Read CLO Kris Alexander's reflections on responsibility, interdependence, and Beloved Community in the latest installment of The Learning Curve Chronicles! www.circlesusa.org/post/the-lea...

"I'm moving beyond the textbook. We're moving beyond what is written that says that we're supposed to do it this way. And I'm moving into the knowledge of what people really need." — Cheryl Williams, Circles in Columbus #MovingBeyond #CirclesUSA

We are so grateful for the leadership of incredible women all across the Circles community of practice. 💙 Thank you for your dedication, wisdom, creativity, and courage—day in and day out—that is building communities where all can truly thrive! #WomensHistoryMonth #InternationalWomensDay

Circles Core Value #3: Human Dignity & Worth Every person is inherently capable, creative, and whole. Worth is intrinsic; it is not earned through circumstance, productivity, or achievement. This recognition means all people deserve to exercise autonomy, pursue self-fulfillment, and thrive.

In the latest installment of The Learning Curve Chronicles, CLO Kris Alexander reflects on CUSA’s approach to balancing personal and communal responsibility. #barnraising Read the piece here: www.circlesusa.org/post/the-lea...

"I'm moving beyond Circles as service delivery to really looking at systemic issues in terms of how we can really, create a win-win situation for communities all around the country." — Bruce Forbes, Circles Upstate SC #MovingBeyond #CUSACONF25

Looking forward to EMPath's 2026 Disrupting Poverty conference next month! CUSA Executive Director Kamatara will be presenting on what we've seen over the last 25+ years of anti-poverty work: social capital is the key to economic mobility! #RiseTogether

As #BlackHistoryMonth closes, we honor the Black leadership behind AGOA - a policy that links trade to jobs, income, and food security. Passed in 2000 and newly extended another year, AGOA reflects how advocacy and vision can expand opportunity. Learn more: bread.org/black

SNAP reaches 41 million people. As of FY23 almost 80 percent of SNAP households had members who were children, older adults, or non-elderly adults with disabilities. Removing access to SNAP should only happen when households have stable sources of nutrition. #SOTU

We’re wrapping up our Black History Month blog series with a poetic reflection from CUSA Board Member, Peyton McCoy!

Circles Core Value #2: Transformation Transformation is the movement of healing and evolving together. It is both deeply personal and profoundly communal, inviting us to unlearn what has harmed us so we can unlock what is possible. Explore our 5 core values at: www.circlesusa.org/post/circles...

“I am moving beyond barriers towards growth. With Circles, I feel that I've overcome barriers and I'm steady growing. And now, since I'm in a leadership position, I can help other people grow as well.” #MovingBeyond #CUSACONF25

Up now on our blog, CUSA Board Member Van Green shares a moving tribute to an unsung hero in Black history: his mother (pictured). Read the full piece here: www.circlesusa.org/post/lessons... #BlackHistoryMonth #CirclesUSA #EverydayHeroes

"In 2026, I accept that America is a Continuous Improvement Project. We will always have to fight for justice, but our fight is not in vain. I believe that our youth are looking at us and seeing us not let all our progress go away." Read more: www.circlesusa.org/post/reflect...

In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, CUSA Board Member Jennifer Brown shares her reflections on the legacy of Harvey B. Gantt, the first African-American student at Clemson University and Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. Read her post here: www.circlesusa.org/post/reflect...

Circles Core Value #1: Community We progress when we come together with intention, mutual care, and a shared commitment to one another’s well-being. In moments of hardship and seasons of growth, we are stronger, more resilient, and more powerful together. www.circlesusa.org/post/circles...

“I am moving beyond isolation to connectedness. It is really important to do that because so many people who have experienced poverty, including myself, we just feel so isolated and alone and not part of the process, not part of the community, not part of the solution..." (cont.)

Graduated Circle Leader Patty Herndon now serves as the Big View Chair at Circles Davis County, where she supports Circle Leaders to tell their stories and influence systems change at the local level and beyond! #livestransformed Listen to her story: youtu.be/lsYd2ZH7mBo?...

Hope is practical. It is relational. It is built step by step, conversation by conversation, choice by choice. As we enter 2026, we are grounding ourselves in a theme that reflects both the reality our community faces and the promise we know is possible: Pathways of Hope.

The Circles USA community of practice has identified five core values (Community, Transformation, Human Dignity & Worth, Accountability, and Thriving) as essential to realizing our Vision: All individuals live in equitable, thriving communities where poverty no longer exists.

At CUSA, we're grateful for the leadership of MLK Jr., and his fervent call for building the Beloved Community through nonviolent social change. May we honor his legacy by considering how we can each move towards this vision of collective reconciliation and thriving… with love, justice & creativity.

If the consumerism of the holiday season has left you feeling hollow, exhausted, or guilty… you’re not alone. This month, CLO Kris Alexander explores how consumerism affects the way we build community and how we can reclaim more meaningful ways of expressing our love. Read at circlesusa.org/blog

Healing, for Arizona, has involved years of recovery from severe injury, addiction and relationship abuse. In stirring keynote, she describes how the social capital she found on her Circles journey helped transform her pain into new resolve, economic stability, and purpose: youtu.be/8WIDxsakrPk?...

Raeanna and Jason have faced some of life’s hardest challenges on their Circles journey: from addiction and recovery to homelessness and navigating the job market post-incarceration, their chapter has been there to help them transform their financial and educational reality for good.

Part Two of our 2025 Conference Recap is here, with an overview of session highlights, keynotes and more! Check out the post at www.circlesusa.org/post/2025-co... #CUSACONF25

With a model that has been creating real, measurable change for families across the nation for 25+ years, we know we have the tools to end poverty in our lifetime. Will you help Circles USA expand our capacity to serve more communities in 2026? Visit circlesusa.org/donate to learn more #endpoverty

“I do not want poverty to be a place anyone is stuck in, stricken with, or have to settle for.” Hear how Circles supported Patty to put her life back together after divorce and mental health challenges in her inspiring keynote: youtu.be/lsYd2ZH7mBo?...

"Long-Haul Heroism" celebrates the day in, day out work of ordinary, dedicated people—like all of you! Read CLO Rev. Kris Alexander reflections on Pete Davis's book, Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing here: www.circlesusa.org/post/the-lea...

Wondering how you can best support your immigrant community members? We've compliled a list of helpful resources including legal services, hotline numbers, and know your rights handouts. Find all of this and more by scanning the QR code or going to: tinyurl.com/CUSAimmigration

Meet Rebecca Price, a graduated Circle Leader from Circles Davis County who is now serving as her chapter's Coach! Our new Leadership Development Spotlight series spotlights graduated Circle Leaders who have stepped into challenging service roles at the chapter, regional, and even national levels.

That's a wrap on Season 2 of The Big View: Ending Poverty in Your Community podcast! A huge thank you to all of our incredible guests this season for sharing your wisdom, stories, and unique expertise on #TheBigViewPod. S2 Recap: www.circlesusa.org/post/season-...

Poverty feels big. But Circles has the small solutions that make a big difference. Your donation this #GivingTuesday will help power a community-driven, nation-wide movement to end poverty in our lifetime. Make a monthly, annual, or one-time gift at circlesusa.org/donate

Millions of hardworking Americans are trapped in a system that works against them. This #GivingTuesday, you can make a tangible difference for families across the nation by supporting the community-driven, country-wide Circles movement. Visit circlesusa.org/donate to give today.

The results are in! We're pleased and proud to share the feedback we’ve compiled from attendee questionnaires for #CUSACONF25. Thank you to everyone who joined us this year!

In this month's installment of The Learning Curve Chronicles, CLO Kris Alexander reflects on the power of community—not only as an ideal of a thriving life, but as a core need essential for our very survival. Read it here: www.circlesusa.org/post/the-lea...

"We don’t need to go back to the old American Dream—we need to co-create a new one. One rooted in equity, care, and the reality that all people deserve to thrive, not just survive." —Kamatara, Circles USA Executive Director

The Circles USA Network Awards celebrate the many individuals, families, and chapters doing outstanding work building community to end poverty nationwide. We are so pleased and proud to spotlight our 2025 Network Award Winners. Congratulations, CUSA Network rock stars! 🏆✨

Appreciative Inquiry allows us to learn from the wisdom of those closest to the challenges we address—which is what Circles is all about. Dive into the process with us in S2E7 of The Big View: Ending Poverty in Your Community! circlesusa.org/s2e7

Meet Cheyenne Hurt, a graduated Circle Leader from Circles Indianapolis who is now serving as her chapter's Coach, Interim Director, Board Member and more! Read Cheyenne’s story: www.circlesusa.org/post/leaders...

We’re launching a new Salon Series to bring leaders together across sectors for bold dialogue and solutions to poverty. Our first stop was in DC, tackling the Cliff Effect with 22 leaders from 14 orgs. Quarterly Salons continue online + in person in 2026. More: www.circlesusa.org/post/circles...

On Nov 1 – without immediate action by Congress – federal funding for SNAP will run out. In a matter of days, tens of millions of Americans will go hungry. Urge your members of Congress to pass legislation to fund SNAP for the duration of the government shutdown: go.bread.org/page/89991/a...

That’s a wrap on #CUSAConf25! Thank you to all of our staff, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and attendees who made this a week to remember—full of inspiration, innovation, laughter and love! 💙

#CUSAConf25 NETWORK AWARDS now live streaming on FB, Insta and YouTube! See links in our feed below! 🏆💐🥇💫

Would you believe us if we told you this is financial #trauma #healing? 😉 #CUSAConf25 folx activating our empathetic brains with TRAUMA OF MONEY’S Chantel Chapman!

“We name the shame to tame the #shame…” TRAUMA OF MONEY author and financial trauma educator Chantel Chapman at #CUSAConf25 #livestransformed #CirclesUSA

Where does gratitude live in the body? How does it feel when we recall expressions of thankfulness and connection? TRAUMA OF MONEY author Chantel Chapman leads participants in a #financialtrauma healing exercise at #CUSAConf25

In just a few hours, we're hosting CUSA's 2025 Network Awards at our #CUSAConf25 in Ogden, UT. We can't wait to celebrate some truly outstanding work from across our community of practice this year. You can tune in live from wherever you are at 11am MT (10am PT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET)!

Guess who we’ll be talking to on our LAST MORNING here in beautiful Ogden, UT? So excited to welcome Chantel Chapman, author of Trauma of Money to #CUSAConf25 !! cc: @chantelchapman @traumaofmoney

Stories move hearts in ways facts alone cannot. In the #CUSAConf25 session The Art of Storytelling, attendees step into their stories, claim their pasts, and uncover the power their voices hold to change minds.

We love a #MakerSpace! At the session for Creating the Future Through Collaborative Art, #CUSAConf25 attendees are letting creative play to embody the hope, resilience, and community at the heart of the #CirclesUSA movement.