”Our focus remains to provide safe venues for these individuals to learn, work and interact
within the community. As a result, our young adults have a purpose in their days and develop
confidence in themselves."
“There’s a lot more people like Alex that want to be in the community and want to be giving back and contributing but the opportunities just aren’t there so we realized okay, we’re going to create opportunities,” she said.
Team members, as the foundation calls them, are also gaining vocational training and practice by creating products for the boutique, such as jewelry and mosaic artwork.
“There is very little for these young adults once they age out of the school system. Most of them end up sitting at home, watching TV or playing video games. But they want to show they can do more than that.”
Helping Hounds, a group within this year’s Leadership Johnson County program, has offered its time and resources to make improvements to Happy Hounds’ facility.
Foundation officials say this is the third location they have around Indiana, and they partner with 50 vendors to sell their work across the U.S. and Canada.
"Some days, I'm running it alone," says Davis. "Sometimes it's quiet, but then other times it's like hey, I can do it. It helps me get more skills of learning how to run a business. And this is what it's all about."
"Hope is 'A Ray of Sunshine because she just shows everybody that despite all of the obstacles, all the hardships, all the suffering that's she's been through, all of the things she cannot do she's not going to let that hold her back,"
Using the tagline “Wonderfully Made/Perfectly Unique,” the foundation hopes to cosign art, pottery, glass, jewelry, home and bath products, pet items, specialty food items and clothing from individuals and (read more)
It’s been great exposure for us, this is our first time doing the chocolate walk and it’s just been fun to have everyone come in and see what we’re doing here at the Hope Gallery.”
"Dogs don’t expect you to say the right thing all the time; they don’t expect you to act a certain way. They just want you to give them attention and love."
"They just need the chance. They need the guidance. They want to work. They are so proud that they have jobs. They want to give back. They want to be relevant, and we're giving them that opportunity to be relevant."