What New Hope Means to Me

23 Apr What New Hope Means to Me

by DG Saladin, NHI Team Leader

When asked to write a blog post for New Hope of Indiana, I wasn’t quite sure where to begin. Searching for ideas on what to write about, I conducted an informal survey at Castleton Day Service asking, “What does New Hope mean to you?” I surveyed anyone who wanted to participate assuring them that there were no wrong answers to this question. The answers were varied and spontaneous.

I heard responses like:

New Hope is “a good place.”
New Hope is “family.”
New Hope is “music.”
New Hope is “a place to help me with healthy choices.”
New Hope is “an opportunity to provide service to others.”
New Hope is “a brighter future coming from the good.”
New Hope is “a place to come out in the community and see other people.”

That last response spoke to me the most because of the word community. Community is what I always think of when I think of New Hope of Indiana. New Hope is, has and always will be a very special, exceptional community. Merriam-Webster defines community as “a fellowship sharing common interests, attitudes and goals.” The New Hope fellowship embraces and actively seeks to provide a secure, safe, compassionate and vibrant alternative to others in the larger society who might otherwise be overlooked and consequently have limited opportunities to achieve any kind of success in that same society.

New Hope of Indiana offers just what the name states: New Hope. It offers HOPE without prejudice or judgment. It offers HOPE with kindness, compassion and love for everyone who is embraced by its mission to serve others. It is because of the exceptional people who serve the New HOPE community and the exceptional people who are served in the New HOPE community that NEW HOPE is able to continue to grow, share and thrive.

I have been a witness to this for 40 years. Having a sibling who is served by New Hope of Indiana since 1978 and myself, starting as a DSP in the Day Service Program, and today serving as a Team Leader in that program, the success, the fellowship and the selflessness within the New Hope family is always an inspiring and often humbling experience for me. It is a privilege to be served and to be of service to the New Hope community.

And besides, as two of my survey respondents at Day Service said, “we like it.”