Before starting New Hope Lafayette, John Newman was on staff as an assistant pastor at Trinity Bible Church. In 2007, John and Kristine began to work with at‑risk youth in North Lafayette. It was challenging work. Yet, over time, it developed into a passion. In 2010, John and Kristine felt led to start a faith‑based organization to work with at‑risk youth in Lafayette.

The opportunity came in June 2011, when they partnered with the Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) Parks and Recreation Department’s 6‑Week “Youth Summer Enrichment Program.” The city hosted the program at the J. Carlton James Activity Center. Three afternoons each week, John and Kristine, along with their dedicated volunteers, provided academic enrichment, crafts, and lessons on character. New Hope Lafayette was born.

Early on, John and Kristine became aware that at‑risk children are dealing with toxic stress that impacted their behavior and academic performance. New Hope Lafayette began to train its volunteers in trauma‑informed methods. New Hope Lafayette became the first organization in the city to offer trauma‑informed mentoring. As New Hope Lafayette began training its mentors in trauma‑informed principles, the attitudes and behaviors of the children started to improve, and grades went up.

John and Kristine began to share their positive experience with the community. In 2015, John became a guest lecturer in Education, and Child and Family Studies courses at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He would speak on the impact of poverty and toxic stress on children. From then on, John regularly spoke about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) at the university, civic organizations, and churches. In 2016, John presented a TEDx talk on the importance of relational networks for at‑risk children.

In 2019, John worked with several UL Lafayette professors to start the Acadiana PACEs Alliance. Its mission is to create a trauma‑informed community in which everyone who works with children is trauma‑informed.

Today, in addition to offering its after-school mentoring program and summer enrichment program for at‑risk children in North Lafayette, New Hope Lafayette is a leading advocate for trauma‑informed care of all children.