New Hope of Indiana | Our 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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Our Stories

26 Mar - New Hope Presents John Pearson with Partner in Service Award

Posted at 19:44h in Community and Corporate Partners, Events, New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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At New Hope's inaugural Silver Cup Celebration, emcee Anne Marie Tiernon recognized New Hope's event sponsors and reminded the audience that these sponsors are investing in the good of their communities. A great way to decide where to shop is to learn which companies care about the things that are important to each of us. New Hope has been fortunate to have countless partners in the Indianapolis community who have offered their time, talent and treasure to support our mission, and we have been searching for a way to honor them as outstanding corporate and community partners. We are so excited...

26 Mar - Zeller, Speak!

Posted at 19:16h in The Year of Creativity, Zeller, Speak! 0 Comments

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Happy Spring, Everyone! Isn’t it fun to see the crocuses and daffodils pushing through the ground? Oh, it is such a great time to play outside. One of my favorite things to do is to roll in the grass on my back. Try it, you’ll like it. I'd have to say my favorite things to do in the spring are rolling in the grass, smelling the ground where all the underground critters have made their homes, chasing a stick and then shaking my head back and forth when I catch it, laying in the sun, digging in the dirt and did I...

26 Mar - A Note from Allison: Spring Cleaning

Posted at 19:10h in A Note from Allison 0 Comments

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Greetings from New Hope of Indiana! Spring has sprung at New Hope and just like you we are looking forward to warmer days that make it easier for everyone to get around! New Hope has lots going on, but this month I want to highlight and thank New Hope’s Board of Directors who have been especially busy. Ron Mead, Hendricks Regional Health, Director of Mission Integration is the Chair of the Board; Liz Hoover CPA/AFS, Hoover Financial Advisors, Inc. is the Vice Chair; José Lusende, VP Strategy and External Relations, Indianapolis Recorder, is the Secretary and Jen Scroggins, Director,...

26 Mar - The Most Famous Singer at New Hope

Posted at 18:52h in Client Profile 1 Comment

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by Caitlin Bernhart, Music Therapist In my nearly 5 years of being a Music Therapist at New Hope I’ve had the privilege of working with so many of our clients and have witnessed a wide variety of amazing passions and musical abilities. This has included some individuals quickly learning how to read and play music on the piano (something that takes most people years to master) as well as several clients who enjoy writing their own songs and then recording them. Each individual I’ve worked with has been memorable and influential in their own way, but one person in particular...

26 Mar - Actions Speak Louder than Words

Posted at 18:25h in New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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by Denise Caudill Irons Before I had a daughter with a diagnosis, I was not familiar with the special needs community. My education had a slow beginning, but grew as I needed more information. I am fortunate to have access to knowledgeable people who helped guide me along the way. Now, by being open and transparent about our experiences, I hope that we are enlightening others who are not as directly impacted. My approach to providing awareness has evolved over time. Before I could become an advocate for my daughter and the special needs community, I...

26 Mar - Community Resources

Posted at 17:59h in Community and Corporate Partners 0 Comments

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In our ever-changing, sometimes instantly-changing, world, it can be hard to know where to look for reliable, current information and resources for our individuals with disabilities. A couple great ways to stay up-to-date on topics and changes in our community are to become involved in community activities, visit websites, and join mailing lists of various agencies within our community. What community activities are available? To start, New Hope is expanding our Transition Services! We are currently taking interviews for a new AIM group based at our Castleton Day Services site. Also, we are actively interviewing for...

15 Mar - Celebrating Disability Awareness Month

Posted at 15:30h in New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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by Adria Schrock, AIM Client Disability Awareness Month means a lot to me since I have a disability. Imagine if you had a disability, what would you think and how do you think others would treat you? In this article I will tell you what to do and such. First things first, just be yourself. Make new friends and hang out with people. We don’t want to be alone in the world. People with disabilities are just the same as everyone else and we want to be included as well. Disability Awareness Month means so much more to me since we...

15 Mar - Service Spotlight: Kathy Ballard

Posted at 15:04h in Service Spotlight 3 Comments

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If you have ever had the opportunity to meet or work with Kathy Ballard, Ph.D., Director of Community Outreach, you learned very quickly how passionate she is about building community, especially by supporting vulnerable persons who have faced multiple barriers and prejudices in their lives. This has been her life work, and we have been fortunate to work with her for the last 18 years at New Hope where she strengthens and expands our mission of service. When Kathy first came to New Hope, she managed the CYCS program, now called Family and Community Services (FCS). It did not...

15 Mar - Mission Minute: Exploring Creative Expression through Music Therapy

Posted at 14:55h in Mission Minute, The Year of Creativity 0 Comments

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by Kathe Rae, Manager of Mission Integration and Volunteers While there are certainly many differences in cultures throughout the world, music is something shared by all and is often referred to as the universal language. Music inspires powerful connections in so many wonderful ways: providing a means of expression, evoking positive emotions, stimulating the senses and elevating moods. Most importantly music is fun! Five years ago, New Hope recognized the need to provide one-on-one therapy, and our Music Therapy program was implemented. The program began at our Payne Road location with one board-certified music therapist and eventually expanded to our...

26 Feb - Zeller, Speak!

Posted at 20:49h in Zeller, Speak! 0 Comments

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Hi Friends, Even though February is often cold and dreary, it is one of my most favorite months! It is my service anniversary and my birthday! This year, on Valentine's Day, I celebrated eight years of service with New Hope of Indiana and on February 17th, I turned 10 years old! I still love coming to work every day and getting lots of head pats and tummy rubs! I also love seeing the great things that are going on here at New Hope of Indiana and in our community. AIM (Achieving Inclusion and Meaning) groups are out and about. This...

26 Feb - We need your help!

Posted at 20:45h in News 0 Comments

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Increasing wages for New Hope’s Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) is always at the top of the legislative priority list. This year is no different. We came into this legislative session hoping to get an increase which would allow the average hourly wage for DSPs to be $15 an hour. We were told early by the legislature that this was too high, so the ask is down to $13 per hour on average. This still requires an investment of over $20 million from the Indiana General Assembly each year of the two-year biannual budget. Unfortunately, the first half...

26 Feb - A Note from Allison: Hoping for Spring

Posted at 20:31h in A Note from Allison, News 0 Comments

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Who is ready for spring? I know we at New Hope are! It has been a tough winter because of snow, freezing temperatures and wind. Our wonderful New Hope associates have worked tirelessly so that all of the individuals we serve are safe and warm. Thank you to all of them! Can you believe New Hope of Indiana, Inc., a stand alone not-for-profit, is entering into its sixth year? Lots of very positive things have happened in the last five years and the New Hope Board of Directors and New Hope’s Operating Council are working on a...

26 Feb - Free Legal Aid for New Hope’s Clients

Posted at 13:51h in Community and Corporate Partners, Volunteer Highlights 1 Comment

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Do you know Nick Parker? His name may sound familiar, but how is he connected to New Hope? Nick is an attorney from Indiana Legal Services who provides free legal services to New Hope’s clients particularly in areas of decision-making supports such as the preparation of wills, healthcare representative designees, and guardianships; benefit appeals; landlord-tenant issues; and expungement of conviction records. In 2016, through a generous grant by the Lilly Endowment and the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, Indiana Legal Services and New Hope began the PLAID (Providing Legal Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities) Partnership. Nick is...

25 Feb - Bingo is Back!

Posted at 17:12h in Community and Corporate Partners, New Hope Stories, Volunteer Highlights 0 Comments

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For over twenty years, Kiwanis has sponsored a monthly Bingo night for individuals served by New Hope of Indiana. The North Central Kiwanis Club started and coordinated Bingo for most of those years, and New Hope is so appreciative of their dedication. Thankfully, when that club decided to dissolve their chapter, another club, Northwest Indy Kiwanis graciously offered to sponsor Bingo night so that this favorite New Hope monthly activity could continue. This club also has long-time involvement with New Hope and provided an annual cookout for the group home program for many years. Club member...

25 Feb - A Jill of all Trades

Posted at 16:55h in Client Profile, The Year of Creativity 0 Comments

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Creativity has no limits, and that is certainly evident with Lori Eichenberger. Lori was born with a genetic eye disease, called Retinitis Pigmentosa, but was not diagnosed until her teen years, when her sight began to rapidly decline. As Lori became an adult, she lost most of her sight and now can only recognize some shapes and colors. However, that has not stopped her desire and ability to have a meaningful, creative and fun life through her art, activities and relationships. It was when Lori was in her med 30’s that she started learning how to...

25 Feb - Shifting My Script

Posted at 16:12h in New Hope Stories 2 Comments

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By Denise Caudill Irons, NHI Parent and Board Member Without looking beyond the title, I recently enrolled in a webinar on self-care. At the time, I assumed it focused on helping my daughter become more independent with her self-care, which was not the case. The discussion was for the self-care of caregivers. Honestly, my attention to this topic is non-existent. Although I have no problems advocating for my daughter, I am at a loss at advocating for my own needs. Most of the self-care topics were what I expected. However, I was unprepared when the...

15 Feb - Service Spotlight: Patrick Mitchell

Posted at 20:35h in New Hope Stories, Service Spotlight, The Year of Creativity 0 Comments

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Nearly five years ago, a friend of Patrick Mitchell’s, who was also a New Hope associate, encouraged Patrick to apply for a position in New Hope’s FCS Program. At that time, Patrick had a full-time job elsewhere but applied at New Hope and was hired as a DSP in the FCS Program. A year later, Patrick was promoted to the Team Leader position in FCS. When given the opportunity to lead the Vocational Services program, Patrick was especially interested since one of the individuals he served in FCS was also served in Vocational Services. Patrick quickly...

14 Feb - Mission Minute: Creatively Finding the Right Fit

Posted at 19:11h in Community and Corporate Partners, Mission Minute, The Year of Creativity 0 Comments

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The Core Value of Creativity is exemplified when we explore business and human issues in an imaginative and flexible way. Creativity at New Hope of Indiana is as diverse as the individuals and families we serve. It comes in many forms including in the creative problem-solving of our associates and the development of our programs. According to labor statistics, in 2017, only 18% of persons with disabilities were employed, with an even lower rate of only 10% of individuals with developmental disabilities, in the workforce. In contrast, 65% of persons without a disability were working that year. The difference is...

29 Jan - Zeller, Speak!

Posted at 16:42h in News, Zeller, Speak! 0 Comments

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Greetings friends! I am happy to tell you a second AIM (Achieving Inclusion and Meaning) group has begun! A second group means a second staff person and that second staff person is Lashawnda Wright! Lashawnda reported a great first day! A tour of the Indy Humane Society was quite a success. A new volunteer effort was also identified. Soon AIM participants will be helping get volunteer packets ready for new volunteers at the Indy Humane Society. The new group has a variety of new adventures lined up: a library tour, Newfield’s, NCAA Hall of Champions and many more. Have fun, AIM members! Also,...

29 Jan - Art is in the Eye of the Creator

Posted at 15:39h in Client Profile, The Year of Creativity 0 Comments

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It's not every day that you hear the phrase "trash art" or ask someone if you can have their empty cereal boxes and aluminum cans...