Circle of Friends

06/13/2026

This photo says something powerful without a single word. 💛

Many youth with disabilities have experienced a world that has not always understood them. They have endured repeated medical procedures, difficult transitions, communication barriers, exclusion, loss of control, and countless situations where decisions were made for them rather than with them.

Experiences like these can make trust difficult.

That is why strong, familiar, and consistent relationships matter.

At Circle of Friends, learning is about far more than academics. Before meaningful learning can happen, students need to know they are safe. They need to know they are seen. They need to know that the people around them will show up consistently, patiently, and without conditions.

The bond between students and their learning partners becomes the foundation for everything else: communication, confidence, emotional regulation, self-advocacy, independence, and growth.

This moment, captured during our end-of-year celebration, is a reminder that belonging is not built through programs alone. It is built through relationships. Through trust. Through the quiet reassurance that someone is in your corner.

When a child learns that they can trust others, they begin to trust themselves.

And that is where possibility begins. 🧡

Serving children and youth with complex disabilities in Oregon.

06/11/2026

🎓 BIG NEWS! 🎓

Our Circle of Belonging is growing.

Circle of Friends is thrilled to announce that, pursuant to ORS 336.635 and OAR 581-021-0072, we have officially received approval from the Oregon Department of Education for the 2026-2027 school year, and with that approval comes an exciting milestone: 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐊-𝟏𝟐.

What began as a vision to create a safe, inclusive, and specialized educational environment for children with complex disabilities has continued to grow alongside the needs of the families we serve. For years, families have asked the same question:

"What happens when my child gets older?"

Today, we are proud to say: 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬

Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, Circle of Friends will welcome students across all grade levels who benefit from our intimate, hands-on, medically informed, and relationship-centered approach to education.

This expansion is about more than adding grades. It is about creating continuity, preserving relationships, supporting transitions into adulthood, and ensuring that students with significant support needs have access to a learning environment where they are known, valued, and empowered to thrive.

For our current families, future families, district partners, staff, and supporters, thank you. Your belief in this mission has helped make this moment possible.

The next chapter of Circle of Friends is here, and we could not be more excited.

💛 Because every person has value.
🎓 Because every student deserves a place to belong.
🌱 Because our Circle of Belonging is still growing.

Creating opportunities for children & youth with complex disabilities, including the first-of-its-kind medically fragile classroom in Lane County.

06/09/2026

"We envision all the benefits that are achieved by giving to these basic needs and remember how the hard work of nonprofit organizations eases hard lives. It quiets me and I am once again aware of how much goodness there is in this world."
— Carma Mornarich, Executive Director, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Foundation

Today, we are feeling that goodness.

Circle of Friends is honored to be among the 87 organizations selected to receive funding through the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation's Spring 2026 grant cycle. We are deeply grateful for their investment in our students, families, and mission.

Every day, we see the impact of community support. We see it in a child who discovers a new way to communicate. We see it in a family that finally finds a place where they feel understood. We see it in moments of learning, friendship, belonging, and joy.

Carma's words remind us why this work matters. Behind every grant is a belief that people deserve opportunity, connection, and support. Behind every act of generosity is a vision for a stronger community.

To the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, thank you for believing in organizations that are working to make life better for others. Your support helps create a world where disability is not overlooked, but embraced.

And on days like today, it reminds us just how much goodness there is in this world. 💛

06/06/2026

💛 Because of You, Belonging Blooms. 💛

We are incredibly grateful to the Henry Lea Hillman, Jr. Foundation for its generous investment in Circle of Friends and the children, youth, and families we serve.

Support like this does more than fund programs. It creates opportunities. It opens doors. It helps ensure that children with disabilities have access to the specialized education, support, relationships, and experiences they deserve.

Every day, we witness what is possible when young people are surrounded by a community that believes in their value, their potential, and their right to belong. Partnerships like this help turn possibility into reality.

Thank you for believing in our students, our families, and our mission. Thank you for helping us build a world where disability is not overlooked, but embraced.

Because of you, belonging blooms. 🌻

06/05/2026

💙 Because of You, Belonging Blooms. 💙

At Circle of Friends, we often talk about the power of community. The idea that when people come together around a shared belief in inclusion, dignity, and opportunity, incredible things happen.

Today, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Affirm Cares for supporting our mission and investing in a future where children and youth with disabilities are seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

Your generosity helps create spaces where every child belongs, every voice matters, and every person is recognized for their unique gifts and potential.

Partnerships like yours remind us that building a more inclusive world is not something any one organization does alone. It takes a community of people willing to stand beside our youth and believe in what is possible.

Thank you for helping our Circle of Belonging continue to grow.

Because of you, belonging blooms. 🌻💛

06/04/2026

Join us for a night of learning as we explore meaningful ways to support differently abled children in foster care with Circle of Friends and CASA of Lane County in Cottage Grove. 💙

Learn how CASAs advocate in court for differently abled children in foster care and tour the Circle of Friends School and learn about the services they provide from the Executive Director. Refreshments will be provided.

For safety purposes, please email [email protected] to RSVP for this event and receive the Circle of Friends address in Cottage Grove.

06/02/2026

📸 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝑷𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆

For many families, school photo day is a simple tradition.

A picture tucked into a frame. A photo shared with grandparents. A snapshot that captures a moment in time before children grow, change, and become someone new.

For the families we serve at Circle of Friends, those moments matter just as much.

Recently, our students had their school photos taken, and the results were beautiful. Not because every smile was perfect or every child looked at the camera, but because each image captures something far more important: personality, dignity, joy, curiosity, resilience, and humanity.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆.

For some families, these portraits become treasured keepsakes. They hang on walls, sit on desks, travel to grandparents' homes, and become part of the visual history of a family.

We would love to provide professionally printed copies of these photographs to every family at no cost. If you'd like to help make that possible, please consider donating through Facebook today. Your gift will help cover printing costs so every family can receive these special memories to cherish for years to come.

Because every child deserves to be celebrated.
Because every family deserves to hold onto these moments.
𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 #𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐇𝐚𝐬𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞.💛

05/26/2026

A library built by community, for community. 💛📚

Circle of Friends is incredibly grateful to Springfield Public Library and the Pilcrow Foundation for their generous donation of books valued at more than $12,000. Because of this extraordinary gift, our youth and families now have access to a growing collection of stories, learning tools, and inclusive resources through our new “Stories for Every Body” library.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the incredible volunteers from PeaceHealth who spent 8 hours helping bring this vision to life. In just one day, they cataloged 602 books for our library shelves!

While we still have another 600 books waiting to be cataloged (volunteers are welcome! 👀), we are thrilled that this space is already becoming a place of imagination, learning, comfort, and belonging for the children and families we serve.

This project is a reminder that it truly takes a community to build opportunities for youth with disabilities. Every donated book, every volunteer hour, and every act of kindness helps create a world where every child has access to stories that reflect their worth, potential, and humanity.

Thank you for helping us turn pages toward belonging!

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

🟠 Help us educate more people about the beauty found within disability. Please like, comment, and share to help more people see it.
🤲🏽 If this message resonates with you, there are many ways to support and engage with our student community in whatever way feels meaningful. Learn more, donate, or volunteer: https://bit.ly/4pU4Dvf
💛

05/12/2026

💛 Calling all : A small monthly gift can go even further this week for Circle of Friends! 💛

From May 11–15, our online giving platform, Givebutter, is matching support by contributing an additional $10 donation for every new recurring donor who signs up to give at least $5/month.

That means:
✨ Your $5 monthly gift immediately becomes a $15 donation.
✨ You help provide stable, reliable support for youth with disabilities and their families.
✨ You help us continue expanding access to education, inclusion opportunities, and community programming across Lane County.

Recurring giving may seem small, but consistent support is what helps organizations like ours grow sustainably and plan boldly for the future. So if you’ve been looking for a simple way to support Circle of Friends, this is a beautiful opportunity to make an immediate difference.

Did you know that, throughout the week, students earn “school dollars” through participation, growth, and positive engagement, which they can then use to purchase items and experiences that are meaningful to them. Donations, like a monthly recurring donation of $5.00, help us keep our school store stocked with motivating and joyful items, like the puppy in this picture, giving students opportunities to work toward goals, build confidence, and celebrate success.

Visit https://bit.ly/CoFPhilanthropy to sign up for a monthly gift to Circle of Friends!

04/27/2026

Some miles are physical. Some are something more.

Today, Hannah, a member of ran the Eugene Marathon in support of Circle of Friends, carrying our kids with them every step of the way. When the race got hard, they didn’t stop. They leaned into purpose.

Here’s what they shared with us:

“Running the Eugene Marathon as a part of will forever be one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. In the last several miles, when every part of my body was screaming to stop, I took so much genuine strength and genuine joy thinking about the kiddos at Circle of Friends I was running for. They were my reason and inspiration. I’m so proud to be on their team!!”

This is what community looks like. This is what belonging feels like.

It takes a community to build a world where every child is seen, supported, and celebrated. And today, that community showed up in a powerful way.

Thank you, . 🧡