The University house has been on our heart from the beginning of New Hope Girls. We knew our girls would need help with transition and the cultural and legal realities would require us to think strategically about how to launch them well while maintaining family and care.

The University house opened in the middle of COVID as we celebrated our first graduate. Finding the perfect “house mom” proved super challenging and we prayed that God would meet this great need.

We had dreams and vision for what our program would provide. We were thinking of first jobs, budget, managing a home, taking ownership of their faith and worship, becoming independent in their studies, growing a heart for service, managing technology and new social opportunities including a boyfriend.

The girls are learning all those things within the walls of the University house, but God has provided so much more. In His truly redemptive way, he has placed them in a traditional family model with a mom and a dad. As our girls step into adulthood, they will not go without having had a chance to have that deep need met.

Let me introduce you to Janet and Joe Canalichio, who have joined our team in full time service!

Janet and Joe have taken the role of house parents to our University Girls! They felt called to the Dominican Republic many years before reaching out to us. They researched and investigated and when we decided to step into service together none of us knew what God would do. We had plans of maintenance and meal preparation- and they are working on that! But many years ago God was putting into place His plan to redeem so much more and He has set them apart for such a time as this.

I imagine they thought their parenting days were done?
I wonder if they ever imagined how fast they would love
How deep they could hurt
How much more there was to learn
How beautiful the mess can be
On days you want to run
But you choose to hope
For the JOY of freedom
Wholeness
Healing
Redemption

They said they knew God had more for them than sitting on golf courses in their retirement years. They knew God had created them for More. We are so grateful they listened and are now a voice echoing to our girls that they too were,

“Created for More!”