Spotlight on Non-Profit

Circles of Troup County

Spending her first tax refund check was a lot of fun. “I bought new clothes, a new phone, got my hair done and my nails. I paid for my friend and I to get matching tattoos. I got the kids new clothes and just passed out money to anyone who needed some,” said Kimberly Toney. “The one smart thing I did was pay my car insurance for a year. I didn’t want to, but I knew I had to have my car. I was so used to not having money that when I finally had some, I didn’t know what to do with it.”

Money management wasn’t a skill Toney had learned. She grew up with parents who were both addicts and at 12 years old her stepmother introduced her to marijuana and meth– both on the same day. “On Father’s Day when I was 12, I started manufacturing meth with my dad,” she said. She was a regular user before eighth grade. Her young adult years followed an addiction pattern: prison, homelessness, pregnancy, losing custody of her children.

Eventually, Toney landed at Calumet Center for Healing and Attachment in LaGrange – a transition home for women and children. On Thursdays, along with others at the center and from the community, Toney attended classes at Circles of Troup County. Circles of Troup works with low-income families to help them reach their goals for self-sufficiency. The organization uses a relational strategy to support both parents and their children moving out of poverty. Families average 18 months in the program to reach 200% of the federal poverty level. “Our financial strategies are geared to people who don’t make enough money,” said Holly Roberts, Circles coach who teaches the financial strategy classes. “We talk about basic budgets, money in and money out, and about wants vs. needs. Often people feel alone in their financial situations because they don’t know who to talk to about it. We talk about it all, but we’re factual and we have empathy. Whatever situation you’re in, that’s where we start. We know that there’s absolutely no benefit in beating people up for their decisions.”

With ten years of data, Circles participants – called Circle Leaders – average a 70% increase in income in 12 months.

When Toney first came to a Circles weekly meeting, she was making $109 every two weeks, working about 30 hours a week. One of her biggest expenses was the $20,000 she owed the state of Georgia in back child support for her children’s care while she was in prison. “My finances were a mess, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was always trying to make it last, but it didn’t,” she said.

With tools from Circles classes, she began setting weekly money goals leading to a full-time job, made a budget, a savings account and an affordable payment plan for child support. “It’s good to be able to look at my money and know what I can do with it. It’s also good having a network of people I can go to if I have a question,” she said. That’s a key to the success of Circles, said Roberts.

“The people who come to Circles are ready to make a change. We have knowledge we share, but we also connect them with people to help them longterm,” she said. “We’re also willing to go at the pace they’re ready for. We revisit and relearn what someone didn’t learn the first time. It’s a huge amount of information to take in and we know that. It’s also powerful to be in the room with others who are on the same journey.” As with most Circle Leaders, Toney’s growing financial stability has led to other successes. She has regained custody of her two boys, she celebrated 4 years of sobriety and she’s scheduled to begin a college program this summer.

Photos: Sara Arnold, Será Será Photo & Design

“I like having a budget. When you spend all the tax refund money, you realize those nails last about 15 days and the clothes are eventually forgotten. Now I have money left over at the end of the month – even after I’ve put money in savings. I can tell my kids, ‘Turn those lights off, you don’t pay the light bill, I do!’ and that feels really good,” she said.

Circles of Troup County meets weekly, with a meal from 5:30-6:15 and a meeting/classes/children’s program from 6:15-7:45 p.m. on Thursdays at Troup Baptist Association, 1301 Washington St., LaGrange. Community members, volunteers and anyone interested in Circles are welcome to attend.

For more information, follow Circles of Troup County on Facebook and Instagram and check out the website circlesoftroup.org