The House of Possibilities, Inc. (HOPe) is an offspring of the Volunteer Information Agency, Inc. (VIA). VIA originated in Milton, Massachusetts and had been providing emergency financial support to the families of special needs children for over 35 years. The support had been typically a one time, specific problems that was alleviated by the financial support of VIA.
A member of the board of VIA, Paula Kavolius, who has a child having special needs, recognized the recurring problem of a critical shortage of quality programming and respite at an "in-house" program" for families. Caring for a special child is 24/7 physically and emotionally exhausting job. As time went on, we realized that we were always helping people in crisis and our help although significant was just a temporary patch in their hectic lives. We were fixing potholes, not the road.
Thus began the expanded mission of HOPe in 2003 to build a facility that will provide quality programming and sustained relief from the round-the-clock care of a child, youth or young adult living with a developmental disability. Parents and other siblings need time to recharge their batteries, restore their souls, and bring balance back to their lives while their loved one is engaged in a meaningful fun activity in their home away from home-HOPe.
We gained the support of Stonehill College through the grant of two acres of land on their Easton Massachusetts campus and in June 2009 completed construction of an 11,000 sf facility which is the first model of-its-kind in the United States to be built on a college campus. Our relationship with Stonehill is a natural fit given their mission of educating the whole person heart and mind. Stonehill students provide a much needed core of volunteers and the benefits to both the server and the served are immeasurable.