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

25 Sep - Volunteer Highlight: Barb Rzepka

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New Hope won the volunteer jackpot when Barb Rzepka became involved with NHI several years ago. Barb and her husband, Tom, moved to Indianapolis in 2014 from northern Indiana, to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren. They had heard about the SPRED (Special Religious Education) Program years ago through their previous church and while attending a volunteer fair at St. Monica Catholic Church decided to become involved. There are six individuals served by New Hope who are a part of the SPRED program. Barb previously volunteered at an agency similar to NHI; however, having...

25 Sep - Zeller, Speak!

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Greetings, my friends! Well they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but just last night I learned how to sleep parallel to my human instead of at the end of the bed! So, there you go...

25 Sep - A Note from Allison: Thank You from New Hope!

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Happy First Week of Fall! September has been an awesome month at New Hope of Indiana! September 9th-15th was Direct Support Professional (DSP) Appreciation Week! New Hope has over 330 DSPs that do amazing things every week providing love and support to all the individuals they serve each day. We really cannot thank them enough for all that they do, so it is great to have one week dedicated to DSPs. Did you know that 25% of New Hope DSPs have been with us 10 years or more? DSPs live New Hope’s Core Values every day. Their Dedication,...

18 Sep - In Our Lane

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by Denise Caudill Irons Being a parent of a child with differing needs, I have experienced unexpected challenges to my perceptions about learning and what constitutes a successful education. One of my daily struggles is to release ingrained viewpoints that I have learned or subconsciously absorbed throughout my life. I grew up striving for straight A’s in order to pursue a college education that would help me procure a good job and become independent. I deeply believed in the old adage that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. I witness my daughter working hard on...

14 Sep - Mission Minute: Thank You to our “Dedicated” Support Professionals!

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by Kathe Rae, Manager of Mission Integration & Volunteers In our industry of serving persons with disabilities, each year there is a week in September designated as “DSP (Direct Support Professional) Week” which is 9/9/2018 – 9/15/2018. While we are appreciative of New Hope DSPs throughout the year, we are taking the time to thank and recognize them for their service which exemplifies all of our Core Values, especially Dedication. For DSP week and the entire month of September, we are referring to our DSPs as “Dedicated Support Professionals.” Our Core Values state that our workplace is a community...

14 Sep - New Hope’s 40th Anniversary Photo Contest

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The August event for our year-long 40th Anniversary celebration was a photo contest. Associates submitted photos in three categories: Vintage New Hope, Core Values and Fun-in-Action, with a wonderful variety of pictures displayed of individuals, groups, action shots, memories, all reflecting on what and who we are at New Hope. There was the picture of adaptive water skiing, the Daughters of Charity with their Hope Award Plates made by the clients, our 40th Anniversary kickoff, clients rallying at the statehouse, the Louise ladies in their new group home, Zeller’s Valentine kissing booth, Friends of the Fox at the...

13 Sep - Service Spotlight: Shayla Jones

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Shayla Jones came to New Hope about eighteen months ago after being referred by a friend to apply. Prior to New Hope, Shayla had many jobs over the years, but she believes coming to New Hope was one of the best decisions she has ever made in her work life. Shayla LOVES working with the women who live at Laboure Group Home. One thing she appreciates about New Hope is the variety of activities available to our clients and the importance of going on adventures and having fun including museum outings, bowling and movie nights, and monthly...

12 Sep - Service Spotlight: Blessing Ugwuanyi

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Blessing wakes up with a beautiful smile on her face, because she loves to come to work in the Day Services Program at the Payne Road facility. She has been New Hope almost four years and has enjoyed every minute of her time here. As with all of the DSPs being highlighted for DSP Recognition Week, Blessing receives much joy in her support of and interactions with the individuals she serves, such as helping with the client choir and all the many special activities in day services. She also feels a strong sense of teamwork with her co-workers...

11 Sep - Service Spotlight: Faustinus Okafor

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Current NHI associates are an excellent referral source, and one such referral we appreciate is Faustinus “Fausty” Okafor, who has been with New Hope for five years. Fausty is a DSP at 62nd Place and his service to the individuals is a passion for him. Something he learned very quickly is to look beyond an individual’s disability and discover their gifts, personalities and love. He has come to truly appreciate them for who they truly are rather than just clients who he is paid to serve. Fausty was quoted in a New Hope video saying that...

10 Sep - Service Spotlight: Richetta Covington

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Richetta Covington, DSP in Family and Community Services (FCS) Nineteen years ago, Richetta was looking for a job and was referred by someone she knew in the New Hope registry. She did not want to work in the registry, preferring to work 1:1 rather than at multiple sites, and also did not think she would stay long. She certainly got her wish of working 1:1, having worked ALL of those years with the same person, Lisa C., which is truly amazing. By nature, Richetta is a nurturer in both her professional and personal lives. She found her gift of caring at...

29 Aug - A New Hope Tradition

Posted at 17:36h in 40th Anniversary, Community and Corporate Partners, Events, Food Truck Program 0 Comments

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We have had such a great time celebrating our 40th Anniversary this year, and we have especially enjoyed exploring our past. In 1988 in celebration of our 10th anniversary, the staff, clients and families of New Hope got together and completed a series of paintings which still hang in our administrative offices today. We loved this idea of a community art project that might bring our New Hope family together and leave us with a long-lasting gift to add to our proud legacy. After doing a little research, we found out that the company which facilitated those original paintings as...

28 Aug - New Hope Announces Start of New Program

Posted at 20:21h in Community and Corporate Partners, New Hope Stories, News 0 Comments

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New Hope’s newest program, AIM (Achieving Inclusion and Meaning) successfully kicked off on August 20th! AIM is a community-based program which offers individuals with disabilities who are exiting high school and seeking alternative services to actively participate in the planning and execution of daily activities including identifying and participating in volunteer opportunities, learning how the legislature works, becoming self-advocates, participating in museum activities, learning how to ride public transportation and much more. Thank you so much to all of our friends and donors for making this program possible! With your generosity and Pearson Ford’s $10,000 matching contribution, New Hope was...

28 Aug - A Note from Allison: Thriving at New Hope

Posted at 20:16h in A Note from Allison, Food Truck Program 0 Comments

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Happy hot summer! I hope you are all surviving this August heat! New Hope continues to thrive, even with the thermometer at 90 degrees! We are thrilled to announce our new program, AIM (Achieving Inclusion and Meaning), started this month. This program serves young adults who are leaving high school. Our first group started a couple of weeks ago and they are already volunteering and exploring our community! Thanks to Pearson Ford and to many of you who met their match at our Silver Cup Celebration, we have a new gently used Ford Flex in which they will experience Indy! We are also...

27 Aug - Zeller, Speak!

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Greetings, friends! Oh my gosh summer is over! How did that happen? I guess I will soon be rolling in leaves instead of grass. So it goes. And speaking of going, the AIM group started August 20th and they are having a great time out in their community! They have been to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, the library, Holiday Park and the nature center. They have been lots of places while riding in the Ford Flex that Pearson Ford so generously supported. I hope everyone had a happy and safe summer. As we are entering Fall just think of all there is to do…long...

27 Aug - Thank you to the Sheehan Charitable Foundation!

Posted at 17:41h in Community and Corporate Partners, News 0 Comments

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This summer, New Hope of Indiana was awarded a $30,000 grant from The Thomas P. and Sondra D. Sheehan Charitable Foundation, a partner of Legacy Fund Community Foundation. Through the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), the Sheehan Charitable Foundation awards grants to a variety of interests with a focus on opportunities for young adults. We are so grateful for this funding which will enable New Hope to purchase an accessible vehicle and create the opportunity for 4 additional young adults to participate in AIM (Achieving Inclusion and Meaning), New Hope's newest community-based program. To learn more about the Sheehan Charitable...

27 Aug - Client Profile: Lynn Brown

Posted at 15:22h in 40th Anniversary, Client Profile 1 Comment

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We have enjoyed highlighting individuals NHI has served for the past 40 years and this month’s profile is on Lynn Brown. Lynn resided in the residential facility, and he lived on “D” Pod/Delta Hall. He was one of the first to move into the Rendu group home in 1995 and has lived there for over 23 years. Lynn is rather quiet, but certainly has a gleam in his eyes and an engaging smile. He tends to be a homebody, watching TV and playing cards at the group home. He stated that he does like to go to Steak-n-Shake once in a...

15 Aug - Service Spotlight: Gina Borneman

Posted at 19:28h in Service Spotlight 0 Comments

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Fifteen-year NHI associate and DSP, Gina Borneman feels her employment at New Hope was meant to be as she has been able to experience miracles. Prior to coming to NHI, she had worked in special education and with boy scouts with disabilities. She heard about NHI from an acquaintance, who recommended Gina look into employment. She has a degree in journalism, though most of her professional life has centered around helping others. However, Gina shared that her degree has certainly come in handy with documentation, which is always thorough and grammatically correct. Gina initially worked nights on the old “sleep shift”...

15 Aug - Mission Minute: Pictures Tell Our Story

Posted at 19:17h in 40th Anniversary, Events, Mission Minute, New Hope Stories 0 Comments

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by Kathe Rae, Manager of Mission Integration & Volunteers [caption id="attachment_20366" align="alignright" width="300"] NHI Fun-in-Action[/caption] In recent years, cell phone photography has exploded with the advent of selfies, quick videos, the ever-improving quality of phone cameras, and easy sharing. We all enjoy capturing those special moments, events and people in our lives. I believe that pictures tell our story and for many years have felt that is truly the case at New Hope. We can share stories about what is going on around New Hope in our newsletter, blogs,[caption id="attachment_20365" align="alignright" width="251"] Vintage[/caption] Facebook, Twitter, etc., but what are we often most...

31 Jul - Don’t Forget to Say Cheese!

Posted at 13:46h in Food Truck Program, News 0 Comments

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It's official! After all of your witty, straight-to-the-point, creative, punny suggestions, the survey results are in. New Hope of Indiana's Food Truck has been named Cheese and Thank You! It is amazing to know how many of you have such creative ideas and we are thankful that you shared them with us. Other names suggested included Hope-a-Roni, New Hope's Mac Wagon, You Gouda Brie Kidding Me, the Mac-IN-Mission and FeastABILITY. We also learned that you like bacon. You like bacon a LOT! You told us that you want to eat at Cheese and Thank You downtown and in Broad Ripple....

31 Jul - A Note from Allison: Passionate about New Hope

Posted at 13:18h in A Note from Allison, Events 0 Comments

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Passion! Passion is one of the words I think of when I think about New Hope of Indiana. Our associates, board members, volunteers and donors are all passionate about our mission, the people we serve and/or their fellow New Hope associates. It is very easy to be the CEO of such a passionate organization because I see it and the joy it brings every day. New Hope people never cease to amaze me! They show their passion in both big and little ways. To everyone in the New Hope family, I say thank you for making our little corner of...