New Hope’s 45 Year Honorees

27 Mar New Hope’s 45 Year Honorees

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 Keeling

Geraldine 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 Hope.” Geraldine loves holidays, dolls, stickers, and notebooks. Her favorite food is McDonald’s hamburgers. She calls New Hope’s Seton residence home and moved there on August 26, 1992. She is proud to tell people that she was the first person to move into New Hope.  

Alan Vinson

Alan likes to go for walks, watch the weather channel, and go for rides. His favorite food is chocolate sundaes. He loves to take trips to Indiana Beach with his staff and housemates and enjoys taking vacations. Another favorite activity of Alan’s is to watch planes come and go at the airport. He enjoys sitting outside in the spring and summer months and is enjoying living in his new home on Alimingo. 

Lynn Brown

Lynn lives at Rendu group home where he moved to on July 6, 1995. He grew up in a large family and is number 6 of 7 children. He grew up in Wickliffe, Kentucky where he was raised by his sister Lou Ella.  He moved to Indianapolis around 1968 and Lou Ella brought him to live at New Hope.   

New Hope has been blessed with Lynn’s quiet sense of humor. Lynn is kind-hearted and enjoys sitting outside, going to truck stops and playing pool. He loves to see family on the weekend.  He looks forward to breakfast with his sister Jeanne and holidays to see his family.  He also loves a good cup of coffee and relaxing in his recliner. 

Joni Eaton

Joni is a loving and caring person. She truly loves helping others and ensuring they are OK. She checks on her roommates to make sure they are doing well and that they get back home from Day Services on time. She also is concerned for her staff, asking if they OK and making sure they have eaten.  

Joni likes driving her wheelchair around her home in winter and up and down the street in summer. She enjoys listening to country music, going to the mall and out to eat. Her favorite TV show is The Bold and Beautiful. She loves interacting with staff, calling her brother Ray and his wife, and attending church and bible study. She loves having adventures such as going to theme parks (Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom) the Indy 500 parade and meeting drivers, and traveling by plane to visit her brother in Texas. 

Rick Borkowski

Or Tricky Ricky, as he is known. He’s described lovingly as a troublemaker extraordinaire and new best friend to nearly everyone he meets.  Since the beginning, Rick has trained and welcomed more friends and staff than could be counted, and each have shared many stories of his laughter and teasing as a highlight of their day. Whether Rick is begging for ‘Elvira’ or ‘Working 9-5’ to be turned ALL the way up or jokingly telling his beloved staff to ‘go home! You need a vacation!’, he has brought joy to all that know him. He has been a role model for many other New Hope clients to learn how to be their own advocates. Rick loves his family, friends, and staff and is always willing to share everything he can with others, especially if it involves throwing a party. 

Bill Samaras

Bill is very social and enjoys having a good time with good conversation.  He has a big heart and is willing to help with anyone or anything.  Bill enjoys listening to music and watching an oldie, but goody, movie.  He also loves his clothes and equally loves shopping.  His favorite store is Walmart, because he can get everything he needs in one location.  Bill was also a long-time member of the New Hope Board of Directors and the first Chair of New Hope’s Client Communication Committee.

Jeff Konrady

Jeff came to the 60th St. residence in 2018. Jeff enjoys watching sports. He’s an avid fan of Cub’s baseball and Purdue sports.  Jeff also enjoys going to Day Services at Noble. He has made lots of friends there and enjoys talking and watching sports with them.  Jeff’s family is very supportive, particularly his sister DG, who worked at New Hope for over 10 years, and his brother Bernie.  Jeff enjoys talking on the phone with them – especially his brother Bernie. If Jeff needs extra encouragement to do something, we say to Jeff “I’m going to call Bernie…” and Jeff says in his deep voice “OK”.

Peggy Bland

Peggy will turn 63 on Oct 9th. She loves going to day services at New Hope and she loves her pop. On special occasions she will have visits with her mother and really enjoys those. When at home, Peggy loves to color and do all sorts of activities. When our associates come to Peggy’s house for their shifts, Peggy is all smiles. She loves attention and seeing all the new faces.

Dorothy Nowlin-Love

Dorothy began her career at New Hope of Indiana on 7/27/1978. Her first role was in New Hope’s food services department, where she held various positions including Food Services Supervisor for several years. It was noted that Dorothy’s focus was always to ensure everyone was well-fed and that the food was always top notch! When New Hope closed the live-in facility on Payne Rd, Dorothy worked as a Skills Trainer and then transitioned into the transportation world, working as a driver, dispatcher, and eventually a Lead Associate. Dorothy held this position for several years before transitioning into her current role of Transportation Coordinator. She ensures that new associates and volunteers are well-trained in operating the vehicles and know how to appropriately use the lifts and various equipment to ensure the individuals served by New Hope are transported safely. She is also responsible for ensuring New Hope’s fleet of 48 vehicles are well-maintained and serviced on schedule.  

Ensuring the individuals supported by New Hope have access to safe and reliable transportation is critical. Over her 45 years of service and in several different departments and roles, Dorothy has demonstrated genuine care for New Hope associates and individuals served. When she’s not supporting New Hope, Dorothy enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and bargain hunting wherever she may be.  

Dr. Daniel Shull

Dr. Shull serves as New Hope’s Medical Director and provides medical care to nearly all of New Hope’s residential clients. Through his interactions, it’s obvious that he cares deeply for the individuals supported by New Hope. We consider him our “super hero.” He makes things happen for our clients to ensure they get the medical care they need. He is compassionate and has a heart for people with disabilities. He is patient and listens to the individuals he treats. When he talks with our staff, every conversation is an educational experience. We always learn something from him. He is unofficially here for staff, too. Quite often, he hears, “can I ask you a question?” And he always takes the time to listen and help. Dr. Shull was recognized as a 2020 IBJ Health Care Hero honoree in honor of his service to the disability committee.