CNN Feature on Circles!

Follow this link to watch a feature CNN did on one of our local Circles sites:  http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2011/09/23/pkg-romans-circles-poverty.cnn?iref=allsearch

What We Learned Along the Way



So we have now had a few weeks to process the Faces of Circles Tour and put our thoughts together.  This has not been as easy of a task as we had originally thought.  Over the course of the trip we traveled over 3,300 miles, conducted almost 50 interviews, saw 14 states, and visited 8 Circles sites in 8 very different communities.  Trying to boil all of it down into a few concise paragraphs seems like an insurmountable challenge.  Nevertheless, here are some things we learned: 

1.  Circles Creates Community

At every weekly meeting we visited we saw smiles, hugs, and laughter.  People who had no connection outside of Circles genuinely enjoyed one another's company.  One couple going through Getting Ahead told us, "Our favorite days of the week are Thursday and Sunday:  Circles and Church."  Many Getting Ahead participants and Circle Leaders have a common obstacle they must overcome to meet their goals:  isolation.  Not only are they unaware or unable to attain the resources necessary to step out of poverty, they often have no encouragement, no accountability, and no one who will simply sit and listen to their struggles.  Circles doesn't simply provide people who want to help.  It brings together those who are going through the same issues.  In each community we saw a tight-knit group that had formed as a result.  It was not uncommon for us to hear the word "family" associated with other Circles members.  With ties like this created, we realized Circles won't be going away in any of these places.

2.  Circles is Adaptable

The Jackson, Mississippi metro area has a population of over 500,000 people.  Baldwin, Louisiana is home to 2,500.  There are Circles communities in each of them.  Wilkes County, North Carolina sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Springfield, Ohio lies between Dayton and Columbus and is surrounded by the corn and bean fields that typify the Midwest.  There are Circles communities in each of them.  The chamber of commerce in Albany, Georgia acts as the lead organization for Circles there, while Pensacola, Florida's Circles community is run by Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida.  From geography to economic drivers to city size, these places are drastically different.  But the Circles initiative has made headway in each community.  While programs often struggle to adapt to a new location due to a host of variables, Circles tackles the universal issue of human relationship.  This allows it to function in vastly different locations...and it's functioning well. 

3.  Circles is Crossing Class and Racial Lines

At almost every site, one of our interviews included some variation of the phrase, "I had never had a friend like (fill in the blank) before."  People in each of these communities are bravely stepping out of their comfort zones to try intentional friendship with those different from themselves.  In each Circles campaign we listened to Circle leaders tell us how their allies were teaching them what it was like to function in a middle-class world; and then we heard story after story from allies of the way their Circle Leaders were inspiring them.  In many cases, we talked with people who had never met an individual from a different socio-economic background.  Circles is providing an avenue for these friendships, and it not only fosters new relationships but is shattering stereotypes all over the country. 

4.  Circles is Asking Tough Questions

In Baldwin, Louisiana there are train tracks that divide the town in half.  The majority of the social services, including the fire and police departments, are located on one side of those tracks.  If a particularly long train is passing through, one side of town is cut off from assistance.  In Pensacola, Florida the city has made efforts to move a homeless shelter out of the downtown area and away from the eyes of the tourist population.  In Albany, Georgia a neighborhood with staggering poverty is 96% African-American.  These issues, and similar ones at the other sites we visited, were brought to our attention by members of the local Circles community members.  While they are focused on intentional relationships, they are refusing to ignore the systemic issues that plague their community as a whole.  Each site addresses these issues in their own way, but the issues are being addressed.  And they are starting to affect change.

5.  Circles is Working

Perhaps the most encouraging part of our two-week tour was hearing about the victories.  We met Circle leaders who were first-time home owners, eliminating credit card debt, and coming completely off public assistance.  There were others who were going to college for the first time, or finding a stable job, or opening their first savings account.  And there was the other side.  Middle-class community members told us how Circles had changed the way they thought about poverty and provided them with an opportunity that had enriched their lives.  Several allies told us how their Circle leader was helping them far more than they were helping their Circle leaders.  And these reciprocal relationships are changing the way their communities are thinking about poverty.  They believe they can end it.  After all, they are seeing it everyday. 



Longview Video

Check out what the people of Longview had to say about Circles of East Texas!

Bloomington Wrap-up

We give our concluding thoughts on our trip to Bloomington, Indiana to visit the Monroe County Circles Initiative.  

Site #8: Bloomington, Indiana

We returned to the Midwest for our final stop on the Faces of Circles Tour.  Bloomington turned out to be a very unique stop for us.  On the day we visited, Monroe County Circles was hosting a regional Community of Practice that involved five other sites in Indiana.  As a result we were able to interview Allies and Circle Leaders from all over the state.  Another unique aspect to this trip is the nature of Bloomington itself: the city is home to over 40,000 Indiana University students.  Along with all of the history, culture, and prestige that come from hosting a major state university, the faculty, staff, and alumni that live in the area help produce the most educated and community-engaged population we visited on our tour.  Consequently, Bloomington has a low crime rate and is considered one of the top town's in the country to which someone might retire (Money Magazine).  

But not all is perfect in Monroe County.  The poverty rate in 2008 was almost 21%, about eight points higher than the state average.  While social services are available within Bloomington, the rural area that makes up the majority of the county has limited access to these resources.  A lack of public transportation and minimal-education job opportunities create real barriers for those living outside the city.  And despite the positives that come with the presence of the university, the demand for student lodging drives up the prices in the area, making affordable housing a serious issue for low-income residents.  This, along with other issues, can create resentment for the student population from local residents.  

In spite of all this, Monroe County Circles is helping people overcome barriers in Bloomington and beyond.  Having graduated four Getting Ahead classes, they have successfully matched three of them with Allies. Many graduates have three to four Allies.  Their Circle Leaders are graduating from college, buying their own homes, and finding jobs that provide some stability in their lives.  Moreover, Circle Leaders and Allies alike have found a real sense of community in their local initiative which supports and encourages them in their journey together.  While many Circle Leaders have a lot of work to do to accomplish their goals, they are confident, knowing they don't have to do it alone.  

Footage from Jackson

Here are some of the wonderful people we spoke with in Jackson, Mississippi.  We are still working to get through our footage from Longview and Bloomington...but we're getting there.  Keep checking back for more!

Longview Wrap-up

Our last wrap-up video from the road trip portion of our tour.  Tomorrow we will be in Bloomington, Indiana for our 8th and final stop!  Check back for updates from our unique visit in Bloomington.

Site #7: Longview, Texas



The final tour stop before the team heads back to Springfield took us 280 miles west of Jackson into East Texas.  Longview, another mid-sized American town, grew up around the oil boom.  It is home to 78,000 people, three school districts, and two very different sides of the city.  While the north side of town is mostly prosperous, South Longview is much more impoverished.  Very few businesses operate in an area with a much denser populations.  Fewer grocery stores and an abundance of pay-day lenders mark the area.  70% of the students in the Longview School District receive free or reduced lunch.  Residents struggle to find decent paying jobs with minimal education.  When a local brewery relocated around ten years ago, the city lost a considerable amount of tax revenue. 

In light of these issues, the city of Longview, through a program called Partners in Prevention, took on the Circles initiative in 2008.  They have graduated four Getting Ahead classes to this point and will soon be matching their most recent class with allies.  Their Circle Leaders are working class citizens who have found a community of support and strength in the initiative led by Holly Fuller and Lyndell McAllister.  Partners in Prevention also has a unique Circles community that they forged in partnership with Longview.  15 city employees were referred and have been active participants in their own Getting Ahead class and Circles community.  Fuller and McAllister are pleased with the progress being made by their Circle Leaders and the growth of the Allies who are partnered with them.  Together they are looking for ways to tackle the systemic issues that people in poverty need to overcome in Longview.  These obstacles look overwhelming at times, but with the support of the city government and the camaraderie they have found with one another, this Circles community has found hope. 

More Footage from Pensacola, FL!

Here is a short video from our time in Pensacola, FL.  Thank you to everyone we met and took the time to talk and interview with us. 

Jackson Wrap-up

Here are our concluding thoughts from our visit to Jackson, Mississippi.  Later today we will have a post or two from Longview, Texas.  

Site #6: Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson was the penultimate stop on the road trip portion of our Circles tour.  The capital of Mississippi was by far the largest city we have visited, with over 500,000 people living in the metro area.  While most sites have been in smaller cities or rural counties, Jackson had a true urban feel to it.  The further one travels from a busy, bustling downtown, the more prevalent the rent-to-own retailers and check-cashing predatory lenders become.  “Juice stores” mark the lower-income areas, where cigarettes and liquor can be bought on tab and taken out of the paycheck which is cashed on site.  Many businesses are surrounded by barbed wire fences.  The better paying jobs are located in the suburbs beyond the reach of public transportation and therefore inaccessible to city residents without reliable vehicles.

It is in this environment that Voice of Calvary Ministries took root in 1975.  VOCM has been dedicated to rebuilding the community by rebuilding the lives of its individuals.  Because of their commitment to community development and a refusal to provide services that simply treat symptoms of poverty, VOCM adopted the Circles initiative in 2010.  They are preparing to graduate their second Getting Ahead class at the end of May.  Cynthia Hobbs, the Circles Coordinator at Voice of Calvary, believes the most difficult challenge ahead of their community is changing the mindset regarding poverty.  Among many families in Mississippi, poverty extends all the way back to slavery.  This reality creates an enormous gulf between those who live outside of poverty and those who have never known anything else.  Additionally, Jackson deals with the separation existing from racial tensions not uncommon in southern cities.

Despite these obstacles, Hobbs believes that her Circle Leaders have the ability to reach their goals and move out of poverty.  Circles has connected them with allies who are bankers, nurses, professors, and social service providers respectively.  Because of Voice of Calvary Ministries’ long-standing partnerships in the community, Circle Leaders have access to resources that were previously unknown to them.  Although the initiative is fairly young, the staff is encouraged with what they are seeing and hoping the evidence from their initiative will help change the mindset of a struggling city.

More footage from Baldwin!

Here is a short video that captures some of the footage from Baldwin, LA.   

Baldwin Wrap-Up

Check out our thoughts from our stop in Baldwin, LA. 

Site #5: Baldwin, Louisiana

We are off the beach and into the swamp!  The Faces of Circles Tour has moved along to Baldwin, Louisiana in St. Mary’s Parish.  The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has a depot in Baldwin that ships health kits to places affected by disaster or extreme poverty all over the world.  Since the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the UMCOR Sager Brown Campus has been working in Southern Louisiana to alleviate poverty.  A small compound on the bayou houses volunteers from all over the country that come to package relief kits internationally and offer a hand locally. 

The task is enormous in St. Mary’s Parish.  In the various towns making up the community the poverty rate starts at 23%.  30% of Charenton residents, which is home to a Native American Reservation, live below the poverty line.  Trailer parks surround the sugar cane fields and casinos, which are a major source of low-wage employment.  Those who do well own the cane fields, work on off-shore oil rigs, or teach.  But teaching jobs are limited, drilling work keeps men out of the community, and those who own the cane fields have a vested interest in keeping better jobs out of the parish, which would force them to raise their pay to the field workers.  Those who do find work in the fields are only seasonally employed.  When a new grocer opened in the community, there were 400 applicants for 28 positions. 

In light of all of this, UMCOR decided relief from poverty was not enough and took on the Circles model last fall.  Still a fledgling campaign, they will graduate their first class of Getting Ahead members at the end of this month.  Richard LeGrier, the Louisiana Circles Coordinator, has been working in the community to find support for his soon-to-be-graduates.  Tuesday evening he hosted a promotional meeting for the initiative which the mayors of Baldwin and neighboring Franklin attended.  As Circles looks to gain traction in the swamp, there is a community that is optimistic it can provide some real change.  

Sorry...we've missed you too.

Sorry for the long delay between posts.  Tuesday we visited Baldwin, Louisiana; Thursday we spent the day in Jackson, Mississippi; and we are now headed west to Texas to meet the Circles community in Longview.  We will try to get some thoughts about both Baldwin and Jackson up on the blog today.  Thanks for your patience.  

Site #4: Pensacola, Florida

Yesterday morning we arrived in Pensacola, Florida for our fourth overall site visit.  Like every city and county we’ve visited, this place is rich in history.  Pensacola claims to be the first European settlement in the United States, older than Jamestown and Plymouth Rock.  The City of Five Flags (it has been occupied by five different nations throughout its history) was established in 1559 and became strategic military point.  To this day it hosts a naval air station.  However, one geographical aspect of Pensacola and Escambia County sets it apart from the other places we have visited:  it is a beach community. 

The white sand and clear blue water in Northwestern Florida bring tourists from all over the country to the area.  Poverty, which affects one in four children in the county, is kept out of the public eye.  Haley Richards, the current Circles Coordinator in Escambia County for Catholic Charities of Northwestern Florida, suggests this is not an accident and is a major obstacle for people trying to improve their lives.  Because visitors bring such an economic boost to communities like this one, the city has made waterfront development a priority.  Part of that process was a concerted effort to relocate a homeless shelter away from the downtown area.    Richards shared that certain chamber of commerce members talk about driving routes that avoid poorer areas when showing visitors the city.  Public transportation may take community members to the jail or public assistance offices, but their routes do not extend to the local attractions which cater to the middle-class residents and residents.

In this environment Bridges to Circles is working to make a difference.  25 Circle Leaders are working on their goals, while 9 more are waiting to be matched with allies.  Over 75 people attend the weekly meetings.  Another local non-profit, Pathways for Change, runs a re-entry program that prepares ex-offenders to enter society.  They are then plugged into Bridges to Circles. In light of their work in the community, the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors has awarded Catholic Charities of Northwestern Florida a $3.5 million grant, part of which will be used to sustain Circles and plant another site in Panama City. 

With all of these encouraging signs of growth, Escambia County looks to have a bright future as long as Circles pushes the envelope for change. 



Pensacola Wrap-Up

The crew gives their impressions of our visit to Northwestern Florida.  Tomorrow we'll bring you some more comprehensive thoughts and hopefully a short video of what we found here.  Then we'll be back from Baldwin!  Stay tuned...

Welcome to Pensacola!

Carlos and Haley welcome us to Pensacola.  After taking the weekend off, the tour resumed in Northwestern Florida.  This is our third stop of the road trip portion of the tour, and it marks the first of four site visits this week.  We'll be posting our thoughts on this site soon and some more detailed info tomorrow. 

The Face of Albany, GA

Here is a video showing a few clips from our interviews in Albany, GA. 

Albany Wrap-Up

Watch here as we wrap up from our stop in Albany, GA.  We had a great tour of the city, and met many wonderful people involved in the Strive2Thrive Circles Campaign.