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News Posted: Sunday, Dec 30, 2007 - 01:45:41 pm PST By DAVID GUNTER Correspondent
SANDPOINT -- As the last couple of days are checked off the 2007 calendar, the New Year will carry eight local families farther away from poverty and another step closer to realizing their dreams. The Circles Initiative -- based on a 15-year-old program that started in Ames, Iowa -- held its first meeting in Sandpoint on Jan. 2, 2007. From the beginning, this program was destined to be different."It doesn't focus on giving things away," said Paul Graves, who serves on the "guiding coalition" for the group, which was formed in Bonner County by Community Action Partnership (CAP). "The Circles Initiative focuses on building relationships with people to give them the tools to get out of poverty themselves."
"The smallest circle is the most important one," Graves said. "It's made up of the person in poverty as the 'circle leader' and a maximum of three other community 'allies' who emphasize economics, education and relationships -- it's a strong social dynamic." Social interaction has been the key to starting the self-help process. Every Tuesday night, circle members gather for a family dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Sandpoint, after which their youngsters are provided with educational childcare. The adults move their chairs into a ring and someone from the community leads a training session in topics such as creating a budget, grocery shopping with nutrition in mind, building self-esteem and the importance of lifelong learning. "One of the things that surprised me from the very first meeting was how isolated these people are," Graves said. "I thought they might have a survival network with others in poverty, but they really didn't." Sabrina Galindo, one of the circle leaders who has taken part in the program for the past year, has found that doors are opening as her own social network gains strength and grows. "Before Circles found me, I was very secluded and had pretty much given up on my dreams and the thought that I could have a 'life' aside from my family," she said. "Since I've been in Circles, I have come to realize that I can do whatever I chose to in life -- it just might take me longer than some people to get there." More often than not, getting there involves simple communication. Working with their community allies, people in poverty develop solutions to problems that, at first, seem insurmountable. "Research conducted with circle leaders led us to discover that one of the main things people in poverty are lacking is support," said Scott Miller. He founded the national project. "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." The Circles Initiative can provide the most basic, non-monetary community support by giving someone a ride to work on a day when a vehicle is being repaired or helping to find emergency childcare in a temporary pinch. "This campaign is about changing the community mindset about wanting to end poverty one community at a time," Miller said. "If we continue to expect government and social services to deal with poverty without the help of individuals, there will be little change in its status." But that kind of change, Graves said, starts one family at a time. He cited individual stories of progress as proof that the program is working. "We have one couple with four children where the husband is working, but the wife hadn't completed her high school education," he said. "She told her circle group that she wanted to get her GED and did it. "Then she went through the North Idaho College job-training program in late summer and got a job working with clients at SL Start," Graves added, referring to the organization that specializes in workforce training and home care for people with disabilities. "Economically, all of this has allowed her and her husband to take care of some bills. But more than that, it has given her a tremendous sense of value." Galindo, too, has found a new sense of empowerment over the past year. "It has done wonders for me -- I truly feel like there is nothing I couldn't do or obtain," she said. "Circles is not just about getting out of poverty, but restoring one's self-worth and involvement in the community." But the program "is not a quick fix" or something that will "just 'patch' your life for the time being," the circle leader added. "It is whatever you bring to the table that will inspire you to want and even expect more of life," she said. Moving into its second year, the Circles Initiative now has a waiting list of local families ready to start the journey out of poverty. Before that can happen, CAP needs to assemble more community members willing to walk alongside those families. "We don't have any lack of people wanting to become circle leaders," Graves said. "In fact, a number of people are attending our Tuesday meetings who are 'leaders in training.' They just don't have the network of allies yet to get started." New allies receive training before entering the program, including what the guiding coalition member called "sensitivity training" in working with people whose realities are usually quite different from those of their higher-income neighbors. "These are solid people and I'm amazed at their tenacity," he said. "I hold a great deal of respect for them that I didn't have before, simply because I didn't know any better. "They're focused on doing the best for their families and their stories of survival are truly humbling." For more information about becoming involved with the Circles Initiative, call 255-2910. Native Sum wrote on Dec 31, 2007 8:59 PM: " Wow, Native Son must need a dose of Prep H or something. Nobody who's not afflicted in some terrible way would work THAT hard to be upset about a program like this. Hope you're able to ditch the donut seat soon, Pal. Your bad take on life seems to be binding you up in some pretty horrific ways.
Eat more roughage and spend a little time searching out the positive things in life. Even you can find them with a little work. " jm wrote on Dec 31, 2007 5:35 PM: " So I guess there is not anyone here that reads Spokenman Review. On 12/30/07 Staff Writer Erica Curless wrote a story about a family that lives in the Rapid Lighting area. There was a story writen approxiamtely a year ago about there struggle to survive in north idaho rugged out back. Now all that was written is true, BUT there is there poor me side and the other real side of the story. That side is the im to Lazy to get off my *** and make my life better. These peope go to church only on holidays and as soon as the freebies are gone so are they. The way I see it, Burger King pays $8 hour. There is a help wanted sign as i write this. There are 3 adults that are capable of working there. Even the father who according to the writer will soon be in a wheel chair. So 3X8= $24 bucks an hour. They have no house payment (father ownes the property)no power or water bills. If I had a few car payments, I could still live in comfort on that. I think this program is a life saver for the people who need and want it. My hat is off to all who donate there time and effort. And before I forget, the story called the Pack River Store a backwoods market. That wonderful store has been praised by myself and others from afar. Im sure they never paid for a 3 dollar shower. Just my 2 cents. " ASimpleDad wrote on Dec 31, 2007 11:23 AM: " Native Son, you are a tool. Yes, neighbors helping neighbors is a bad thing, and totally un-American, un-compassionate. You are so right. Not. How about a society where everyone helps everyone so that they can earn a decent wage and afford those things? In one, actual people work together to build something. In your ideal, a cold uncaring government just steals from one person and gives to another, creating social divisions and resentment on the part of both people. Our society DOES pay decent wages. As a kid I lived on rice and beans and the fish we caught. As an adult I have lived out of my car. And now, I live better than the kings of old. How? Because people cared about me. People helped me. If the government had come and given me a check while I was living out of a car it would have allowed me to keep living like that much longer, I would not have changed, but deciding that I didn't want to do that anymore along with supportive friends allowed me to change. Your talk isn't radical, it's just naive. Sure, it works in small homogeneous Scandinavian countries with lots of oil wealth, one of the worlds largest cell phone manufactures, and timber, but not all countries are so lucky. People helping people is a good story, plain and simple. Only a bitter lefty would attack something as good as this. " Native Son wrote on Dec 30, 2007 6:41 PM: " Poor people on display so a few can feel good about themselves. Better off folks have "project poor people." How about fighting for a fair society that pays more than poverty wages and provides education, training, health insurance, dental care. I know, this is too radical for all the "nice" people. " Should be front page news! wrote on Dec 30, 2007 3:29 PM: " Miracles do happen!
Posted: Sunday, Dec 30, 2007 - 01:45:27 pm PST Miracles do happen! In an age of bitter political recrimination, a truly bipartisan bill has just been introduced in the US Congress by Senators Crapo (R-ID) and Baucus (D-MT). The Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act (S. 2438) would roll back thousands of fees that Americans are being charged for mere access to their public lands. In 1996, a rider was slipped into an appropriations bill giving federal lands agencies the right to temporarily charge fees for many activities that hitherto had been free to the public and supported by general tax funds. Activities such as backcountry camping, hiking, and merely passing through public lands were now being charged fees. In one California forest they even charged a fee to park near a cliff to see the sunset! Over the years, these fees multiplied like a cancer, all over the US, even reaching into Idaho. Agencies such as the Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife, and the Bureau of Land Management, starved for funds, created more and more fee areas. Then in 2004 another rider, making the fees permanent, was slipped into another must-pass appropriations bill. We nicknamed it the R.A.T (Recreation Access Tax). Agencies now became emboldened in finding questionably legal ways of charging ever-more fees. No fees for wilderness camping allowed? No problem. They charged for parking at the trailhead. In Sandpoint, we collected 400 names on a petition to repeal these fees. My wife, Lanie Johnson, presented the petition to Senator Craig. We asked State Representative George Eskridge to sponsor an Idaho Resolution against the R.A.T. Rep. Eric Anderson co-sponsored it. The resolution passed both houses, unanimously. We are at the threshold of success, but the way ahead is still challenging. There will be hearings and votes at several levels. We face powerful opposition. There is an entrenched bureaucracy to overcome, as well as the ARC (American Recreation Coalition). It is composed of such organizations as Marriott Hotels, International Association for Amusement Parks & Attractions, and the Walt Disney Company. They lobbied for these fees. They want to "manage" our public lands (i.e. develop them, either in "partnership" with the government or to buy them outright if they can get laws passed allowing them to do so). American public lands are unique. No other country has anything like them. They belong to Americans. We do not need the king's permission to walk on them. We must keep them this way. Contact Senators Crapo and Baucus and tell them that you support S. 2438. Tell your friends in other states to ask their Senators to co-sponsor the bill. Let's remain the Land of the Free, not the Land of the Fee. You can contact Sen. Crapo at crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.html and Sen Baucus at baucus.senate.gov Ken Fischman " POST YOUR OPINION
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Bonner County Daily Bee
P.O. Box 159 / Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 / 208-263-9534
Bonner County Daily Bee Online is updated at 10am PST.
LS wrote on Jan 9, 2008 2:00 PM: