learning and Development Specialist, and earlier this year, we welcomed Andrea Paille to our team to fill this new role. Andrea comes to New Hope with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters degree and license in Clinical and Humanistic Psychology. She is passionate about serving others and helping them grow through personal and...

15 Jul - Mission Minute: Dedication Takes on an Unexpected Meaning

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Throughout the last several, trying months at New Hope of Indiana, our amazing associates have demonstrated each of our Core Values in their work in unexpected ways. The most incredible example of this is our Core Value of Dedication. Part of our commitment to Dedication states that we "encourage others to go above and beyond to persevere and give from the heart." We never expected to have to ask so much of our associates as we have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They have truly gone above and beyond, serving our most vulnerable clients and sacrificing so much of their personal...

26 Jun - A Heart of Gold

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While most people are tired of being stuck at home during the COVID-19 crisis, Jana Alenduff has enjoyed staying busy at home. Jana lives in New Hope's Louise Group Home with seven other women, so you can imagine how lively the house can be! Jana enjoys living in her home and gets along well with her housemates. She has been using her time at home to make paper chain decorations for family, friends and staff members. Her Team Leader, Lucinda, says, "She has always had a heart of gold!" Jana also stays active, and was a front runner in New Hope's...

12 Jun - New Hope of Indiana Awards First Direct Support Professional of the Year Award

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New Hope of Indiana has announced the first-ever winner of the Lynn Feldman and Kathe Rae Direct Support Professional (DSP) of the Year Award. Jonel Foreste has worked for nearly 20 years as a DSP for the nonprofit organization that serves Hoosiers with developmental disabilities. This announcement comes at a time when DSPs have proven to be especially vital supports. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, these caregivers continued working around the clock to serve our most vulnerable neighbors. “Jonel embodies everything we could ask a DSP to be,” said New Hope CEO Allison Wharry. “He strives every day to make the individuals he...

26 May - Telehealth and the New Look of Therapy Services

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As we continue to adapt to a new normal forced upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic, our number one priority is the health and well-being of the individuals we serve. Many of those individuals thrive with a steady routine and the support of behavioral therapists, recreation therapists and music therapists among many others. At New Hope, these therapy services generally take place in-person and rely on the individual's ability to connect with the therapist. One of the biggest challenges for New Hope and other services providers like it has been pivoting these services to be provided virtually. Despite the obvious...

22 May - Pandemic Milestones

Posted at 11:05h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 1 Comment

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Helena Spychala is a busy young woman! After graduating from North Central High School in 2017, Helena has spent countless hours volunteering at the YMCA and St. Vincent Hospital, practicing her pottery skills at ArtMix and learning vital skills for adulthood through an IPS grant-funded program called SITE – Skills for Independence, Transition and Employment. In partnership with IUPUI, SITE brings together a group of young adults with disabilities to learn how to navigate the public transportation system, find volunteer opportunities to prepare them for future employment and experience life on a college campus. While in the SITE program, Helena...

28 Apr - A Note from Allison: We Will Fight This Together

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Hello from New Hope of Indiana- Just like many of you, I live in a constant state of worry, hearing so much bad news and being constantly concerned about the New Hope individuals served and their caregivers. I am sad to report that the coronavirus has reached New Hope and our amazing caregivers are doing everything they can do to keep the individuals served and themselves safe and healthy. At this point, approximately 5% of the individuals currently being served have a confirmed case of COVID19. Luckily, the vast majority of these individuals are still living at home and are either...

28 Apr - Recognizing New Hope’s Quiet Professionals

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While most people who know New Hope of Indiana know us for our services for those with disabilities, there is another, smaller program working quietly and diligently to do some of our community’s most important work. As we recognize April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we also want to recognize the dedicated counselors, case managers and other professionals who are serving families in crisis through New Hope’s Home-Based Counseling program. These professionals provide services to families referred through the Department of Child Services, in cases where there has been substantiated abuse or neglect in the home. Through this program New...

27 Apr - I am cool. I am great. I am nice and friendly.

Posted at 13:15h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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At New Hope we're always looking for ways to celebrate, and in April, we're celebrating Autism Awareness month. Autism is an often misunderstood disorder and can be very different for those affected by it. To get a better understanding, we spoke to New Hope client Steven and his family. Steven joined New Hope last year as part of the AIM program after graduating from high school. He also enjoys his time with Janus Developmental Services where he receives additional services. We asked Steven a few questions about himself, his autism and how he's spending his time at home during the...

24 Apr - New Hope Thanks Our Caregivers

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New Hope of Indiana's Day of Caring on April 17th was a day of gratitude, appreciation and support for New Hope and its frontline caregivers. Thanks to our generous donors, New Hope raised over $6,500 in support for New Hope in honor of all of our caregivers including Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), Team Leaders and Nurses. These caregivers have been working round the clock to keep the lives of those we serve as close to normal as possible and to ensure their health, safety and happiness. To celebrate all of their hard work and dedication, New Hope leaders distributed yard...