As Circles USA continues to expand, the national office is grateful to add more infrastructure and reach to our system of chapter support. To that end, regional coaches are beginning to support the West, the Midwest, the South, and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Working across geographic, economic, and political boundaries, each regional coach hosts monthly regional community of practice calls for mutual support and collaboration, coaches their regional chapters on a regular basis, and advises new chapters in their early design phase before launch. They also support regional collaborations to expand local Big View efforts so as to have a greater impact on systemic change and inform the national office of regional trends and needs.
This four-part blog series introduces you to Circles USA’s Regional Coaches: who they are, where they come from, and how their leadership helps realize CUSA’s vision of communities in which everyone has enough money, meaning, and friends to thrive.
MY NAME IS…
Helen Rai. I’ve coached Circles USA’s Mid-Atlantic Region (including VA, NC, KY, WV, PA, and MD) since early 2022. In 2018, I was hired as a Circles Coach at Circles RVA in Richmond, VA and just transitioned out of my role with Circles RVA this past March.
MY IMPORTANT LIFE EXPERIENCES, JOURNEYS, CHALLENGES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE…
Living a somewhat comfortable life in my home country of Nepal and then having to move to the U.S., where my mom became a single mother without employment, it was a huge transition that was very difficult for my entire family. Coupled with my parents’ divorce and starting middle school in a new country, we experienced a lot of trauma, stress, and anxiety. It also made me very angry about the lack of means-testing to receive any support in the community. We would not have survived without the support of our local church and others in the local Nepali community.
My anger and passion to make sure low-income people (especially within the immigrant community) had direct access to information and resources they needed to improve their lives pushed me to pursue my education in social work. I was really proud to be accepted to an Advanced Standing Masters of Social Work program, which allowed me to get a Masters in one year and quickly move into doing community work.
For my graduate-level field work, I was placed in a Circles chapter in Ashland, Virginia. Through this experience, I was asked to help start a new chapter in Richmond, and—through trial and error—I helped develop the program and processes. During this time with Circles RVA, I also worked with refugee and immigrant populations at a small local organization, where I am now the director of the program! I am really proud to have been part of growing two small start-up nonprofits that serve our community.
SOMETHING SPECIAL YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OUR REGION IS…
Our chapters are diverse in many aspects. Some have been in existence for over 10 years and some have just begun. Providing this regional opportunity to connect allows for collaboration. It creates opportunities to help one another, so each chapter can thrive by receiving the best information and support.
A MAJOR CHALLENGE WE FACE IN ALLEVIATING POVERTY IN OUR REGION IS…
The pandemic has been difficult, and our chapters have shared about the difficulty of recruiting Allies.
RECENTLY, OUR REGION HAS ACCOMPLISHED…
Coming together as a region for the first time and supporting a new chapter in our region.
ONE THING I WANT POTENTIAL CIRCLES PARTICIPANTS TO KNOW IS…
It feels really good to know that people all around the country are passionate, that they’re working on alleviating poverty, AND that you can create and develop relationships with them! It’s a happy and healthy intentional community with Circles.
To find a local chapter or learn how Circles USA can make a difference in your community, visit https://www.circlesusa.org.
Read Part One of our Meet Circles USA’s Regional Coaches series here.