In 2016, a small group of people at Green Bay Community Church, with a passion to impact the well being of families in Green Bay, decided to begin a Circles® chapter as an organizing force and resource to help more people lift themselves out of poverty. The programming model we use, was developed by Circles® USA, and is the result of more than 20 years of research. Community Church has embraced th
is model, Circles, as part of a vision for cross-program coordination that will be uniquely and exclusively focused on the goal of helping people to exit 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. Circles has worked to address poverty by increasing the capacity of communities. The Circles 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. The Circles 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. Circles Green Bay was established in 2017 and has grown with the support of some amazing volunteers and local community organizations. Our meetings occur on Mondays and all household types experiencing low-wealth are encouraged to join us!
