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 Scott Miller, CEO of Iowa-based Move the Mountain Leadership Center, addresses a luncheon gathering at First Christian Church in Marshall Tuesday, Dec. 4, about ending poverty in the U.S. (Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] |
Miller was at First Christian Church in Marshall on Tuesday, Dec. 4, to talk about his book and to work with community leaders on next steps for the "Circles" project in Marshall.
Discovering that architecture "just wasn't a fit for me," he said, left him casting about for something else to do. A casual conversation with a longtime friend, who also happened to be a Catholic priest, sent him to a Catholic Worker community in his home town of Rochester, N.Y.
What he saw there, a mere eight miles from his own comfortable suburban upbringing, was life-changing. It was that first look at real poverty that sent him back to school to major in social work.
Since then, Miller has been in full pursuit of the goal of ending poverty. He is now the CEO of Move the Mountain Leadership Center, dedicated to bringing together the best efforts and resources of individuals, organizations, communities and government in an approach proven in other communities to raise people out of poverty through the Circles program.
Missouri Valley Community Action Agency in Marshall has been participating in Circles for several years, with 13 families now involved.
"The poverty rate in the United States is no less today than it was over thirty years ago," says Miller. A program like Circles could save taxpayers nearly $80 million per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which estimates the total cost of poverty in the U.S. to be more than $500 billion per year.
Miller said, "... one of the main things people in poverty need is support. (For example) they told us repeatedly that they need a dependable car so they can get to school to get an education or to get to their job."
A Circle is a supportive relationship made of one Circle Leader who is living in poverty and two to five Circle Allies, who volunteer their time. Circles meet at least monthly, or more often, if necessary, to build friendships and to work on the Circle Leader's plans and goals.
Circles helps get people on the right track by giving them community support such as a ride to a job or childcare in an emergency, to name just a few of the ways in which Circle members can help or get help.
This approach is already working in more than 30 communities in the U.S., and is rapidly expanding into other communities nationwide.
The Marshall program, with 13 families involved, is one of six in Missouri, and is a model for the rest of the state. Recruiting Circle Allies is a top priority for the group, according to Bill Nichols, community leadership coordinator for Missouri Valley Community Action Agency. More Allies are needed than are currently available.
Nichols said the best Circle Allies are "caring and empathetic members of the community who are willing to have an intentional, befriending and reciprocal relationship," with the Circles family they work with. Also needed are Ad Hoc Allies, who volunteer their services on an occasional or one-time basis for specific needs such as providing a truck for a family moving to a new home, or a ride to work or school.
More information about the Circles program is available at the MVCAA Web site at http://www.mvcaa.net or by calling MVCAA at (660) 8886-7476.
Contact Kathy Fairchild at