Donations boost Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends uplifts young folks in need of a hand by providing mentors with a long-term commitment to provide positive experiences for youth in the Sisters community. Mentors meet with their child on a weekly basis, spending quality time and creating a bond to support the child moving toward success.

Last week, another Sisters institution - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church - helped Circle of Friends help Sisters families. For a couple of years now, the church members have assembled gift bags for children mentored in the Circle of Friends program. This year, they doubled-down, providing not only gifts for children, but care packages for entire families.

Children mentored through Circle of Friends often come from families in need, and the church stepped up to fill those needs in the holiday season. They assembled food bags and also bags of household supplies for each family.

Such supplies are sometimes hard to come by, since families are not allowed to use food stamps for household cleaning supplies and hygiene items.

Rose Marie Depp organized the gift bag assembly for the church.

She said that church members were given the age, grade and favorite color of a child and turned loose to fill a gift bag. The gift-giver doesn't know the identity of the child, out of sensitivity to family privacy. From there, the donations grew to include food and supplies. The donations were funded through the church's annual fundraising luncheon during the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in July.

Depp noted that one member of the church has become a Circle of Friends mentor through involvement in the gift bag program.

Depp has a background in international development, and that has made her skeptical of many assistance programs. Circle of Friends passes muster with her.

"I'm pretty critical of approaches," she said. "I like their approach."

If Depp has her way, the donation support will extend beyond the holiday season.

"I'd like to see it sustainable," she said.

Mentors picked up the gift bags for their child and family at Circle of Friends' Christmas party last week and were delighted to receive the support.

Beth Hanson summed up their outlook, saying simply: "Love this community!"

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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