History

It all started when…

On July 11, 2009 the doors of our Yawkey House officially opened with the support and generosity of many volunteers, community members, funders and local businesses.

The seeds of House of Possibilities (HOPe) began decades earlier with Betty Hourihan and an organization called Volunteer Information Agency (VIA). VIA provided emergency relief for children with disabilities and their families for 34 years on the South Shore and Cape Cod.

In the early 2000’s, Betty passed the reins of VIA to Paula Kavolius. Paula and Lauren Hamilton were among the volunteers facilitating respite for VIA. Through their work, they recognized that providing a temporary fix was not enough. They envisioned a facility that could provide sustained respite, and from this HOPe was born in 2003, with Paula at the helm.

The team grew to include Carmel Shields and Jack Ferris, and they began the journey to acquire funding and a location for the respite center. The hard work and perseverance of the initial HOPe team paid off -- in 2006 they received word that the Yawkey Foundation would fund the design, planning and permitting of the respite center, and not long after committed the initial investment to build. When presented with the vision, Stonehill College President Mark Cregan C.S.C. was quickly on board, and soon after Stonehill College provided the long-term land lease to house the facility.

Construction began in 2008, and within a year HOPe was providing services out of its new respite center. Paula continued to serve as HOPe’s Chief Executive until August 2018, when she retired after 13 years of service. Today, Executive Director Katie Terino continues to build on HOPe’s strong foundation.

Since its opening, HOPe has expanded its services beyond children’s respite to include adult day programs and social & recreational programs for both children and adults. Hundreds of families from over 58 communities across Massachusetts, including the Boston Metro, Northeast, Southeast, and Central regions, participate in its programs. HOPe continues to be an integral part of the Stonehill Community, with over 50 students volunteering on a weekly basis as part of the Best Buddies program.