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This year’s multimedia impact report, Deepening and Expanding Circles , includes a special treat: several new videos along with the usual infographics and inspirational stories.  Highlights include: Our 2022 film series, comprising nine short documentaries produced by Board member Jennifer Pelling with support from the Tsuha Foundation. The documentary suite showcases the stories, journeys, and relationships of Circles USA participants across the nation. Of-the-moment data demonstrating the efficacy of the Circles model, chapter expansion, and more. Updates on Circles USA leadership and initiatives including our Regional Coaches, Board Advisory Council, and new staff. Inspiring stories of Big View Teams making new strides in transportation, housing, job pathways, and entrepreneurship growth in their communities. We offer sincere thanks to the entire Circles network—including staff, volunteers, and Circle Leaders—whose loyalty, care, and skill made our Circles USA 2022 Impact Report possible. VIEW OUR 2022 IMPACT REPORT

As Circles USA approaches its quarter-century milestone, we’re reflecting on the evolution of our core value: that building community is the surest way to support families working to get out, and stay out, of poverty. This blog series will be updated throughout this 25th Anniversary year to celebrate, illuminate, and look forward to the many challenges and rewards CUSA’s next era will bring. A BRIEF HISTORY OF CIRCLES USA The Circles model has several components that evolved largely through the leadership of Scott C. Miller ( CEO and Founder of Circles USA ) and many other collaborators. Though these thought partners, scholars, and leaders are too many to list, here is a short retrospective highlighting key relationships and events in CUSA’s journey from a seedling venture to a thriving community of practice. From 1983-88 , Scott Miller initiated a 23-county learning network of more than 500 organizations in Northeast Ohio to better coordinate safety-net programs and pilot new self-sufficiency programs to help people out of poverty. The George Gund Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, and The GAR Foundation provided initial funding. 1988-91 saw a $1.72M funding influx from over 40 community foundations, government agencies and United Way chapters. Miller and team piloted a self-sufficiency model known as Family Development in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Canton, and Cincinnati. Family Development was designed by Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. 1992-2005 marked several major development benchmarks. The Annie E. Casey Foundation funded Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), the original designers of the Family Development model, to build robust collaborations between government, education, and social service agencies to produce better outcomes for low-income children and their families. Miller joined MICA in January of 1992 to continue supporting Family Development efforts across the nation and to develop higher-impact self-sufficiency models. The Casey investment provided the ability to research and learn from projects across the country that would eventually lead to the design of Circles. A pilot called Beyond Welfare was built in Ames, Ohio beginning in 1996.   In 1998, Miller and colleagues founded Move the Mountain Leadership Center, Inc.: the lead organization launching a poverty alleviation program that would eventually become Circles USA. For this reason, ‘98 is hailed as CUSA’s founding date. “[I]n my early job experience serving people struggling in poverty, I realized how often people seemed alone with their problems,” Miller wrote in his 2019 book Transformational Leadership: A Framework to End Poverty . “So I created support groups as a response to such isolation. …Circles USA was the result of an intense soul-searching process that I began in the mid-1990s. Circles is a process of surrounding yourself with people who will be Allies as you make an important change, such as moving out of poverty.” By 2000, “Circles” was coined for the community engagement work that Beyond Welfare was pioneering. Miller’s collaborations with poverty alleviation specialists in higher ed and nonprofits—notably Stephen Aigner, Ph.D., Senior Fellow with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development and Associate Professor of Sociology, Iowa State University; Leslie Bloom, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Education, Iowa State University; and Lois Smidt, an employee of Mid-Iowa Community Action—introduced many community building tools that remain a part of the Circles model today. Tools drawn from Smidt’s work with the Reevaluation Counseling movement included: New and Goods, Appreciations, Listening Pairs, and Understanding Class Differences. Between 2006-2016 , Scott Miller and Michelle Clark, Ph.D. refined the early training manuals, the process for transferring programs to new communities, collection of network-wide data, and creating sustainability for early models. Clark did a literature review on Social Capital. “The mission of Circles is to build relationships across race and socioeconomic class lines in order to realize more positive life outcomes for families living in poverty. By establishing a broader base of middle and upper middle class citizens who are close to people in poverty, people in poverty begin to access broader networks to support their own self-sufficiency, and social and public policy becomes more enlightened. Thus, Circles is a high impact program whose core strategies are designed to enhance the social capital of low-income people while energizing the community into action.” — Michelle Clark, Ph.D In 2007, Miller and Clark forged a partnership with Phil DeVol and the Bridges Out of Poverty network. DeVol’s Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World was integrated into the Circles model to provide a structured class before matching Circles Leaders with Allies.  The decade spanning 2013-2023 has seen Circles USA embrace change and reorganization at the national level. In 2013, Circles USA received an award from the University of Michigan Ross Business School that would provide four full-time MBA students in a seven-week study of Circles. The purpose of the research was to provide recommendations for stabilizing and expanding Circles. The team solicited input from Circles staff, Circles USA board members, and the National Leadership Team. They also researched best practices of long-standing and successful national nonprofit associations to determine their recommendations for Circles.   The report was reviewed by two separate business consultants who volunteered to refine the recommendations and offer opinions on what next steps should be. Surveys were collected from 46 Circles coaches and coordinators, which was 41% of the 111 total Circles staff in the network at that time. Based on recommendations from the University of Michigan team and our Board, Circles USA prepared a capacity building proposal to the Walmart Foundation and received $500,000 to enhance training curriculum, database and communication systems, and organizational development changes. This period saw a shift away from chapter “advisory councils” and towards today’s Resource Team model, bringing a volunteer-centered approach and more sustainable and dynamic expression of the Circles model. Also in this period, CUSA Board Chair Joan Kuriansky authored a policy platform addressing six key issues our chapters flagged as high priority for poverty alleviation, including quality jobs, the “cliff effect” (a phenomenon which occurs when a pay raise at work triggers a disproportionate loss of government assistance), broadband access, healthcare, housing, and transportation. It also emphasizes Circles USA’s commitment to addressing the structural biases that unjustly affect people of color and other historically marginalized communities. Today, Circles USA comprises more than 76 communities. In the United States, our presence spans 23 states, 49 counties, and 20 cities with populations of 100,000. There are 16 Circles locations in Ontario, Canada.  Circles USA and the Circles model are continuously evolving as the membership grows and develops more effective approaches to supporting families out of poverty while addressing systemic barriers to self-sufficiency.  “In 2023, we’re deepening and expanding our model. 25 years is barely enough to make a dent in the economic hardships many Americans face—yet I’m proud of how far our network has come in this time. Circles USA is growing our reach and our impact to create significant changes across the country as we continue building community to end poverty.” —Kamatara Johnson, Executive Director, Circles USA To find a local chapter or learn how Circles USA can make a difference in your community, visit https://www.circlesusa.org or contact gena@circlesusa.org .

The Tsuha Foundation, a California-based private organization that envisions a more equitable world, has honored Circles as a Featured Grantee on their website. Tsuha is known for its support of anti-poverty nonprofits whose theories of change, like CUSA’s, center on transformative relationships and systemic change.  In 2019, Tsuha awarded to Circles its annual Breaking the Cycle Award, which celebrates the organization that has best used its funding to interrupt the cycle of poverty. Foundation representatives noted: “Circles USA works at both a grassroots and systems level to achieve measurable results toward poverty elimination. The Tsuha Foundation admires how Circles USA exemplifies its values of respect, accountability, and engagement to create lasting change for the people and communities affected by poverty.” Operating from a mission to alleviate poverty using “trust-based philanthropy,” Tsuha believes that, too often, foundations get in the way of nonprofits doing the work they know best. This can slow down progress, perpetuate inequities, and obstruct nonprofit growth and innovation. Tsuha’s trust-based philanthropy reimagines that dynamic, building a world in which funders authentically partner with grantees in a spirit of service. Read more about Tsuha’s principle of trust-based philanthropy here . Tsuha grantees include organizations and initiatives that come alongside low-income people to break the cycle of poverty. Where appropriate, they provide grantees with professional support in addition to monetary funding. Critically, the foundation resources the production of documentaries that build empathy and understanding across lines of difference. Circles’ 2022 film series— nine short documentary films produced by Board member Jennifer Pelling—was created with generous support from the Tsuha Foundation showcases the stories, journeys, and relationships of Circles USA participants across the nation. [Source: https://www.tsuhafoundation.org/ ]

Circles USA had the fortune to sit down with two special alumnae from Circles Jackson County, in Sylva, North Carolina. Here, Evalee and Mary Anne describe how CUSA’s system of building social capital to end poverty has changed their lives—and their community—for the better. Meet Evalee and Mary Anne, from Jackson County in North Carolina. Evalee is a Circle Leader navigating life with a disability. Mary Anne is a volunteer ally who has come alongside Evalee as an encourager and intentional friend in her journey out of poverty. When Evalee and Mary Anne first met, Evalee was experiencing homelessness and living at a shelter. Through Circles, Evalee has learned how to budget and save her money. Now she lives independently in her own apartment. Mary Anne shared with us, “Evalee is just amazing. [She] pays all her own bills now, she’s managing her own money, she has her own apartment. She has become extremely self-sufficient. She’s just come so far, she really has.” But Circles hasn’t just helped Evalee develop her innate financial skills. She’s also found a strong sense of community at the chapter’s weekly gatherings. “I really love being there. I go every Tuesday night. It makes me feel good, they’re good people. I love them all, ‘cause they’re my friends,” Evalee said. Evalee is well-loved by everyone at the chapter. Dawn Neatherly, Executive Director of Circles of Jackson County, told us that Evalee often brings crafts and small gifts for everyone at the chapter. “She is a bright spot in my life,” said Mary Anne. “Evalee is so upbeat. So kind and loving, so generous.”  Evalee chimed in, saying: “[Mary Anne] is a great friend. I wouldn’t trade her for the world.” “I’ve really learned a lot from Evalee and her disability, how resilient and strong she is… it’s lovely to be invited into that, as a partner and as an equal. I’ve given, but I’ve also gotten so much back in terms of my understanding about our country and the world we live in,” said Mary Anne. Though the pair have completed their initial commitment with CUSA, they remain close friends. They’re even developing a side business selling handmade jewelry! We asked Evalee if she has any big dreams, now that she has some money saved up. She told us: “My dream was to go to Dollywood, and believe it or not, I’m going on April 3rd!” She’s also going back to school to pursue her GED—and setting aside savings for a new computer. According to DataUSA, 21.6% of Jackson County’s population lives below the poverty line. Circles of Jackson County’s mission is to provide the short- and long-term support that enables these families to move into self-sustainability [source: https://www.circlesofjacksoncounty.com/ ]. But the key to the chapter’s effectiveness, said Mary Anne, isn’t building economic capital alone; it’s building social capital through quality time, empathy, and interests. “It’s just a really good group of people from all different walks of life, hanging out as equals and friends. I think in this country we all sort of live in our little silos, socio-economically. And the thing about Circles is, we’re just all there together, helping each other. So it’s really a great equalizer.” —————————- To learn more about the extraordinary power of Circle Leader-Ally relationships, visit Circles USA’s Lives Transformed page , or watch our complete suite of new documentary film shorts on YouTube.

Circles USA’s national community of practice will convene at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando, FL, from October 16-19, 2023. Together we’ll share best practices, showcase innovations, and foster inspiration. Interested in learning more about the Circles initiative? Join our Inquiry Track on Monday night and throughout Tuesday, October 16-17. Your special registration covers the following Inquiry Track sessions designed for you: Monday night welcome reception from 5:30-7:30 pm Tuesday conference from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Welcome and keynote speaker Circles 101 Breakout Session Elements of a Healthy Chapter Breakout Session Lunch Community Leadership Breakout Session Tuesday night Circles Weekly Meeting from 6:00 to 8:00 pm ET  Dinner with community members and participants Community building activities related to the mission of Circles This is an excellent opportunity to meet local, regional, and national leaders from the Circles USA community of practice, spanning coast-to-coast but all in one place for one inspirational event. Register here Learn more about the 2023 CUSA Leadership Conference here Learn more about Circles USA : To learn how CUSA is building community to end poverty, watch the complete 2022 CUSA documentary series on the Circles USA YouTube Channel or visit our blog . Contact : For questions, please contact CUSA National Membership Coordinator: Gena Atcher at gena@circlesusa.org .

DEEPENING AND EXPANDING CIRCLES Circles USA’s national community of practice will convene at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando, FL, from October 16-19, 2023. Together we’ll share best practices, showcase innovations, and foster inspiration.  The conference begins with an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, October 16, and ends at noon on Thursday, October 19. More than 150 people are expected to attend, including Circles chapter staff and volunteers, individuals overcoming poverty, funders, policy makers, and national partners.  The conference will highlight Circles USA’s local, statewide, and national efforts to end poverty. Breakout sessions will include a variety of topics, such as:  Understanding the Intersection of Poverty and Mental Health Trauma Sensitive Approaches to Circles Supporting Spanish-Speaking Circles Hosting a Cliff Effect Symposium in your Community Leadership Pathways for Circles Leaders Self-Care and Mental Health for Circles Staff and Champions Cultural Competencies and Unconscious Bias Empathy Tools for Systemic Change Emerging Trends in Philanthropy Additional offerings include attending a weekly meeting on Tuesday night with the local Circles chapter, optional lunch on Thursday after the conference, and the Cost of Poverty Experiment (COPE) poverty simulation Thursday afternoon facilitated by Poverty Solutions Group .   Conference Registration Discounted Hotels: 1. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Orlando-Ocoee East 7474 W. Colonial Dr. Orlando, FL 32818 $117+ tax. Includes breakfast and free parking. CALL 407-290-2710 to reserve your room using “Circles USA room block October 16-19.” 2. Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando Ocoee 10971 West Colonial Dr. Ocoee, FL, 34761 $159+ tax. Includes breakfast and free parking. Use this link to book your room Conference Location:   St. Luke’s United Methodist Church 4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road Orlando, FL 32819 Phone: 407.876.4991 Fax: 407.876.6495 Web: https://www.st.lukes.org/   Conference Registration New to Circles?  If you’d like to attend a portion of the CUSA 2023 Leadership Conference, we have a special Inquiry Track just for you. Learn more here .  Contact : For questions, please contact CUSA Membership Coordinator Gena Atcher at gena@circlesusa.org .

Recently we had the joy of speaking with Noumoua Lynaolu , known to our CUSA community as the very first Circle Leader. From Laos to California to Iowa and back to California again, Noumoua and her family have lived several lifetimes’ worth of growth and challenge. Speaking over Zoom, Noumoua reflected on how her willingness to be vulnerable among strangers—not to mention her experience with CUSA founder Scott Miller—transformed her life more than 20 years ago.  “Even though we were ‘on the lower rung,’the truth is I never went without what I needed.”  “My mom and dad supported us traveling on the arts and craft circuit all throughout the Southwest,” Noumoua told us. “I was born in Albuquerque and raised in California. That area has a lot of nostalgia for me and always tugs on my heart. So when I [re-]connected with Scott Miller a few weeks ago, it was kind of full circle in more ways than one. Me coming back to my birth city and then connecting with Scott, who was a mentor and friend and Ally in what is now notoriously known as ‘the First Circle.’” Above all, she emphasized, “I’m American. My siblings are first generation and I’m second generation, technically: I’m the last of nine children. When my mom and dad came from Laos after the fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War, they came with my eight siblings. They all arrived here, and then I was born a few months later. So it’s interesting how that all works out.” Noumoua described the spectrum of gain and loss, both financial and cultural, her family has navigated as émigrés. “The Hmong people [an indigenous Southeast Asian culture with a U.S. population of roughly 327,000] have a long history of being from hill tribes and dealing with some extreme poverty. But what’s poverty in one community looks different than another, right? So ‘Americans’ might look at and say, ‘yeah, no toilet, no running water….’ But that part of the world was heavily influenced by the French occupation, and my father and uncles actually came from a lot of privilege. They were from a very educated family and had high status jobs—I had a doctor in the family! So I don’t think that we were the ‘average’ Hmong family. Even though we were ‘on the lower rung’ here in America, the truth is I never went without what I needed.  “In America,” Noumoua continued, “you get to really check out what that poverty looks like, right? Because then you’re dealing with assimilation, language barriers, gender imbalances and all that stuff. And then there’s me born here…. Of course I grew up looking different and being different. The Hmong people are historically agrarian-based people. They are known for slash-and-burn techniques. My mom and dad did a lot of gardening in California, and we always had food. We didn’t say, ‘oh, let’s go to the store and buy ourselves a steak.’ We said, ‘let’s go buy ourselves a cow and split it with the neighbors.’ And so we always had the basic stuff.”  “When I think of Circles, it’s like all the stars had to align. And some of those stars were less than appealing, but those are all part of the journey.” Noumoua was a single mom in her early twenties and a newcomer to Ames, Iowa, when she found a flier at the state’s Department of Human Assistance. That slip of paper helped her make a fateful connection: “I was living in subsidized housing. I was lucky enough my one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Arabesque and I were able to get a one-bedroom,” she said. “Then I finally made it to a Community Leadership Team meeting, which became known as our regular Thursday night dinner. That’s where the community would come together and break bread.” Noumoua’s first encounters with this pre-Circles cohort, Noumoua said, came at a time when “my goal was just to survive and to make sure my daughter was okay. And I didn’t really even know how that would be. I had no aspirations for school at that time—I had no aspirations. I just knew I needed a job. I needed to make sure I was okay. And mostly I wanted to get that car so that I wouldn’t have to deal with public transit. I never even realized that I didn’t have a dream, you know what I mean? I had never thought about it, because I was so distracted by just trying to survive that I never even thought about the future. It was kind of scary to think about the future…like, ‘please don’t mire me down with fantasies. I need to pay my bills. I need food on my table.’” She recalled that these early dinners “were almost always facilitated by Lois, who was one of the co-founders of Beyond Welfare and Community Team. You’d have Allies and participants there… I didn’t really notice that the allies were much better dressed because there weren’t cliques. Everybody was treated equal, so it was just one big group. Later on, I found out these ‘anybodies and everybodies’ were Allies, participants, young moms, single dads, people who were really, really struggling. There was [all] manner of distress and need. Yet there was also a moment where everybody just said, ‘Well, I have this to give,’ or ‘oh, I need this,’ or ‘if anybody knows this…’ And so that was a safe place to be vulnerable, or to share.” “On my first or second night, Scott [Miller] approached me and said, ‘Hey, my name is Scott. We have this new process… Is that something that would interest you?’ I really didn’t even know who he was, but somehow he just zeroed in on me. So that’s how it came to be: it was just two strangers meeting at a Community Leadership Team dinner.” Tune in next week for Part 2 of this conversation. ===== To learn more about the extraordinary power of Circle Leader-Ally relationships, visit Circles USA’s Lives Transformed page , or watch our complete suite of new documentary film shorts on YouTube.

Recently we had the joy of speaking with Noumoua Lynaolu, known to our CUSA community as the very first Circle Leader. From Laos to California to Iowa and back to California again, Noumoua and her family have lived several lifetimes’ worth of growth and challenge. Speaking over Zoom, Noumoua reflected on how her willingness to be vulnerable among strangers—not to mention her experience with CUSA founder Scott Miller—transformed her life more than 20 years ago. Read Part 1 of Noumoua’s interview here . “From the start, it was a circle. There were some guidelines set up about confidentiality and safety…just a spirit of caring. That laid the groundwork for what Circles would eventually become.”  CUSA founder Scott Miller’s offer to help Noumoua lay the groundwork for early Circle Leadership encouraged her to question what might be possible. “When you’re in the circle long enough,” she said, “and when you’ve dealt with some of the more urgent structures of life, then a natural question [comes] to be: What is it that you hope to have? Or what do you dream? If money wasn’t an obstacle or a car wasn’t a factor or whatever—if you could just do whatever you wanted—what was that ?” Noumoua explained that her circle’s developing structure gave her the freedom she needed to articulate her goals…and to establish new boundaries. “We’re talking about how to have hard conversations in a safe manner that doesn’t leave a legacy of lasting effects. When [people] come into something this formal, they need to have some guided thinking around it,” she insisted. “And not to ‘manipulate’ them, but to have some basis that says that everybody’s accountable to certain rules. That’s what trust is built on: consistency and sticking to those rules. And I think one of the valuable things is also having a safe place to say, okay, let’s just acknowledge the elephant in the room. Right? Obviously there’s something going on. There’s some tension. People are going to feel disappointed, they’re going to feel confused, frustrated, pensive. There’s a whole gamut of emotions when you’re intentionally building relationships.” Among the emotions Noumoua described was relief at the nonjudgmental support and welcome she often found within her circle. She recounted telling Scott Miller a difficult truth: “I didn’t have a high school diploma. He was like, ‘oh, okay, that’s it? Is that all it was?’ And for me, it was like this dirty little secret that I’d been harboring and hiding and just trying to manage. Yet being honest out loud and then having [the circle] say, ‘okay, well, what do we need to do?’ And just helping you, holding your hand and thinking through that kind of distress, was amazing.” “It really did make a world of difference for me.” Over her next decade building intentional, complex relationships as a Circle Leader, Noumoua found the capacity and resources to ask big-picture questions about life. Her collaboration with early Circles members led to community programming to equip single parents with cars, revitalization of old neighborhood playground equipment, and more productive relationships with local property management companies. Her daughter Arabesque is now a 22-year-old student whom Noumoua described as “a compassionate being…very aware of social issues and also her privilege.” Still, she expressed ambivalence about pat “success” narratives, observing instead that success is a goalpost which tends to shift as we mature. “I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve achieved all that I wanted to, but I’m alive. I’m here, still in the throes of survival, and survival looks different at different junctures of your life. One of the reasons I came back [to Iowa] was to take a breather and to do some life introspection about where my next steps are. In some ways, [it was] going full circle again, right? Coming back to where I first felt intelligent. This is where I first started learning how to write grants and working with boards and the community.” Struck by Noumoua’s expression of confidence in her abilities, we asked what she would say to newbies or potential Circle Leaders who are not feeling their full worth.  Noumoua replied: “If someone is habitually feeling like they don’t know their worth, just like it didn’t happen overnight, it’s not going to go away overnight. But creating a sense of awareness is definitely going to be the first step. Because when it doesn’t feel natural to think well of oneself, it’s going to take practice to break that pattern of negative thinking or habits.  “Definitely one of the fundamental things that really helped me to get a better grasp on my part in the circle, and in the larger community, was not qualifying my contributions based on money,” she continued. “I didn’t feel like I had a lot to give. And yet there were things that I did in my circle that seemed to do something else . So, like, for instance, while I’m not the great cook in my family, apparently in Iowa I was a great cook! When I had my first cohort of people that helped me move, I made a handmade dinner. From scratch. And I invited all the movers to come in and have a meal with me. Recognizing that my contributions were valuable where they were ‘at’ was huge, because I didn’t have a bunch of money to give.  “But I had skills, I had kindness, and I had a lot to share.” ===== To learn more about the extraordinary power of Circle Leader-Ally relationships, visit Circles USA’s Lives Transformed page , or watch our complete suite of new documentary film shorts on YouTube.

Lynette Fields (Executive Director, Poverty Solutions Group , Wintergarden, FL) and Janis Albergotti (Missions Director of, Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church and Executive Director of CIRCLES Lexington County, SC), two Circles chapter champions in two different states, recently co-presented the CUSA model at a missions conference in The Woodlands, TX. The event, Beyond These Walls 2023, gathered an expert pool of faith-based organizers, mission directors, and theologians to share knowledge and stories from their institutions to deepen their impact in the world. Lynette and Janis’s session was aptly titled “Circles USA: Building Community To End Poverty.” The session description offers an overview of CUSA’s methodology, goals, and best practices from our national network: The Circles USA mission has always been to inspire and equip families and communities to thrive and resolve poverty. We believe strongly that responsibility for both poverty and prosperity rests not only in the hands of individuals, but also with societies, institutions, and communities. It’s the underlying foundation of the Circles model – engage people and organizations in the community to end poverty. The Circles model was developed after the organization discovered that social service agencies could reach only a small portion of the population living in poverty with real long-term solutions. Since that time, Circles has worked to address poverty by increasing the capacity of communities. Our approach combines best practices in several disciplines including community organizing, case management, grassroots leadership, S.M.A.R.T. goal setting, financial literacy, mentoring, peer-to-peer counseling and learning, and child/youth development. “It was such a new endeavor for both of us,” said Lynette, “creating this joint presentation and pulling all the pieces together. …I do believe attending national and international events like this [is] very beneficial to Circles USA. We had lots of good conversations and interest. And whether or not churches launch chapters or not, maybe they will keep their eyes open for opportunities to partner with Circles in some way. And it was really FUN to work with Janis and her awesome team!” Janis agreed that the partnership was beneficial and praised her partner: “Lynette was instrumental in helping us get Circles Lexington County [SC] up and running. We met at one of the CUSA annual conferences and realized early on that our stories aligned. Lynette worked at St. Luke’s UMC in Florida and I was the missions director at Mt. Horeb UMC. “Lynette already had several years’ experience leading a Circles chapter when we started ours in South Carolina,” she continued. “She was willing to offer advice and share her experience to aid us in getting off to a strong start. A mutual friend invited us to lead a breakout together at Beyond These Walls. It was a joy to serve with Lynette and share what we know about CUSA with those who attended.” Circles USA is proud to partner with the United Methodist Church, one of many national organizations that support local Circles chapters in their commitment to good works in the greater community.  For more information on Circles USA, watch our new short documentary film “What is Circles?” or contact National Membership Coordinator Gena Atcher at gena@circlesusa.org .

Circles Salt Lake (Salt Lake, UT) was recently selected by the Circles USA national office to “star” in our upcoming training video series. The video series, conceived and produced by board member Jennifer Pelling and independent film director Brian Lawes, is the result of the duo’s years-long collaboration making films and videos for nonprofit organizations. In this latest video, prospective chapters can access a virtual “tour” of an existing chapter to experience the weekly meeting.  “Weekly meetings are the heart of Circles USA,” said Executive Director Kamatara Johnson. “They’ve always been our most powerful tool for delivering our transformational services and community-building. The best way to understand what Circles does is to attend a meeting, but that is not possible for many people. So this video was created, not only as a training video, but also as an accessible resource for those hoping to learn more about CUSA.” Circles Salt Lake was one of three groups among 61 candidate chapters selected as finalists for the “feature role.” “We are so grateful for the recognition by Circles USA,” said Circles Salt Lake Executive Director Michelle Crawford. “It is always an incredible honor to reciprocate their support of us and contribute to the expanded Circles community. And we are over the moon grateful for our Circles Salt Lake community!” Crawford reported that the chapter’s Circle Leaders, families, and volunteer team welcomed the filmmakers “warmly,” enduring the slight inconveniences of lighting and cameras in order to show their support “not just for our chapter, but future chapters of Circles.”  Participants described the filming process as “purposeful” and were gratified by the crew’s respect for Circles Salt Lake’s safe community spaces. Jennifer Pelling shared, “Brian and I have been fortunate to film seven amazing chapters over the past year and a half. What we particularly loved about Circles Salt Lake was the atmosphere of competence, positivity, and support. Everyone we met had a calm, can-do energy. It was a joy to meet Michelle, Kelli, Britanee and the fantastic Circle Leaders, Allies, and volunteers at their beautiful location in Salt Lake City!” Said Crawford of the experience: “Circles Salt Lake, I appreciate you for continually showing up, providing a warm, welcoming, safe and comfortable space and setting an example of what can be done when a community comes together.” The training videos showcasing Circles Salt Lake will be available to the CUSA network later in 2023. To watch CUSA’s new suite of short documentary films produced by Jennifer Pelling, visit our YouTube channel or our blog .

Caitlin and Capri, a married couple, are Circle Leaders at Circles Sauk Prairie, WI. We recently had the joy of hearing from them and their Allies about their CUSA journey. Both Caitlin and Capri come from families experiencing generational poverty. Like many people raised without financial literacy tools, they felt permanently stuck in survival mode. They joined Circles USA to break that cycle, rewrite harmful narratives about money, and build thriving futures for themselves and their family. “We wanted to change our family tree,” they told us, “and we soon realized that the change needed to begin with us. We learned early on that in order to see growth, we would have to get very uncomfortable. No one could have prepared us for the things we were about to experience after entering Circles.” When the couple completed their Circles training, Circles staff matched them with three Allies: Marilyn, Jim, and Collin. “[Circles] directly put us in the lives of others who came from a very different background than us and all of our friends,” the couple noted. “We still had the survival mentality at this point. Our Allies, on the other hand, absolutely did not. They were all in a very different place in their lives. They were, in fact, where [we] longed to be.”  Together, the Circle of five started to make changes that would move Capri and Caitlin towards financial security and help them reach their goals. Capri began a career as a union electrician. He has been excelling and growing tremendously over the years, showing “hard work and dedication to his craft,” according to Marilyn. Caitlin also made strides in her work life, pivoting to a career that afforded her more independence, a lighter schedule, and a healthier, more gratifying work environment. As a result, she has been able to spend more time with her family, taking her kids to school in the morning and being there when they get home. Jim tells us that these “four beautiful, happy, well-adjusted kids… are the center of Caitlin’s and Capri’s world.” When Caitlin and Capri bought a home, their Allies supported them through all of the new challenges and questions that came with the milestone—from building a budgeting system to managing big home improvement projects. “[Our Allies] are always there to answer our questions no matter how silly they seemed. They are there with patience and guidance. They may not have all the answers we need; but they are willing to put in the time and effort to help us which in itself means so much to us,” the couple shared.  And when the two got married, their Allies were right by their sides: from the early stages of planning the wedding to helping them get ready on the big day. The ceremony was even officiated by their Ally, Jim! “They’ve become more than just Allies to us,” Caitlin and Capri told us. “They have become friends and mentors that hold a very special place in our hearts. It was amazing that people we barely knew were willing to go the extra mile for our family. They have really stepped up to the plate to teach total strangers how to grow and be prosperous. Their generosity and patience has inspired us to want to be a resource to others.” To learn how Circles USA matches Circle Leaders with Allies to grow social capital, visit our blog or watch our new short documentary film, Lives Transformed Video Spotlight: Asking For Help | Yakilin’s Story .

Circle Leaders are at the heart of CUSA’s work, and centering our 2023 Leadership Conference around the voices of those with lived experiences of poverty is vital. To that end, Circles USA invites Circle Leaders, past or present, to share their stories, testimonials, and messages of inspiration in the form of mini-keynote talks. You can submit yours via video recording, or—for the adventurous spirits in our network—we welcome in-person talks at our leadership conference in Orlando, FL from October 16-19! Your mini-keynote should be 10 minutes or under. Looking for inspiration? Share how the Circles experience has:  changed your knowledge or perspective of poverty/prosperity,  improved your skills,  helped you reach your personal goals, or  empowered you to share your unique voice.  Bonus points for using our 2023 theme: Deepening and Expanding ! CUSA is offering $100 gift cards for each recording that we select OR free conference registration if delivered live and in-person at our October event. To apply, please share a draft* of your video with Kamatara ( kamatara@circlesusa.org ) by August 31, 2023. * ” Draft” quality is using your cell phone to share your talk—no concerns about the background, lighting, or audio quality, as long as we can see and hear you. If you are selected, then we may ask you to re-record your talk to improve production quality. We can provide tips to help you record your video to best effect. What makes a great mini-keynote? A sincere, engaging talk should be: Natural – Use your own rhythm and language, and don’t be afraid to keep it simple. Concise – This is the “mini” part! Submissions over 10 minutes will not be considered, so use your time wisely. Thoughtful – Take a few moments to reflect on your genuine feelings, ideas, and memories of your CUSA journey. Sometimes big change shows up in tiny ways, so dig deep and remember that we aren’t looking for tales of miraculous wealth and Instagram-worthy perfection. We just want you to speak from your heart.  Each year, our Lives Transformed featured Circle Leaders embody this courage and vulnerability by sharing unforgettable testimonials of their Circles journeys. Check out their stories in written form ; or listen to Yakilin , April , Ashon , and Pam recount their experiences in our new suite of short videos . Still making plans for our 2023 Leadership Conference? Register today , or contact Administrative Coordinator Gena Atcher at gena@circlesusa.org for more information.