St. Mark’s Presbyterian’s 15th annual golf tournament benefiting Circle of Concern was a huge success! We greatly appreciate our sponsors, staff, and volunteers who worked so hard the day of and the many months leading up to the event.

We are so grateful to St. Mark Presbyterian Church for hosting a successful, sold-out  tournament for Circle.  It’s the 15th year that the church has hosted the event!  The tournament raised nearly $25,000.00.  Many, many thanks to our Chairperson, Debbie Brown; our committee; Aberdeen Golf Club; our lead sponsor – Orthopedic Specialists; and all the golfers, volunteers and sponsors!

June 2019 eNewsletter Articles

• Back to School Already?
• Save the Date! Harvest Moon Trivia Night
• Stars in Their Eyes
• Thank you! COC’s 15th Annual Golf Tournament

Circle of Concern’s scholarship program has bolstered the academic goals of area young people since at least the second year of our existence. Well over $1 million has helped send hundreds of motivated high school seniors to college, launching them into the careers of their choice.

In 2014, the scholarship program grew. For the first time, Circle awarded small scholarships to adult clients…and the results have been stellar. What started as a vehicle for clients to obtain additional certification, or take an extra class, has evolved into something so much more.

• We assisted one client in completing his accounting degree and taking the CPA exam. He is now employed in his field and is no longer a client.
• Two clients completed their coursework and licensing for Registered Nursing, with help from Circle, and neither needs our services anymore. On a day many of us will never forget, one of these clients came into our office the afternoon she passed her final exam, tears in her eyes. We each got a hug as she thanked everyone for helping make her dream a reality.
• Scholarship awardees want to work. One recipient is pursuing a business degree with a full-time course load at a local university…while working a full-time job…and caring for three children, one of whom is in treatment for cancer.

To say these scholars are worthy of this assistance is to understate how motivated they are to become self-sustained. To say we are proud of their progress and their plans is to understate the intense satisfaction we feel in watching adults change their stars for the better. This program literally changes lives and helps clients to achieve confidence and financial independence. We – and the clients they help – appreciate your support of Circle’s scholarships!

June 2019 eNewsletter Articles

• Back to School Already?
• Save the Date! Harvest Moon Trivia Night
• Stars in Their Eyes
• Thank you! COC’s 15th Annual Golf Tournament

Mark your calendars now for Friday, September 13 for our Harvest Moon Trivia Night. For $30 per person, you’ll get a night full of fun (and a few surprises too), open bar with beer, wine, cocktails, and soft drinks! This event will be here before we know it so reserve your table today.

June 2019 eNewsletter Articles

• Back to School Already?
• Save the Date! Harvest Moon Trivia Night
• Stars in Their Eyes
• Thank you! COC’s 15th Annual Golf Tournament

While most families are preparing for summer break, Circle of Concern is already thinking back to school. Our team is hard at work gathering school supplies to share with hundreds of our clients’ children come August. How can you help?

Purchasing school supplies many times isn’t in the budget for many of our clients who already struggle to pay for basic items such as groceries and utilities. Each time you go to a grocery or discount store this summer, please pick up a few notebooks (or pens, crayons, markers, lunch bags) or other items that will help our kids feel prepared to study when school starts again.

Children who start the school year with adequate supplies are children who are ready to learn with confidence! Click here for a list of needed items. Donations can be brought to Circle during regular business hours.

June 2019 eNewsletter Articles

• Back to School Already?
• Save the Date! Harvest Moon Trivia Night
• Stars in Their Eyes
• Thank you! COC’s 15th Annual Golf Tournament

Local Girl Scout troops will be out and about in early April distributing bags to fill with personal care items that will directly benefit Circle’s clients. The ‘April Showers’ campaign collects items such as shampoo, toothpaste, soap, shaving cream, diapers, toilet paper, and deodorant – all items that Circle’s clients can choose from when they visit the pantry.

Personal care support is critical because, if a client is enrolled in the food stamp, or SNAP, program, those dollars can’t be used for such everyday items as toilet paper, soap or deodorant.

Scouts will put a plastic bag on your door on or about April 6 this year, and they’ll pick them up on April 13, hopefully full of new hygiene items you can share. This HUGE collection provides most of the personal care items we share in a whole year. Over the past few months, we have run short on deodorant and included it on our list of Current Needs. From two nearly empty boxes, our supply of this critical care items has grown to 14 full milk crates, thanks to our readers who respond with such generosity. Many thanks to you!

Circle’s 2019 charity golf tournament is just around the corner. Our Presenting Sponsor – Orthopedic Specialists – and our hosts from St. Mark Presbyterian Church welcome you to enjoy a May day of golf on Aberdeen’s challenging links-style course.

Golfers play a four-person scramble format on a zoysia and native grass terrain with sod wall bunkering, two lakes and bentgrass greens against the backdrop of the Meramec River bluffs.

We’ll have an 8 a.m. check-in and 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. Besides the on-course Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Putting and Hole-In-One contests, this popular tournament features a light breakfast, beverages, BBQ, a wine pull and a loaded Live Auction.

Registration is $500 per foursome or $125 per individual golfer.

REGISTER NOW »

Sponsorship Opportunities

We are also seeking individuals and companies for these sponsorship opportunities!

Call Cyndi at 636.861.2623 x117 for sponsorship benefits!

The late president, George H. W. Bush, was instrumental in establishing Points of Light, an organization that encourages and empowers the spirit of service through volunteerism. This organization sponsors the President’s Volunteer Service Awards, through which certified nonprofit groups can recognize their volunteer stars.

Circle has used these award pins for many years to thank our cherished volunteers. In 2018, we launched a new level of recognition – the Lifetime Achievement Award – that acknowledges the selfless service of those volunteers in 2018 who have brought their best to our clients for at least 4,000 hours since they began working with Circle.

The following recipients received a Lifetime pin and the grateful thanks of Circle’s clients, staff and board of directors:

• Dianne Bishop
• Betty Quicksall
• Barbara Brown
• Carl Quicksall
• Sally Edmiston
• Alva Rozar
• Pam Gausling
• Pat Shannon
• Pat Heitmeier
• Bobbie Siesennop
• Ted Heitmeier
• Carol Vandable
• Sue Hoffman

Identifying recipients of this award wasn’t easy … but it was worth it! We looked through records of two different volunteer databases, as well as any paper records that have survived moves, time and flood waters. The volunteers we identified made the entire staff team respond with, “Oh, of course! He/she does so much!”

There is a risk in declaring awards like these – did we miss anyone? If you or someone you know volunteered many, many hours into 2018, please let us know. We want to recognize, you, too!

Thank you to our Lifetime 13 and to all our volunteers that make the efforts of Circle possible.