Nominations for
Lives Transformed 2024
Each year, our Lives Transformed series features Circle Leaders who embody courage and vulnerability by sharing unforgettable testimonials of their Circles journeys. Circles USA is calling for Lives Transformed nominees for our upcoming 2024 Impact Reports.
You can nominate yourself OR a Circle Leader for Lives Transformed!
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Follow our guidelines below for self-nominations (video) or Circle Leader nominations (written).
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Email your submission to: Courtney@CirclesUSA.org by Friday, December 13th, 2024.
Nominate a Circle Leader:
written submission guidelines
Nominating yourself:
draft video submission guidelines
At a minimum, your recorded self-nomination should include:
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Your name and chapter
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How your participation in Circles has positively impacted your life, chapter, family and/or community
”Draft” quality simply means using your cell phone to record your talk, with no concerns about the background, lighting, or “fine” audio quality, as long as we can see and hear you. See below for filming tips.
At a minimum, your written nomination should include:
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Your full name and chapter
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The Circle Leader's full name and chapter
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How the Circle Leader’s presence and participation in Circles has positively impacted your chapter and/or community
** See below for optional talking points to enhance your nomination **
NOTE: We may ask some self-nominating Circle Leaders selected for Lives Transformed to re-record your talks in order to improve production quality. Don’t worry—we can provide tips to help you record your video to best effect.
Looking for talking points? Feel free to use the following questions and prompts (in addition to full name, chapter & role) for both written and recorded submissions.
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When and how did you/your Circle Leader connect with Circles originally?
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What was your/your Circle Leader’s financial condition at the start of the Circles journey, and how did it change in the weeks and months to come?
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How have CUSA’s intentional friendships and chapter structure transformed your/your Circle Leader’s life?
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How has your/your Circle Leader’s time with Circles changed your family’s dynamic and understanding of life beyond poverty?
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What would you say to people who are hesitant to attend a Circles chapter for the first time?
Filming Tips
Record your video in a quiet and well-lit space
Lighting tips: Facing a window during daylight hours generally produces the best results. To avoid glare in glasses frames, try positioning the light source slightly to one side of your face. A little bit of glare is not a big deal. :)
Make yourself Comfortable
Consider any other ways you can make the environment comfortable for yourself: a blanket on your lap, a trusted person in the room, etc. Speak at a pace that is natural for you and don’t worry about any long pauses, as we can edit them out.
Orient the camera horizontally/landscape
Record using a stable surface at your eye-level
Position your device on a stable, eye-level surface.
If possible, use a tripod.