Cobb Community Foundation is extremely proud of the work that Circles Cobb is doing in our community and the particular needs Barbara Garner and her team are filling by strengthening families through training and trusted relationships. Their first 12-week training cohort graduation has taken place and the graduates are speaking up. What they are saying about their experience has touched our hearts and reinforced our beliefs about the program’s power to transform lives.
Graduation took place at the end of February, and Cobb County Commissioner Monique Sheffield gave an inspiring commencement address to the graduates and 80+ guests. These Circles Cobb graduates (all females) took to the stage to reflect on the Circles community of support, which has helped them focus on becoming more financially stable through budgeting, goal-setting, and “familyship”.
These ladies have already increased their income by 5% on average after only 12 weeks and are eager to continue this transformation alongside their Allies over the next 18 months.
Here are a few memorable quotes from the evening:
- “Circles gives you resources, but they give you resources with action, so I call them action resources. They don’t give you dead ends, they help you get through to the other side, and they don’t leave you, no judgment… You’re not a project to them. They help you build a project.”– Sarah, Circle Leader
- “I knew that this (Circles) was something that was going to change my life, my children’s life, and then also help me change my community and to give back as well as to become an Ally one day.” – Myeichia, Circle Leader
- “What brought me to Circles was I knew I needed a change, but I didn’t know what change to make, so I needed somebody to walk with me.”– Latoya, Circle Leader
- “Circles has been that “familyship”. They have loved on my four children, they have supported us, they have been a resource, they have been an extended community, they have been accountability, an extension of our village and community, encouragement and extra push.”– Nikky, Circle Leader
- “What brought me to Circles is the opportunity of being able to be more financially stable and to see what I am capable of.” – Chaecoya, Circle Leader
- “What I look forward to in Circles is the impact that we will make collectively as a whole. Our names are going to be on something, somewhere in this community!” – Kandia, Circle Leader
Congratulations to all the graduates and to the friends surrounding this program. The next Circles Cobb cohort begins this fall. Join a Circle! To learn more about becoming a Circle Leader, click here. To learn more about becoming an Ally or other ways to volunteer, click here.
