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

21 Nov - Saying Goodbye

Posted at 19:17h in New Hope Stories, News, Service Spotlight, The Year of Creativity 0 Comments

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With heavy but happy hearts, two of New Hope's longest serving leaders are saying goodbye to their careers at New Hope. Lynn Feldman, Director of Supported Living, and Kathe Rae, Manager of Mission Integration and Volunteers, are both retiring after a collective 80+ years of dedicated service to New Hope's mission and to those we serve. Lynn Feldman started at New Hope shortly after its doors opened in 1978 as a occupational therapist. She fondly remembers sitting on the floor and assembling furniture for the 200-bed facility on her first day and intending to find a new job after a...

15 Nov - Welcome, Cassi Dean!

Posted at 15:05h in New Hope Stories, News, Service Spotlight 1 Comment

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As we say goodbye to Lynn Feldman after her 41 years of service to New Hope, we are glad to welcome back Cassi Dean as our new Director of Supported Living. Cassi has twenty years of experience serving individuals with disabilities. She started at New Hope as a Team Leader in Supported Living in 2007 and left in 2017 after becoming a Manager. Since then she has gained leadership experience at the Arc of Greater Boone County and, most recently, as the Executive Director of INcare Solutions where she expanded their supported living program. Her peers describe her as hard-working,...

15 Nov - Service Spotlight: Henrietta Day

Posted at 13:24h in New Hope Stories, Service Spotlight 0 Comments

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Henrietta’s co-workers and friends would probably say she missed her calling and should be in the party planning business. While she does love parties and is very good at planning them, it's who the parties are for that is her passion: the individuals served by New Hope. In January, Henrietta will be celebrating her 26th year with New Hope and she can certainly confirm that time does fly when you are having fun! Years ago, prior to relocating to Indiana, Henrietta was working and volunteering for persons with disabilities in California. After Henrietta’s move here, she was encouraged to apply for...

29 Oct - Employment Inclusion

Posted at 18:11h in Community and Corporate Partners, New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), but at New Hope and other disability service providers, we celebrate employment inclusion year-round. In 2016, New Hope began offering Vocational Services using referrals from Indiana's Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VR). Our Vocational Services team works with dozens of individuals who are looking for assistance preparing for, finding and keeping meaningful employment. Vocational Services Team Leader, Patrick Mitchell, loves working with the people he serves. He enjoys the challenge of helping them set and achieve their goals, sometimes lofty. He says that the trick is helping to find realistic, attainable goals that have...

29 Oct - Hanging onto Hope

Posted at 13:23h in New Hope Stories 1 Comment

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by Denise Caudill-Irons, NHI Board Member and Parent If you really want to scare people this Halloween, answer honestly when they ask you how you are doing. When I do, I see the blood drain from their faces; their eyes widen and dart around the room looking for a way out; and then, they quickly escape as though my pain is contagious. Luckily, most people step into my tale of gloom, giving me the strength and comfort that has sustained me through this unexpectedly long season of extraordinary situations. As the weeks turned into months, I felt disheartened and...

23 Oct - Change is a Good Thing

Posted at 19:31h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 1 Comment

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Christy Bowser does not like change. However, one change in her life that she feels has been wonderful was her move to the Laboure Group Home in July of 2018. She previously lived in her own apartment in Noblesville, and she was feeling lonely, especially after she lost her job at Marsh when it closed. Christy had loved working there for over 20 years and had many co-worker friends. She said her sister, Michelle, thought Laboure would provide opportunities to meet new friends, get to do things she enjoys and also help her monitor her diabetes....

15 Oct - AIM Experiences AdaptFit

Posted at 17:38h in Community and Corporate Partners, New Hope Stories, The Year of Creativity 1 Comment

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According to the CDC, "nearly half of all adults with disabilities don’t get any aerobic physical activity." Nearly half! Can you believe that?? Our friends at Summit Strength and CrossFit have been helping our AIM groups practice physical fitness through CrossFit training. Their new class, AdaptFit, allows nearly a dozen young adults with disabilities to enjoy the benefits of CrossFit training each week including learning new functional skills, setting personal goals and getting out of their comfort zones. Not only are the individuals we serve getting fit and enjoying themselves, their coaches are enjoying this partnership as well. Here's what Summit...

24 Sep - Exploring Indy!

Posted at 19:09h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 1 Comment

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Jacob Nydam first joined New Hope's AIM program as a high school student at the beginning of 2019, attending only a couple of days a week. After graduating from Hamilton South Eastern this spring, Jacob began coming more often. His favorite part of the AIM program is spending time with his friends. He enjoys their trips to the park where he can explore the woods and to the library where he can read and learn new things on the computer. He also enjoys their volunteer activities with Meals on Wheels and other local nonprofits. “Jacob is constantly experiencing new adventures each...

26 Aug - Taking Action

Posted at 17:52h in Client Profile, New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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In the five years Patty Cooper has been served by New Hope in the Supported Living Program, she has been involved in a lot of interesting, fun and community service-oriented activities, which is just the way she likes it. She resides at The Lakes apartments with two roommates, one of which is her very good friend, Cindy. She has had two jobs, Pizza Hut and MCL, which she really enjoyed. She's disappointed that she is unable to work at this time due to health issues. Patty is a charter member of the New Hope of Indiana Kiwanis...

26 Aug - This Too Will Pass

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

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For us, summer break is a 10-week marathon that involves scheduling activities and events to the brink of exhaustion. After taking the summer off from writing, my intention this month was to share what I learned from our latest adventures. However, it felt disingenuous to write something that seemed so superficial. I asked to write these entries so that I could share candidly my experiences of being a mother of a child with differing abilities. As difficult as it is, being authentic is my primary goal. Due to recent circumstances, I am experiencing a great deal of...