A Voice for the Good: Circles of Allen County
3Rivers is proud to support so many of the non-profit organizations that are committed to making our community a better place to live, work, and play, and we want to help spread the word fabout the difference they're making in our region. We’ve teamed up with 97.3WMEE to bring you A Voice for the Good, a series in which we feature local organizations on our website in the form of an informative articles as well as on-air segments highlighting the non-profits’ missions.
This article features Circles of Allen County, a local non-profit on a mission to reduce poverty and improve the lives of people and families in Allen County, Indiana.
We connected with Mary Ann Mings, Director of Circles of Allen County, to learn more about the work this organization is doing in our community.
How did Circles of Allen County come to be? What’s the history/story behind how the organization initially got started?
I moved to Fort Wayne at the end of 2021 to become the Director of Inasmuch Ministry. I had done research and discovered the highest poverty rate in Indiana was in Fort Wayne. Debbie Smith, who has worked in the poverty space in Fort Wayne for several years, and I joined forces to see what we could do address this problem. We researched and found an international program that had an overall 71% success rate of moving people from poverty to over 200% of the federal poverty rate. We had the fastest start in Circles 30 years history. Our first cohort began in October of 2022. Seventy five percent graduated in under 18 months. Cohort two started in October of 2023 and cohort three began in 2024.
We pair up those in generational poverty with 2 mentors who are not in generational poverty; we meet weekly and share a meal and then do training in goal setting, budgeting, emergency funds, mindfulness, trauma, resilience, emotional intelligence.
What is the official mission of Circles of Allen County, and how is it currently being put into play?
Building community to end poverty through intentional friendships, personal transformation, and systemic change led by the people closest to the challenge.
How do you see the mission and vision of Circles of Allen County evolving in the future in the Northeast Indiana community? Where do you see your organization a year from now, or even five years from now?
The highest poverty rate in Indiana is in Fort Wayne. Many of the individuals who need our program do not have transportation; we have started conversations with apartment complexes with community rooms where we can take the program to them. We want to see more of our graduates move into the mentor role. We are looking to host a poverty summit in 2025 focused on educating youth in the community on the reality of poverty.
Are there any exciting new developments, updates, or changes that have recently taken place at Circles of Allen County?
We have started our third cohort in two years. Sixty percent of our participants have over $1,000 in an emergency fund.
Could you share a standout story or two that really illustrates the impact of Circles of Allen County and/or its programs has on people in our community?
We have a 66-year-old woman who is finally out of debt for the first time in her adult life.
We have a single mom of three whose car break down at the same time the rent was due. She needed a total of $1,600. She had it in her emergency fund that she learned about through our program. Her comment to us was this is just a bump in the road; not a crisis the way it would have been in the past.
How can those interested in your services go about getting started or getting in touch?
They can call us at 260.422.3498.
Are there other local non-profit organizations that Circles of Allen County works/partners with to enhance their programs?
Oh yes! We work closely with SuperShot, ONV, United Way, Anthem, Care Source, Good Grief Consulting, Mind Mentor, Allen County Department of Public Health, Associated Churches, Trustees, and more.
Are there opportunities for community members to volunteer at Circles of Allen County—and if so, how can they go about learning more?
Please call us. We need volunteers to help with childcare, serving meals, and being mentors to our students. Our number is 260.422.3498
In what other ways can community members support Circles of Allen County —be it through monetary donations, material donations, education, etc.?
We love donations of any kind. Monetary, incentive type items, and anyone who would like to teach a lesson that would be helpful to those in generational poverty, please contact us.
Where can our readers learn more about Circles of Allen County or about getting involved?
Visit our website at circlesofallencounty.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.