The Faces of Circles Tour has brought us to Wilkes County, North Carolina. We moved from a post-industrial, declining Midwestern town in Springfield to a small, rural community in the Appalachian Mountains. As we surveyed the signs of poverty (trailer parks, low-income housing, empty warehouses), we were surprised to find that Wilkes claims to have the highest number of millionaires per capita in the United States. Just a few short years ago, the unemployment rate in this community was 3%. Thanks to the Lowes Corporation and Holly Farms, along with North Wilkesboro Speedway, many people had made a substantial amount of wealth, and employment opportunities were plentiful. However, 15 years ago NASCAR pulled out of North Wilkesboro, removing a major economic contributor to the area. Six years ago Lowes relocated their headquarters to Mooresville, North Carolina, eliminating many of the mid to upper level jobs that provided a stable source of income. In the words of Ed McKinney, pastor of Arbor Grove United Methodist Church, "All the things we know...have moved out." A community proud of its entrepreneurial heritage is now seeking to redefine itself.
This is why Pastor McKinney is a big advocate of Wilkes Circles of Care. As one of many community members who was concerned about the poverty in the county (spiking unemployment and 35% functional illiteracy), he found that Circles provides an interaction between the middle-class and low-income residents that did not exist previously. Of the 15 members who began the Getting Ahead class (the precursor to Circles) in March of 2010, 14 became Circle Leaders and remain matched with their Allies. Annette Snider, the Wilkes Circles Coordinator, sees these Circles members meeting their goals, expanding their social network, and beginning the process of finding their way out of poverty. Even though the opportunities are not as prevalent as they were in the past, Circles is helping people in this community bring about change that may have seemed impossible before.
Check back soon to see some of our interviews from Wilkes.
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