Congratulations to Hi-Hope Service Center December 2009 Small Business of the Month.

In 1960 the parents of six young students from Gwinnett County founded one of the first organizations in Georgia to teach children with intellectual disabilities. Under the capable leadership of Mrs.Vinie Lowry and support from many parents and the greater Gwinnett Community construction of a special needs school was completed in 1970. A special needs preschool was added subsequently. In the late 1990’s when all student programs, including the pre-school program, were integrated into the public schools, Hi-Hope became an adult only program.

Dynamic initiatives set in motion in 2001 targeted aggressive capital and programmatic expansion making certain that the individuals now attending Hi-Hope Center, plus those who will move off the waiting list and into Hi-Hope's family, will receive optimal choices of services that affect their lives.

Today, Hi-Hope Center carries on the founders' legacy of caring and innovation by supporting adults with developmental disabilities by building and sustaining their independence.

In 2005, Hi-Hope began the philosophical shift from providing services through defined programs to supporting people utilizing person-centered strategies.  To begin this process Hi-Hope applied for and was granted a 3-year $534,000 grant to implement self-determination principles from the Goizueta Foundation.  These funds provided therapy assessment services and specialists in the areas of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, nutrition, assistive technology, speech pathology, behavioral supports, social work, and community activities development.  During the second year of this program Hi-Hope applied for and was accepted into the Good 2 Great: Person-centered thinking program offered by the Georgia Department of Human Resources.  At the conclusion of two years of training and coaching of staff through this program and at the conclusion of the third year of the Goizueta Grant, Hi-Hope was invited to apply for a second $500,000 grant by the Goizueta Foundation which was granted and began July 2009.  This grant provided for a full-time employee to train and coach our staff so that person-centered principles could be fully institutionalized throughout the organization and provided the availability of our specialists to continue assessments and protocol training of staff as well.  Funds were also made available to begin an endowment as a part of the grant.

Hi-Hope continues to determine methods to meet the changing needs of the 144 men and women we support especially as they age (forty-eight percent are over the age of forty) and present with increased medical needs.

FY 2010 Goals:

• Person-centered, quality, timely services are available.
• Cost Effective services are available.
• All staff receives the support needed to increase and improve the availability of person-centered services.
• Sufficient funding support is available for identified services.
• Key investments are made to ensure long term, efficient operations.