Dommica “D.D.” Bailey’s story is not uncommon for Allen County. She couldn’t find a job, didn’t have a proper education and didn’t have the tools to support her family. Now, a newly started organization is arming Bailey with the resources to get her life, self-confidence and future back.
Bailey is part of Circles of Allen County, a division of the Circles USA Network. Georgia Masterson is responsible for bringing the program to Allen County that began June 1. Its goal is to help those in poverty emerge from a downward cycle.
“Poverty can be about personal choices,” Masterson said. “But it’s not just about personal choices.”
According to statistics gathered from the 2007-2011 U.S. Census Bureau, 66.7 percent of people with children under the age of 5 are living in poverty in Allen County. On a state level the rate is 49 percent.
“We are not alone in this,” Bailey said.
Circles is a four-month program that holds weekly classes. Mentors teach people essential job and life skills, as well as providing connections to get the members back into the workforce. Five organizations (Calvary United Methodist, Wesley United Methodist, Party Girls, Walmart Deli Department and Trinity Methodist) provide a meal and daycare for the weekly meetings.
“For a lot of the people, that’s the best meal they might get all week,” Bailey said.
Masterson worked for the Department for Children and Families (former SRS) in Chanute for 30 years and knew the need for a program such as Circles in Allen County.
Masterson works under the umbrella of Thrive Allen County. John Robertson, grant writer for Thrive, helped Masterson secure the necessary funding for the Circles program. The REACH Healthcare Foundation agreed to fund the $10,800 fee to participate in the Circles program.
Robertson said, “Until we do something about the poverty in Allen County, we won’t be able to do anything to improve healthcare,” a central goal of Thrive Allen County.
Members of the Circles groups are called “leaders,” because they are being equipped to be leaders in their own lives. Following the classroom portion, the leaders are paired up with two or three “allies” who will personally support and advise the members.
“The idea is that allies don’t have all of the answers,” Masterson said. They are simply there to support the leaders.
BAILEY MOVED to Iola with her daughter, Destini, from Denver eight years ago. After she was involved in a car wreck, metal plates in her legs prevented her from getting the job she needed. She had previous experience working in home healthcare.
“It pretty much threw me off of my game,” Bailey said.
