Circles Utah Valley

Did you know that Circles has a new site in Heber? Since March, a small group of participants and volunteers have met at the Utah Valley Wasatch Campus on Thursday nights to have dinner and learn together. The Heber Valley site Coach is Jeri Davis. If you live in the area and are interested in becoming a Circle Leader or in volunteering, please reach out to Jeri at [email protected].

Last month, four of our Circle Leaders graduated!

Tristen, Audrey, Doug, and Kari were all able to graduate from our program. They began the program in 2022 and each of them made great strides toward financial independence.

While participating in our program, Doug and Kari founded the Center for Resilience in Provo. Through their foundation, they seek to help victims of trauma through counseling, testing, and retreats. It's been exciting to witness the progress of their journey.

Over the past year and a half in our program, Tristen was able to find a better, higher-paying job and then received a promotion at her new job. Audrey graduated with a degree in nursing and became a registered nurse.

All of our graduates was able to meet the financial goal of reaching 200% of the federal poverty level!

We are grateful we were able to come along for part of the journey in these amazing individuals' lives. We know that they will go on to do more great things as they continue to build great lives.

We believe in the power of community and innovative thinking to break the cycle of poverty and create lasting change. By embracing new perspectives and working together, we can overcome challenges and build a brighter future for all. Join us in making a difference!

Celebrating Our Circles Graduates! 🎓🤝

We are thrilled to honor the accomplishments of our Spanish Circles group graduates! Your dedication and hard work have been nothing short of inspiring.
Congratulations to each and every one of you! 🌟

🗓️ Mark your calendars for August 27, 2024! 🗓️ Head to the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo for a fantastic opportunity to connect with over 100 leading employers! 🤝 This FREE event is your gateway to explore diverse career opportunities and network directly with recruiters. Get real-time insights, attend valuable workshops, and leave a lasting impression with face-to-face interactions. 📊👥

For more information:
https://business.slchamber.com/events/details/the-department-of-workforce-services-utah-valley-job-fair-14148

We usually don't expect things to go terribly wrong in our lives and we can be caught unprepared for some of life's challenges. Many people who are struggling financially are caught in this situation after experiencing unforeseen hardships. At Circles, we recognize that everyone needs a social network to help them through the challenges.

Are you considering buying a house in the next five years? Check out Community' Action's Homebuyer Education Class!

This class is filled with valuable information to help you purchase a house. You will learn what steps to take as you make your purchase, how to protect yourself from fraud, what government programs can help you, and many other priceless facts about homebuying. It's a great resource for anyone thinking of buying a home!

Classes - Community Action Services and Food Bank in Provo, UT We offer helpful classes designed to educate community members and help them make the best decisions for their life and future.

Who are Circles Allies?

Allies are people who:

+help Circle Leaders practice for a job interview
+connect Circle Leaders with people who can help with life's challenges
+help Circle Leaders look up information online to renew your teaching certificate
+so much more!

We want to spotlight Dr. Susan R. Madsen who was our keynote speaker at our Poverty Summit last September. Dr. Madsen gave us a moving speech detailing the economic struggles women face in the state of Utah.

Dr. Madsen is considered one of the top global thought leaders on the topic of women and leadership. Her research has been featured in the News and World Report, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Parenting Magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, and she is a regular contributor to Forbes. She has shared her insights on equality for women at countries across the world. She currently is the director for the Utah Women & Leadership Project - UWLP.

Dr. Madsen thrives on being a change agent in her own state of Utah. She has worked with the governor and other state leaders to enhance the educational and leadership opportunities of women.

Thank you for your invaluable wisdom, Dr. Madsen.

Are you looking for a job or in need of assistance? The Department of Workforce Services can help!

DWS provides many valuable programs for those who are seeking employment or in need of public assistance. They have a job board and many different employment support programs, including GED training, Vocational Rehabilitation for those struggling with disability, and job skill classes. You can also sign up for food, medical, and financial assistance at DWS. Check them out for your employment and support needs!

Department of Workforce Services The Department of Workforce Services strengthens Utah's communities by supporting the economic stability and quality of our workforce.

The Community Action Services and Food Bank is such a valuable resource for our participants. Over the holidays, Melanie's ally took her to the food bank and she was able to take home $100's of food that was desperately needed, including a turkey for Thanksgiving.

A friendly reminder that TOMORROW we are having our third annual Circles Family Fair! Join us for food and fun and to learn what the Circles community is all about. 6:30 pm at Provo Seventh Day Adventist Community Center - 700 E 255 S

Money Saving Tip!

Check out our local discount stores to save some money. We have several in the area, including: Deseret Industries (D.I) in Provo, The Liquidation Team (L.T.) , Savers , and NPS Store in Orem.

We're excited to announce the marriage of our longest standing staff member! Shannon, our program assistant, tied the knot last month to Javiar in a beautiful ceremony. We are so happy for them and wish the new couple every happiness.

Money Saving Tip: Put leftovers into individual containers and use as microwave dinners.

Poverty among children has more than doubled in the first two years of the decade as living costs rose and many federal pandemic aid programs ended. It rose from 5.2% in 2020 to 12.4% in 2022. In 2021, the child poverty rate was 7.8%, making the rise to 12.4% the largest one year jump on record.

Danelle was awarded employee of the month for December at her job at Harbor Freight. It was the second time she's received this award!

Way to go Danelle!

Come be part of our amazing community team! Our community team volunteers help with set up and take down for our site nights. They come at 5:15 pm to set up and help take everything down by 8:15 pm. Reach out to us if you are interested in this volunteer opportunity!

Do you know what it is like to live in poverty? The people who have the most influence in making laws and defining the way our world works often have never experienced true poverty. If we want to help people in poverty, we need to understand where they are coming from.

In Circles, financially stable individuals named allies befriend our program participants and everyone learns new things. Our allies gain a better perspective on the lives of impoverished people and are better prepared to offer them the support they need.

The Women's Success Center at UVU offers educational development, classes, and educational advice to Women. The program was established to address the low enrollment and graduation rates of women. While their focus is on women, they will help any student and any community member who needs their help.

Women's Success Center | Utah Valley University At the UVU Women's Success Center we work to recruit, retain and graduate Women-identifying students.

With so many different programs that help struggling individuals, sometimes we think that there is plenty to go around. However, people in poverty continue to struggle to find the resources they need. This podcast highlights the problem many face of finding resources to help see them through as they seek to get back on their feet.

Debunking The Myth That There Are Plenty Of Resources On Tuesday's Access Utah with Tom Williams, Don Lyons and Heather Hogue Next time on Access Utah, we’ll present another live episode of Debunked, the only Utah podcast combining evidence-based health practices with storytelling to challenge the stereotypes, and debunk the myths about harm reduction, substance use disorders and homelessness. This time we’re d...

I made Volunteer Barbie for work. You can see her all next week at the Thanksgiving Point Scarecrow Event.