Pandemic Milestones

22 May Pandemic Milestones

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 was encouraged to find a job in between semesters and found work as a greeter in the lobby of the Hyatt in downtown Indianapolis. Her happy disposition and kind heart make her the perfect fit for a job in hospitality.

Despite the global pandemic, Helena recently graduated from the SITE program with a certificate of completion. What an accomplishment! But to anyone who knows her, Helena’s achievements aren’t surprising. Her family describes her as outgoing, sociable, fashion-forward and funny. They are incredibly proud of Helena and her work ethic. Now that she has graduated, Helena is looking forward to getting back to her usual routine and back to work at the Hyatt.

To Helena and her family, it’s important that other people know just how similar they are to one another. Like many other young women, Helena enjoys drawing, dancing and shopping for new outfits to show off her unique sense of style. She is incredibly kind and misses her grandmother who passed away a few years ago. When you look closely, we are all more alike than we are different.

New Hope is proud to serve Helena and her family through our Family and Community Services (FCS) program. Through FCS, Helena receives in-home services on a schedule that meets her needs and offers her family the support they need. Helena’s mother, Karin, is glad to have found a provider that makes it easy to open her home to someone new. For Karin and Helena, New Hope has been a pleasant part of an incredibly rewarding road, and we are so glad to be a part of it.