The Circles model rallies and unites people, resources and influence across lines of race and class to help end poverty and share prosperity. We are happy to announce that Walmart recognizes the unique differentiation and strategic advantage that Circles provides, and as a result, the Walmart Foundation – through Walmart’s global Women’s Economic Empowerment initiative – has awarded a $500,000 grant to Circles USA. This investment will help ensure Circles USA is positioned to expand the scope and scale of our reach and impact. We’re inspired by the commonalities in our mutual desire to empower people and believe that our partnership will elevate Circles to new levels. Walmart’s investment represents a major step towards building the long-term sustainability of Circles USA and creates a national and global platform to share community-inspired strategies to address poverty and increase prosperity. We’re proud of this partnership. The Walmart Foundation is currently supporting programs that will enhance the economic mobility of more than 200,000 women in our country. To date, more than $62 million in foundation funding has provided opportunities for more than 111,000 low-income women to enhance the skills needed for economic self-sufficiency. Through organizations and programs like the American Red Cross, Goodwill and Dress for Success, and now Circles USA, the Walmart Foundation’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment is helping women better provide for themselves and for their families. We look forward to the work ahead of us and continuing to bring together the best resources we can to raise people and communities out of poverty. For additional information about the grant, please contact Gena Atcher by phone at (888) 232-9285 or by email at Gena@CirclesUSA.org .

By Joshua Vail, C hanuteTribune reporter Circles program founder Scott Miller was impressed with the turnout at several meetings he had with leaders and volunteers in Chanute, Kan., on Tuesday. Miller met with Chamber Ambassadors, community leaders and volunteers in four separate meetings to discuss Circles, a program designed to bring communities together to help bring residents out of poverty. He has been working on reducing poverty for about 30 years and his approach has evolved over time. He said the Circles program in its current form started around 2000. Leaders and community members wanted to help bring others out of poverty, but didn’t necessarily know how, he said. Miller said the Circles program helps direct volunteer, human services, faith and community leadership efforts in productive ways and bring the entire community together to support people. “What Circles is doing is saying ‘all of these programs need to be put in a plan that’s personal to you,’” he said. “We work with people for sometimes three to 10 years if necessary to help them get where they’re going and their children to have a better future.” Miller also said community involvement is necessary because systems often need to change to get many people out of poverty. “That can only happen when the public will wants it,” he said. Miller said he saw many leaders and volunteers in Chanute who are willing to do that kind of long-term work with people in poverty. “There are so many people that have done their research and done their homework and know what it’s going to take,” he said. Miller was also impressed with the diversity of those represented at Tuesday’s meetings, with representatives from education, government, churches, human services and philanthropy. Miller said he focused significantly on the children of Chanute. “You have 1,000 children in poverty,” he said. “Let’s get the first 100 out and then see how we need to change things to get lots of children out of poverty, and lots of families.” “The meetings in Chanute were well-attended and the community was highly engaged in this effort to improve the lives of people in poverty,” said Heather Morgan, Project 17 executive director. “A number of citizens expressed that they were ready to work on this effort which allows people to develop friendships which will help people improve their lives.” The Circles program is implemented in Chanute by Project 17, a southeast Kansas economic development initiative. How to help the Circles Movement. Interested in: helping promote Circles hiring Circles graduates becoming an Ally (providing support to someone in poverty) assisting with meal coordination assisting with meal preparation assisting with child care coordinaiton assisting with child care assisting at the Circles meetings observing a Circles meeting in a nearby community, Iola, Joplin, Wichita, Newton Serving on a Circles Team (helping to plan and implement the program). For more information on how to get involved or volunteer with Circles in Chanute, contact Tim Fairchild by phone at (620) 431-3200 or by email at TimF@CommercialBank.net . Originally published online here .

Circles USA Partners with JobLingo LOWELL, AR, November 13, 2014 – Circles® USA partnered with JobLingo™ to offer chapters and sites across the United States and Canada comprehensive job readiness training content and innovative tools to help Circle Leaders move out of poverty. Dr. Jan McCormick, JobLingo Founder, and Circles USA Founder & CEO, Scott Miller, have joined forces to offer a hybrid job and career development curriculum to enhance current Circle Leader Training. JobLingo’s unique job readiness program titled More Than Ready: 7 Proven Techniques for Job Winners provides micro video lectures and workbook exercises using a facilitated web-based training model. “With more than 20 years of research and experience, Dr. McCormick is well-regarded for her work with at-risk populations,” said Miller. “JobLingo’s specialized job readiness and soft skills strategy is an excellent complement to our program.” “We saw an opportunity to offer job readiness skills training through a range of interactive, online content and learning tools. This model empowers Circle Leaders to meet personal goals as well as the needs of the community,” said McCormick. Circles USA has sites in 70+ communities, 23 states and Canada. JobLingo materials were recently released to the Circles USA network. ###

Dr. Jan McCormick will be presenting Job-Lingo Training on Monday April 20th, 2015 from 1pm-4:30pm. Dr. McCormick has offered to lead a training session for those who are registered conference attendees. Registration  for this training IS REQUIRED. Jan McCormick, Ed.D., is the founder and CEO of Full Circle Career Services, LLC. She has spent the past 18 years studying the job readiness factors that impact gaining and maintaining employment. Her Job Readiness Assessment (JRA) has been used extensively since 1997 by schools, agencies and non-profits helping new grads, unemployed, disabled and at-risk populations including veterans, single parents, teens and ex-offenders. JobLingo Job Training Workshop Whether it is a first job, next job or a career transition, this workshop will help you prepare Circle leaders to meet their employment challenges with confidence. The purpose of this workshop is to introduce Circles USA participants to the JobLingo Job Readiness Program design, activities and assessment process. After completing the workshop, attendees will be able to train Circle Leaders how to: Write a job-specific resume and cover letter Utilize assessment tools in career development and interview coaching Facilitate networking techniques and skills pitch development Maximize mock interview tools and techniques Effectively use a behavioral checklist strategy for coaching next-level performance

Scott Miller, CEO & Founder of Circles USA will be speaking at A Wider Circle National Conference on Ending Poverty on March 28, 2015. The conference will be featuring leaders from across the U.S and people of different backgrounds to hear about successful programs and to devise immediate actions going forward.

Career Success Begins and Ends With Meeting Employer Expectations Denver, CO, July 1, 2015 – JobLingo founder and CEO, Jan McCormick, Ed.D., recently delivered a “memorable, manageable and actionable” coaching strategy to 150+ attendees of the National Career Development Association (NCDA) at the Hyatt Regency Downtown, Denver. Highlighted as a Feature Presentation, Dr McCormick showcased JobLingo’s “7 Proven Techniques” for helping job seekers become job winners to a standing-room only crowd of global career development professionals. Known for her direct approach, audience feedback summarized McCormick’s impassioned presentation as “spot-on” training that everyone needs if they want to be successful. ### Contact Information: Website: www.joblingo.com , Email: drjan@joblingo.com , LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drjanjoblingo Using a performance-based coaching model, Dr. McCormick targets the most critical job-ready skills for winning jobs. Leveraged on a workbook and short video series, the web-based, checklist-driven program provides a scalable process suitable for any size organization, school or non-profit.

The Tipping Point & Circles USA’s Role Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.  “When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority. Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame,” said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski, the Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer. Inspired by this provocative research, The Circles USA Board of Directors has approved a major, high-impact strategic plan to achieve a 10% tipping point in the United States to eradicate poverty! By 2021, we plan to have Circles in 10% of all counties (300 of 3000 counties) and 30 of the 300 major cities. Circles USA will engage with communities interested in the tipping point by supporting these four stage of development: ASSESSMENT —Asking questions: “Is Circles right for our community? Do we have the leadership and resources to start a Circles program in our community?” CIRCLES IN THE MAKING —Getting started: If your community is ready and willing to start Circles, you will enter into a planning agreement with Circles USA (CUSA) to lay the foundation. CIRCLES DEMONSTRATION —Taking action: You are now implementing Circles to support families out of poverty, collecting data, and assessing outcomes. You are asking, “How is it working in our community? Do we like the results we are getting? Have we been able to secure resources to sustain and grow the Circles program?” SCALING TO A TIPPING POINT —Moving forward: You are happy with the results and can see the potential of growing Circles in your community to end poverty. As Circle Leader graduate Rebecca says, “We have changed our lives so profoundly that we will not move back into poverty again.” How many more children do we have to raise in poverty before it is gone? How many more families will we let live with the constant anxiety of not having enough money to meet their basic needs? It’s overwhelming and we can end the suffering so that everyone has a real opportunity to get out of poverty and thrive. The time has come to intentionally pursue the end of poverty in our nation, in our lifetime!

Sample Report from Columbus, Georgia. Impressive! Based on 50 Enrolled Circle Leaders 70% who now have completed 6 months, 40% who have completed 12 months, 32% who have completed 18 months, 30% who have completed 24 months, 20% who have completed 30 months, and 16% who have completed 36 months of Circles: Let Us Help You With Your Data Please schedule a one-on-one meeting with Courtney using go-to-meeting to go over any questions or concerns regarding your data. Courtney is ready to help you gather the data and even help input if necessary. Email Courtney at courtney@circlesusa.org to set up your private consultation.

At the closing session of the CUSA National Leadership Conference, the 2016 Circles award winners were announced. Each award represents the incredible work happening at Circles chapters across North America. The CUSA National Team would like to thank everyone who submitted award nominations this year. Here are the winners for each category: Best Video- Watch here McPherson, KS Best Facebook Page & Interaction- Check it out here Carrollton, GA Best Newsletter Columbus, GA Best Data Results Columbus, GA Best Website Representing Circles Work Manhattan, KS Best Fundraising Award Salina, KS Most Powerful Circle Leader Success Story- Joy Barnhill Kettering, OH Ally Award* Recognizing An Ally Who Has Gone Above & Beyond – Brad Hess and John Wilson Clearfield, UT and Kettering, OH

On the second evening of our international Circles Conference in Pittsburgh, I was having dinner with Vince, Sarah, Gena, and Courtney. All of us were saturated from the busyness of the day, and with nothing better on our minds, Vince, Sarah, and I decided to clarify some random historical facts. For starters, there have just been six Presidents with really long terms and a series of stand-ins: Lincoln, Washington, JFK, Lewis and Clark, and Vince. Vince remains President today but keeps a very low profile by staying off both Facebook and The View. His current stand-in provides daily “air cover” so Vince can quietly negotiate world peace, sustainability, and increasing the kind quotient of human beings everywhere without the media catching wind of any of it and spoiling his 2019 surprise about saving humanity. We then concurred that yes indeed it was true that Pittsburgh had been relocated 400 miles east when the steel mills closed down and the beach was in walking distance. If the group would get off their rear ends and walk with us, we could be out of the snow and onto a balmy boardwalk in 10 minutes. No takers. The intoxicating power of making stuff up grows stronger and stronger. We are emboldened, feeling confident—cocky even. Who knew that “alternative facts” were so empowering and liberating? This was when Gena leaned over to the young Courtney and said, “This is what happens when elders get into the hooch.” Later on, I asked Courtney, who is 22, if she knew some of my favorite bands from the 60’s and 70’s—I gave her my list. Nope, nothing rings a bell. I then asked her about Led Zeppelin. YES! She knew Led Zeppelin’s music because of her sister. “Really, how old is your sister?” “21.” Guess I was expecting her sister to be 60. Sarah points out that it probably wasn’t someone’s mother who had passed it onto her sister; it was most likely someone’s grandmother. This is when I reminded everyone how young I was, having been born in ‘87. The hair loss was of course from that chemistry experiment gone awry that almost killed my lab partner Danny Devito (looked at what happened to him). I also reminded everyone, again, that I had been a child prodigy community organizer and had started my career at the age of 3 working next to Obama. The idea of Circles came to me when I was eating a box of Cheerios at daycare. President Vince laughed and reminded everyone that this could not be possible because I had been his ace campaign manager back in ‘52 when he beat Ike. That would make me at least 39. And so it went until we finally left the establishment and found our way to a pub on the balmy boardwalk to have a nightcap with our good old friend George Washington. Truth is so yesterday. Alternative facts are so lit—did I say that right? WHO CARES?!!!! – Scott C. Miller

Most Americans spend the first 2/3rds of their life earning enough income to build up an arsenal of stuff, only to spend the last 1/3rd getting rid of it.  All that stuff temporarily stays in our homes and then works its way to the overfilled landfills, the rivers, the oceans, or wherever else it goes. Meanwhile, some lucky people don’t do that. Call them the really privileged ones. Because of their global circumstances, culture, family, or simply an early moment of radical clarity, they decide that loving others is what is worth spending their time and talents doing. Gathering stuff is mostly seen as a distraction. For these privileged ones, life is slower, richer, happier, deeper, and better. How do I know this?  I have found this privilege in myself—not as strongly as I wish it were, but still there as the quiet voice within. I have also met people who gave up stuff and tuned in.  They report how much better it all gets.  They chase love rather than things. They take the time to feel life rather than numb out. They choose to learn how to love others unconditionally. How sweet can one’s life experience get?  Chocolate syrup with marshmallows sweet.

I am honored to be named by the AARP Public Policy Institute, along with 9 other community leaders (all of whom are 50+), as an  AARP Well-Being Champion.  AARP is showcasing the impact  Circles USA   has had in building a “ Culture of Health”  in America’s communities. Today, 10/25/18, AARP launched the  Website  and social media ( Twitter  &  Facebook )  campaigns promoting the Circles model which fosters well-being and economic stability. To learn more, read the AARP  booklet  outlining the programs and work of the 10 champions of change in 2018.    Video :