Dayton Circles Campaign

Finding My Voice

2010-09-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

When you talk you have valuable things to say. When you give your story no matter how negative it may feel like someone can receive good from it. So if these things are true how come as ex-offenders we stay quiet about our mistakes? For me it came from a strong sense to stay isolated and I had to do some digging into my past to try and figure out where it all started. I was raised in a very “children are seen and not heard” environment. I was taught at a very young age by an alcoholic biological father that if you spoke up and gave an opinion other than his you got beat. My Mom left him and remarried a man who didn’t beat you for your opinion he would just ignore it. The church we were growing up in said this is to be expected because the man is in charge of the household so just shut up because that is what God wants you to do. The church started instilling in me a sense of being less than. I had now come to the belief that I had nothing to offer anyone let alone God and this caused me to turn all my thoughts inward. My opinions were no good and since they disagreed with what some thought they must be sin and therefore I am no good to God. I felt the same way when I was in school. I could learn easily and outscore anyone on a test, but because I was not popular and I didn’t have on the expensive trendy clothes it didn’t matter. I had learned to isolate myself out of fear and to protect myself I needed to stay in the shadows. While in those shadows I came to meet kids just like me who were hurting too because they had no voice. They had turned to drugs and alcohol to relieve the pain they felt so I joined them in hopes of feeling like I belonged somewhere. Finally with them I was being heard and my opinions finally did matter to someone, but the drugs and addictions took a toll on me that they didn’t on others. They knew “when to say when” to the drugs and alcohol. They knew how to put them down and walk away. I didn’t have that self-control at all and I was in too much pain to let go of them. So now I found myself isolating again so I would use and drink alone and generally just stay away from everyone. Not soon after eventually I found myself in prison. Strangely enough everyone here kept to themselves and nobody trusted anybody. Even though this was a horrible environment I was strangely comfortable in it because I knew how to function in it. I was released and was back out doing the same things I did to get locked up in the first place. Now that I had a prison number I was treated like some sort of leper in society. I wasn’t allowed to work here or go here because I was an ex-offender. I was less than. I found myself one day at a meeting and I shared my story in all of its ugliness and shame and something happened that amazed me. People wrapped themselves around me and offered to help me not out of pity but because it was the right thing to do. They genuinely cared about me because they could relate to me. Everyone has fought with feelings of isolation and worthlessness and a light came on. All my isolation had done was to keep me from asking for help and it caused more pain than protecting me from it. I needed to share my story with others going through the same things and let them know I understand. I had found my voice and the next thing I know is I am sharing my story with anyone who will listen. I don’t kid myself though there are those who could care less about what I have to say but that is their problem not mine. In the last year I have talked with treatment programs, churches, family, strangers, other prisoners, Senators, and Congressmen to let them know what it is like to come out of prison and try to get your life back. They valued my story and they genuinely cared about the plight men and women returning from prison face. I was shocked to actually see the amounts of and the kinds of people who actually care. I still struggle with wanting to withdraw and isolate. I have to catch myself daily and change the behavior no matter how uncomfortable it is. Now I know my purpose and through all this I have found my voice and the courage to let it be heard. We all have a voice. We all have valuable things to say, so what is causing you to want to stay silent?

Who’s to Blame (part 2)

2010-05-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Part two in the saga know as trying to get food stamps. When I last left off I still had not received my food stamps, but 19 days later I finally got my food stamps. Now comes the problem. We have been dropped from $260 a month to $46 a month. That is $214 dollars a month less. They say it is because my wife makes too much money. I know she got a raise, but I am certain it wasn’t for an extra $214 dollars a month. So what gives? They also decided to add up our income by some overtime she was lucky to get and not by the income she normally receives. Then I was told that we had money in savings and that has to be counted against you. So what the system is telling me is that I should work as little as possible and never try and get a promotion or a raise? It seems to me like we are encouraging people to be dependant on the system and discouraging those who are trying to do the right things and that I am to be punished for trying to save some money for emergencies. It really confuses me that they will lower my food stamp amount for money I have saved up for emergencies, especially when the money was being saved up because every time we have re-applied for food stamps they have been on average at least 15 days late. I have no choice but to be smart enough to save back some money for groceries when I can’t count on the EBT card to be filled on time. The responses I got on the phone when asking these questions was and I quote “that doesn’t concern me”. We really need some sensitivity training for these case managers I can’t believe that is your only response to me after I have called 12 times to try and get a hold of someone. I called once at 4:30pm and after being on hold they picked up the phone and hung up on me because it was 5:00pm and they don’t work after five. I called back after they hung up and all I got was a phone message stating that fact. Also out of the 12 times I called I was told that according to their records someone called me back each time when in fact I was only called back twice. Maybe we should hire case managers who have been on food stamps who understand what people are going through or at least train those there to better understand what it is like to live in poverty. Is the true underlying problem the lack of relationship? Without any real reciprocity in this system it leaves everyone in this system in one of three roles. You are either the rescuer, the persecutor or the victim. The system is set up to be a rescuer. It will save you from going hungry but unlike reciprocity there are strings attached. You have things both spoken and unspoken you need to do to receive food stamps. When you don’t follow those rules set forth by the system it becomes the persecutor and punishes you by the only means it has. It takes away part of or all of your ability to eat. Now because it has punished you, you become the victim. You find yourself becoming bitter at the system and in a “screw you” mentality. That is not a relational model for doing things and it can’t sustain itself in the long term can it? Reciprocity says I will give you help and expect nothing back, but you will give back to a need I might have anyway. This doesn’t happen without relationship because there is trust and mutual respect in relationship. In this food stamp system there is no relationship. With its rescuer, persecutor, victim roles it builds nothing but resentment and bitterness on all sides. I might say I’m the victim because they have cut my food stamps. The other side of that coin is they are the victim because I’m just looking for a hand out. Both sides are resentful and neither side is right. So how do you build a better system? What happens to a family that has grown up in generational poverty and has always felt like the victim? Who’s to blame… no one, blame accomplishes nothing. So how do we as a community establish real relationship across race and class lines and establish reciprocity between a people and its systems? I believe the people here in Dayton can figure it out.

Who is to Blame…

2010-04-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

As an Americorp VISTA, because of pay and what we do we are encouraged to sign up for community assistance programs. That would be things like food stamps, housing, welfare, and help with utilities. My opinions of how these systems work and my attitudes about those who need to be on these systems have changed dramatically in the few months I have been involved. I am only going to mention a few systems I have worked with and what my experiences have taught me.
Currently I am involved with EBT (food stamps) and let me tell you now these things are a mess. First off if you have them they are supposed to last you a month. If you eat nothing but rice and potatoes you may get them to last that long in reality they only last you a couple of weeks if you want to eat healthy. If you have any special diet needs you are in trouble. My wife eats gluten free because of allergies and gluten free foods are more expensive than normal. Where a package of spaghetti may cost a dollar, gluten free spaghetti will cost you three. Not to mention where you have to go to find it sometimes.
Here is the situation we find ourselves in every three months. Every three months you have to do a phone interview with your case manager to get your food stamps renewed. Then you fill out paperwork and mail it in. When the time comes for your food stamps to start again they don’t. The first time it took them a week past the date they are supposed to start and this time it has been three weeks and they still haven’t put the money on our EBT card. The paperwork got mailed into them more than five weeks ago and according to the lady I talked to on the phone it’s considered normal for them to misplace paperwork. Now I have some savings I can dip into but I wonder how it would feel to have children and go three weeks or more without the ability to get groceries. How do you get from food pantry to food pantry with kids to get groceries when you don’t have a car and the bus lines won’t take you where you need to go? Can you imagine the panic a mother must feel when she has to send her child to bed hungry? Now instead of mailing them in you can take your chances and go to the job center to renew them. You get there early in the morning and you wait in line all day and if they can’t see you, you do it again the next day. That is when you have an appointment. If they can’t see you that’s ok, but if you miss an appointment you’re in trouble.
Here is where my attitude changes towards those in poverty. We always assume because you are poor it is because you are lazy. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The amount of work you have to do amazes me. The sheer volume of appointments you have to make on a weekly basis just to keep your welfare, food stamps, electric, heat, and countless other programs. Did you know you don’t just get a check? You have to go to several programs, appointments, and possibly even do community service to get food stamps and other benefits. Most even have to juggle one or two jobs in-between all of these activities and still find time to spend with family. It’s hard work to be in poverty and you don’t get a vacation. You never get a break to just catch your breath.
Have you ever seen the case load for some one who works on the other side of this issue? We can’t blame the caseworker for not getting our food stamps in time either. They have huge case loads and more people because of the economy are being added every day. So you’d think we would add more case managers but because of the economy we can’t afford to do that and in some cases we are laying them off and in turn they have to apply for assistance. I talked to someone today about why I still haven’t received any money on my EBT card and asked about how much mail comes in on a daily basis. Everyone re-applying for any kind of assistance comes through their office and has to be sorted out. It seems so easy for your paperwork to get lost or sent to the wrong desk when there are thousands of applications coming in daily. So we can’t blame the case workers for things, but who do you think hears about it when we call and our kids haven’t eaten.
The systems themselves need fixed. I hold a lot of faith in this community to fix it. If we come together as a community to look at the issues and take the time to understand everyone involved and not judge them we can solve this. If we sit down with our policy makers and explain the problems we can solve this. If we build relationships with those involved we can end poverty in Dayton and perhaps retire this system.

P.S. My case manager just called, they have my paperwork and I should be able to eat tomorrow…

Give Me Spring or Give me Bed…

2010-03-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

What was I thinking going in to the office this morning? I should have taken a sick day. My hands are still numb trying to type this Blog. I think my wedding ring has frozen to my finger. I have had so many issues with my cars this winter it’s killing me. I took the truck to work this morning. It has absolutely no traction in snow let alone ICE! The problem with the truck is the heater core went bad. NO HEAT! To make matters worse to keep the windshield from fogging up you have to turn on the air. It was extremely cold air as you can imagine. The van on the other hand had too much heat this winter. Thank God for Dave (my mechanic), who finally fixed the problem. Without his help there is no way the van would be working today. Now it just needs brakes and tires. Finally get it to go and now I need to fix the things that make it stop. The truck also has this little problem of the steering wheel acting like it is about ready to fall off. It’s OK though I have increased my liability to $100,000 in case of certain doom. If you look on the bright side if I ever wreck the truck with no heat I’ll probably be completely numb and never feel a thing. Wait, what’s that? Oh I can feel my fingers hitting the keys on the keyboard again. Scared me a little. So what happened to spring? I got home yesterday and it was nice (except for the rain). When I got up this morning my apartment’s parking lot had turned into a hockey ring. One of the neighborhood kids checked me into the wall. I was about to throw off the gloves, but his mother looked bigger than me. I was scraping off the windshield when I was called for high sticking. Ohio weather is just one big tease. You get a couple of nice days and then snow, ice, or hurricane force winds. Where else can you be this far from the ocean and get a hurricane? Someone told me if you didn’t like the weather in Ohio to give it five minutes and it would change. Oh well it looks like I will finally get that good weather tomorrow. Of course two days later a volcano will appear in some cornfield and erupt. It is Ohio after all and I’m going home and back to bed. Wake me when it’s spring again.

Tim’s Bio (the short version)

2010-03-11T09:38:00.000-08:00

My name is Timothy R. Zecchini. I was born November 13th, 1970. I was born into a middle class family who were very involved in the church. My Father was Catholic and my Mother was Baptist. I went to church four times a week and yet still had no idea who God was or my place with him. Around the time I was 12 I started drinking, and by the time I had reached the age of 16 I was a full blown alcoholic and an addict. I had been in and out of the county jail till July of 1995 when I was incarcerated for Aggravated Burglary. I had hurt someone who I professed to love in a drunken rage. I was sentenced to 5-25 years and sent to prison. While in prison I decided that I needed to change if I wanted to live. I went to college and received a certificate from Sinclair Community College in Computer Applications in Business. I became head of the 7th Step Foundation that raised money for charities and wrote a monthly news letter that was put out in the prison community. I learned how to write legal work for shock probation, and appeals for myself and other inmates in prison. I was apart of the church in prison and led worship on Sunday mornings. I spent my whole 4+ years in the drug rehabilitation unit and was very involved with AA, NA, and Step Studies until I was moved to the honor dorm. I also worked with a program that brought community youth’s in to talk to them about the directions their lives were heading. If there was a program in the prison I was in it. None of it prepared me for what happened when I was released. On the day of my release I found myself very alone. All of the support I had in prison remained behind after I left. I went to church on the first night I was released and was not prepared for the way I was treated. People would pull their kids to the side when I came down the hall. I had lived for so long speaking with prison slang that no one in this suburban church understood me. On that same night in that church I was approached by someone who told me no one would understand me and no one would hire me. He said that when that got old to call him and he’d teach me to sell cocaine. After the 5th computer company told me they could not hire me because their insurance wouldn’t cover me because of the Aggravated Burglary on my record I found myself heading down and old familiar path that I knew led to death. By the grace of God on my final trip to the county jail my wife told me that I had a choice to make her or the drugs. She said she found a new church for us while I was sitting in a jail cell and it had a Celebrate Recovery. I was to attend if I wanted to stay married. Suddenly I found myself surrounded by people who loved me despite my past and eventually found myself working for that church. After several years I called the men who used to come into the prison every Tuesday night and do a Bible study and asked if I could go in with them. They said yes and since then I haven’t looked back. I have been able to do Tuesday night Bible studies, Sunday morning sermons as a volunteer Chaplain, and Friday night Celebrate Recovery services at the Dayton Correctional Institution (where I did my prison time). I have been able to give my lead at Project S.T.O.P. an inpatient treatment facility here in Dayton. I became an ordained minister and will be performing my brother’s wedding this summer. I am now an Americorp VISTA with Think Tank-Inc. contracted with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to end recidivism in Ohio's prisons and poverty here in Dayton. After so many years of taking from my community I have a great opportunity to help heal my city. I will be able to take myself and others like me (formerly incarcerated) and show those who believe that “They’ll never change” that we can change and have changed and are making a difference in our communities. I am also helping co-found the Ohio Association of Formerly Incarcerated Offenders to bring together those individuals who feel left out because of their prison numbers and give them a voice. What we are doing now is not another program but a movement that I am very glad to be a part of. I know who God is now and I know I am in the place He wants me to be. It is a great feeling.

Timothy R. Zecchini

The Godfather part I

2010-03-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Well it is official after today I am now a Godfather to two wonderful kids. Today at St. Johns UCC my sister-in-law Amanda had her two babies baptized and dedicated. She asked me and my wife Sarah if we would be there and be the Godparents of DJ and Mercedes. It took us all of two seconds to say yes. Also at the church somehow I got pulled into helping out my friend Patrick with the children’s sermon. I was told if ever I helped there would be puppets… There were no puppets, but somehow I managed to still have fun. Also the Pastor of St. Johns gave a sermon like I have never heard him give. There was a passion and fervor in his sermon today. That had to be one of the best sermons I’ve heard this year, and I have visited a lot of churches so far this year. St. Johns never gave up on me when I seemed to be determined to get locked up again. They showed me God’s grace in a way I had never seen before and for that I am eternally grateful. Anyway I have completely gotten off the subject. I am the Godfather of two awesome kids, and there is a reason they are so wonderful. They have an awesome Mother. I have watched Amanda bust her but for her kids and she is always doing things to make herself a better Mother and person. She has gotten her GED and is going back to school and I am very proud of her. You know she is an excellent human being she reads my Blogs all the time and that is a stepping stone to greatness. Well, I like to think it is anyways. So to some up today’s Blog: Amanda is awesome, her kids are awesome, the pastor of St. John’s UCC (Larry Grunden) is awesome, and my Blog is awesome… I am still owed one puppet show.

Timothy R. Zecchini

Snowdrift Column, By: Molly Flodder

2010-02-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

It has just occurred to me that a successful methodology for ending poverty is not unlike being helped out of a snowdrift.

I was recently stranded in a drift on a county road. I should have known better than to try to take my normal shortcut to get to the highway. Eventually my husband showed up, and he and three strangers who came along later were able to help remove snow from around my car and push and pull me while I steered my way to safety.

Here in Delaware County, IN and in communities in 22 states there is a model for eliminating poverty that works pretty much the same way. People get stuck; stuck because they come from a family that has never lived any other way. Or stuck because they have had a divorce, a job loss, a major illness or another “situational” downturn of events. They stay stuck while our country’s welfare system helps to keep them at least somewhat comfortable and working to “manage” the poverty they are in.

I suppose out there on that fairly deserted county road that being able to have some food, warmth, or a way to help my daughter who was with me be less frightened would have helped me manage the situation I was in for hours or even days. But I didn’t want to be there. I was highly motivated to get unstuck and to move toward the destination I was seeking.

There are people in poverty who are just as motivated to leave it and to be self-sufficient. So why don’t they? Well, setting aside the economy, job scenarios and problems such as lack of education, transportation, childcare, etc., there is still a very big problem: They can be very isolated; like we were on that seldom traveled country road. Or maybe their personal helping system is not as good as mine--a helper in a four-wheel drive truck.

I disagree with Star Press columnist Larry Riley, who is one of the best researchers and

thoughtful reporters I know. Larry, most of those people in poverty can’t depend on a “savings

account,” “their family,” “their extended family” or even their “church” or “charity.” (The trustee system is a court of last resort for many, but it can be a more personal link than a county poor relief is likely to be or the state FSSA system has been in the last two years!)

Those people in poverty—at least 1 in 4 ½ people in Muncie—can never get unstuck until the rest of us play a role. And when we have taken time—even a few hours a month-- to get to know them and become their friends, the people journeying out of poverty can learn to trust, making the journey to self-sufficiency less treacherous. The other men who helped us were good and I am grateful to them, but having someone I know, someone I can depend on—my husband—gave me the trusted help I needed and the confidence to do what I needed to do.

And what did I need to do? I needed to steer. I knew my car better than anybody and how it pulls in the snow. I could see from my vantage point at the top of that hill where I needed to go. I didn’t need them steering for me. I just needed them to nudge, push and pull me and to help me eliminate the barriers (the snow) keeping me from moving out of the stuck position.

The organization I have the privilege to serve, TEAMwork for Quality Living (www.teamworkql.org) and our volunteer leaders working to eliminate poverty, EPIC (Eliminating Poverty Impact Coalition), have the good fortune to use the Circles™ model (www.movethemountain.org). We have learned that the problem of poverty is too great to relegate entirely to the social services community. Our organization’s volunteer leaders are always looking for caring people in our community in middle class and wealth who can help families in poverty steer their way to a better destination—especially when there is no savings account, family, extended family, church or even charity to help.

This is from Molly Flodder the Executive Director of TEAMwork for Quality Living in Muncie, IN. Molly is an inspiration to Think Tank and she willingly help us begin our Circles Initiative in 2007. One of the first road trips Clark County Circles made was to Muncie to talk with their Guiding Coalition members and to attend a weekly meeting. Thank you Molly for your leadership and determiniation to eliminate poverty in Muncie and across Indiana.

To the Future of Dayton

2010-02-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

Young people need to be challenged to make a radical commitment to Jesus. Not to conform to the world but to be authentic. To live biblical is to be radical, because this is truly to be different than anyone else in the world. The church needs to give them a place, because they are not the church of tomorrow but they are the church of today. Take a stand not just what you stand for but who you stand for. We don’t need to focus on entertaining the youth groups but teaching them. They need a destiny something worth dying for and something that gives them reason to live. Let them know they are needed where they are. Public schools are an awesome opportunity to witness and adults cannot start bible studies there. It is the perfect mission field for our young people and is extremely needed. Why do our young people leave the church, because of peer pressure and a lack of opportunity for church involvement!
You are the best missionaries for where you are. God has given you the authority if you have the courage (1st Timothy 4:12). You might believe you are to shy or not aggressive enough to do it. Well Moses had the same problem and God helped him and He will help you too. If you set yourself on fire for God people will gather around to watch you burn. People are going to try and scare you, but all you have to do is trust Jesus and He will see you through. Just like He did for David when he went up against Goliath, God went with him. No more excuses you’ve got to be the Christians you are called to be and lay it on the line. It’s time to counter the culture you are living in and you wont feel fulfilled any other way especially if you just try to blend in with the rest of the world. You know too much to give in to that lifestyle. I am not asking you to be preachers all I’m asking is that you live the lifestyle of a Christian.
The youth group should contain three elements fellowship fun, a mission and ministry, and above all teaching. Here are my challenges to you; do a daily bible study, pray, and work on having a personal relationship with Jesus. Your life is not a mistake it has a purpose. Parents, let your kids know how much you love them and support them through the church in their ministries at their school or wherever else the Lord is using them. God uses young people just look at the lives of David, Timothy, Mary, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendago. When Isaac was put on the altar Abraham was 116 years old. Do you think He had to let his father place him on the altar? No he was 16 he could have whooped him if he wanted to. When you were young you used to ask anyone to hold you by your arms and spin you around with no thought of them dropping you on your head. How much more do you think the God of Creation will keep from dropping you if you put your faith in Him? I’ll tell you this He has never dropped me and I can assure you that He can be trusted above anything else.

Where Does the Church Fit Into Re-Entry?

2010-01-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was told by a pastor once that there were lots of prison ministries out there and that he didn’t need to be involved in one. It literally broke my heart to hear it. I was told once that I’d have to choose between my job and my prison ministry. I chose God’s calling for my life, prison ministry. If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s this. There are not enough Christian’s involved with prison ministry. If there are, how come 72% of Montgomery County’s budget was spent on offenders last year? How come it cost Montgomery County 114 million dollars last year alone? Why if the church is reaching so many of those coming out of prison are 44% returning to prison every year? That is the highest recidivism rate for an urban county in the state.
Men and women in the Montgomery County Jail will put their names on a waiting list to get a visit from a local pastor, but most will leave to prison or home without ever seeing one, months after they have asked. There aren’t enough lay people volunteering their time to visit with them. You mean to tell me out of 408 churches that are listed in Montgomery County I can sit for months in a jail cell without a pastor’s visit. I am seriously holding back tears just writing this down. Another part of me wants to throw up. Another part of me still wants to go into churches and start tossing tables like Jesus did. The Word says:
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Mathew 25:37-40
It doesn’t say pick and choose which ones of these you want to do. It is so easy to make another food pantry, but Dayton doesn’t need any more food pantries. We have built more homeless shelters, and I don’t see anyone running around naked on the streets. Ask yourself how many of are homeless and jobless that way because a criminal background keeps them down? I think the answer would be most. I see all these commercials about accepting those that are different into our churches, but how true is that. Would you allow a sex offender or a murderer into your church? How easy it is to pick and chose the degrees of past sin we will allow in our church. God forgave these men and women, why can’t you. God says to go out and feed the poor, take the homeless into our homes, give the naked the clothes off our backs, and go into the prisons. He did not say you should hide behind your church walls and throw money at the problem till it goes away like a bunch of cowards. I’ve only heard Him to say things like “Be bold!” and ”Have no fear.” Did Jesus do the work of His Father or did He raise some money so someone else could do the work?
I asked the question, where does the church fit into re-entry? Well if the church is the body and Christ the head then I guess the question needs to be “Where does Christ fit into re-entry?” God is the originator of re-entry. Ever since man first sinned He has done nothing but come up with the perfect re-entry program. He wrapped Himself in flesh, came to Earth and died for us so that we can re-enter His kingdom. I’m asking if you can love on an ex-offender. If you can take the time to welcome the prodigals back into the community and fight those things which keep them trapped in recidivism. God forgave you and allowed you to re-enter can you do the same? God gave up His only Son. I am just asking you to give up your judgments on an individual who has served his time. As for me I will continue to be bold and without fear as I continue to fight and stand in the gap for the least of these.
Timothy R. Zecchini

Tis the Season to be Mindful

2009-12-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

by Miguel Martinez-Saenz

As Christians and non-Christians alike continue to partake in the consuming frenzy that has come to be known by many throughout the world as the "most joyous time of the year," it might be occasion to take a moment to reflect on one of the most celebrated yet willfully misread stories associated with Christmas. I am referring to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. That some thought it necessary to remake the story with Jim Carrey taking on too many roles to list is a testament to the glaring contradictions that mar us. That

Carrey thought it made good sense to take the starring role in Dr. Seuss' The Grinch that Stole Christmas might tells us more about him than it does about us. But I digress.

How many millions of viewers will sit before a screen of one kind or another to watch one or other rendition of A Christmas Carol this year? How many viewers will be experiencing the harrowing tale for the first time? Yet, one of the most beloved and notable stories associated with Christmas appears impotent in the face of the rush to buy, buy, buy!

While the plot doesn't have to be retold, it may be that it should be rethought. Most see what they want to see, namely, a story about a greedy, crotchety old man who learns the true meaning of Christmas after he is
visited by three ghosts-Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas yet to come. The viewer (and the reader) is led to feel that the true meaning of Christmas has to do with giving and with being selfless. Keep in mind, one of the ideas running through the novella is certainly the idea that those of us who have been blessed with some fortune or another should willingly provide for those less fortunate especially if the beneficiary of our generosity has made herself or himself worthy of our attention.

Who could overlook Scrooge's joy when he discovers he has not missed Christmas and shouts down to the young boy in the street: "Do you know whether they've sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up there? -- Not the little prize Turkey: the big one?" And satisfied with his newfound feeling of (material) generosity, he tells himself that he will have the turkey sent to Bob Cratchit's. Furthermore, as Dickens recounts, "[Scrooge] went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows, and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk -- that anything -- could give him so much happiness." A total transformation if one was ever witnessed.

So it goes that the Salvation Army sets up posts at every available supermarket in town and non-profits and churches the county over set up Alternative Christmas markets where we can buy a modicum of redemption by donating some of our 'fortunes' to worthy and deserving causes. And, so it goes that Starbucks coffee, Target (Superstores) and every merchandiser under the sun announces that consuming their goods, will also contribute the well-being of those unable to make the very purchases we, at times, take for granted. In other words, our consumption patterns are tied, not coincidentally, to our desire for redemption. Like Scrooge we have come to appreciate the importance of giving back. Unlike Scrooge, perhaps, we have bought into a system that allows us to give back by simply doing what we have always done, namely, consuming. If I buy some fair trade beans from Starbucks for my sister-in-law, for example, I am told that I will also be
helping well-deserving farmers in Guatemala send their children to school; if I make purchases at Target, I am told that a % of my purchase goes to charities; not to mention that my inclination to indulge in some Ben and
Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" will result in a modest contribution to the Ben and Jerry Foundation.

Like Scrooge, whose newfound generosity will do little to impact his 'way of life', most of us will feel better about our purchases yet will make few sacrifices to consider the far reaching moral of the story. One would be hard-pressed to deny that Dickens is shouting the odds not only at the lack of generosity of means but also a lack of generosity of spirit-a lack of generosity that is juxtaposed to the joie de vivre of Tiny Tim, the most unsuspecting of heroes in the novella. Tiny Tim is heroic not because he does the unthinkable in ordinary times; he is heroic precisely because he does the extraordinary in what many of us would consider extraordinary circumstances. His will to live, his moral maturity demonstrated by his desire that those around him find the wherewithal to appreciate what they have been given, his recognition that happiness is exemplified by much more than the 'things' he has around himself and his embodiment of the Golden Rule captured most profoundly when he utters the famous expression: "God bless Us, Every One!" challenges each of us to consider what it means to be an embodiment of the Christmas spirit.

As discussions regarding whether we ought to say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" hit the airwaves once again, let us remind ourselves of Tiny Tim's spirit and message; let us challenge one another to seek happiness in what we have been given and in the non-material relations that make life truly worth living; let us challenge one another to reflect conscientiously on the idea that we can't simply say we believe happiness consists in being with family and with those we love all the while remaining envious of those who received more than we did on Christmas day. In short, let us be mindful and respectful of all members of our communities so that all of us, everyone one of us, might have the opportunity to find joy in what some of us
consider "the most joyous time of year."

In closing I leave you with Dickens' own Preface to A Christmas Carol: "I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it."

Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Wow that year seemed to go by fast. It is almost Christmas and finally ten years later I can now acknowledge it being Christmas. I am finally starting to get into the holiday spirit again. I am sure you are wondering how can someone not like Christmas. It’s not like I didn’t like Christmas, but I ignored it.

After doing some time in prison you start to ignore holidays and birthdays and treat them just like any other day. The idea of you not being with your family during those times can be really hard to take. When you are sitting down to eat trying to cut through a piece of shoe leather that they tell you is steak it hurts to have to think about what you are missing. It is even harder to think about who is missing you. We tend to forget that when you lock up an individual you are taking his family with him. They feel just as bad when they see that empty chair at the table. It is much easier to ignore those days than to have to deal with the emotions that come from acknowledging them.

But this is what truly surprised me. After years of ignoring the holidays while I was in prison, it would take me ten years to want to start celebrating them again. There was always this fear in the back of my head that said if I enjoyed them someone would take them away from me again. I literally for the first five years out didn’t know it was my birthday until some one would call and wish me a happy birthday. It was hard to want to celebrate Christmas when you knew the friends you had made were still locked up.

This year has been different. My wife has really worn me down and got me into Christmas again. I’ve started watching all the Christmas shows I used to watch every year. She went all out on decorating for Christmas this year. I don’t think there is a square inch of this apartment that doesn’t have Christmas lights on it, and I haven’t stopped listening to Christmas songs since Thanksgiving. It feels good to take time out and celebrate again. I just ask if you are reading this you take time out and pray for those this Christmas who are trying to ignore the holiday because of fear or loss in their lives. Pray for the prisoners, soldiers, and those who have lost loved ones that they may find some comfort and peace this Christmas. Pray that they find their hope again.

Impossible is Nothing

2009-11-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

Bryonn Bain came to the Circles meeting out in Springfield, Ohio this Thursday. He was encouraging everyone to think of what their vision was for themselves in the next five years. It was great to hear from others about where they wanted to be personally in five years. Even better still to know you get to help someone achieve their goal.

I have a vision but I don’t think it will be accomplished in five years and I’ll be lucky to see it accomplished in my life time. I see a country in the future with NO PRISONS… Yeah I know that seems to be a huge task, but I know from personal experience that impossible is nothing. There is only a small percentage of inmates who need locked up and never let out, but the majority that are in there now need never come back if we care enough to help them succeed when they return to society. Circles is trying to develop a re-entry program based on the same principles to bring someone out of poverty. If you can bring a family out of poverty why can’t you bring a person out of incarceration? Isn’t incarceration just another form of poverty? Let’s face it the prisons aren’t overflowing with the wealthy and middle class.

There is a lot of talk about repairing our communities and strengthening families, but how can you fix a community when it’s Husbands, Fathers, and Sons are locked away in cages. You can’t… The neighborhoods that are hurting the most are the neighborhoods with the most crime and therefore the neighborhoods with the largest percentage of its members behind bars. These communities need not only those persons incarcerated back, but those persons to make that inner change that will keep them from returning to prison. To have those returning from prison to step up and be the fathers, husbands, and sons that God intended them to be. To also be the wives, mothers, and daughters the neighborhoods need them to be.

This is why I will not rest, can not rest until this vision I have for Dayton is achieved. As go the neighborhoods so goes the city. I have been in Dayton and the surrounding area all of my life and I refuse to see this city die. I refuse to give up on one of the most generous cities in the nation. It never gave up on me when I was one of those incarcerated individuals taking all I could from my community for my own selfish needs. Now I have an opportunity to try and make it right and I will give it all I have and God will take care of the rest. No more prisons is not an impossibility, but is a very real possibility. With God nothing is impossible and I know He is going to prove it in Dayton.

The Iron Mask

2009-11-13T12:38:00.001-08:00

It’s nine o’clock in the evening, and time to lock it down for the night once again. As the young man heads for his cell, all he can hear is the dull drone of a fan, and the continuous lethargic murmuring of depressed criminals. They are just like him, shuffling off to their numbered little holes in the wall, pretending that everything is fine. As he pulls open the heavy steel door to his man made hell, it’s hinges let out a terrifying screech like that of a poor tortured soul. The solid iron door shuts behind him echoing out a hollow thud. Then the captive can hear the deadbolt click into place mockingly telling him that he’s locked down once again. His sense of smell is overwhelmed by the acrid stench of stale, wet cigarettes, and his throat becomes dry from the thin layer of fine gray dust that blankets everything in his cell. The prisoner stares at his rust covered desk that is slumped in the corner of his room against the wall cold and silent like a wounded dying animal. He glances around at the sticky nicotine yellow colored walls and thinks about all the years he has got to do behind this hard concrete before he is even up for parole. He thinks about how much more time the board could give him, and that terrifying thought causes his blood to run ice cold through his veins. The outcast looks in the mirror, but he can no longer recognize the reflection staring back at him. All he can see is the cold surgical steel mask covered in razor sharp spikes that an inmate wears behind the barbed wire fence. A mask that says “I’m harder than you”. This fallen youth is tired of wearing that and the countless others from his past beneath it. They are beginning to grow heavy on him, unbearably overshadowing the real man underneath. The inmate rests on his cot there is softness accompanied by the shrill shriek of metal scraping metal. He looks up at the bug splattered ceiling with its long abandoned cobwebs hanging in the corners of his cell. This ragged soul is tired of hiding like a coward behind the drugs that do nothing but deceive him, shackling him to the lies they tell about his suffering being over. The pain is never really gone but only numbed for a little while until it emerges again stronger than before. It’s a never-ending circle and dance for the spiritually dead. This young felon is sick of not dealing with the losses he has suffered at the hands of the system. The loss of not being with his loved ones on holidays, watching his family suffer and die off while he is stuck in here, The loss of having an intimate relationship with a woman, and the deprivation of his freedom to go where he wants to go when he wants and the simple liberty to decide for himself what he wants to wear or eat. He wants desperately to change his situation and he wishes he could change the decisions he has made in the past. The reality is he can only change himself and start to heal the scars from his past. If he takes courage to face the truth about himself and takes responsibility for the person he is behind the mask. Soon he will find the child buried alive under it so long ago. There is always hope, and he will be going home one day. The reality is if he leaves prison the same person, as when he came in it will only be a matter of time before he comes back to prison. Without change in his life there will be no hope of a better tomorrow, and unless he abandons his past lifestyle he is doomed to repeat it. He chooses never again to wear a mask.

The D.C. Experience

2009-10-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

Me in Washington D.C. for a couple of days, who’d’ a thunk it… It was absolutely awesome to see the nation’s capitol… I could have skipped the eight hour drive there and back though… Maybe next time we can get one of those private jets we saw coming and going the entire time non-stop to and from the airport… I got to see some really cool stuff like the actual flag that was the inspiration for “The Star Spangled Banner”, Dale Earnhardt’s racing helmet, Kermit the frog, and Archie Bunkers chair… The Poverty Simulation went off without a hitch and all those involved ran it like professionals… We even got to meet Senator Jay Rockefeller…

Besides all of the stuff I got to see in The Smithsonian I got to see more monuments in one day than I have seen in my entire lifetime… Even got to meet a news anchor from CNN at one of the monuments, but I still have absolutely no idea who he was… Don’t watch the news much it is too depressing… Now if it was John Stewart or Steven Colbert them I know… I swear we did so much walking that I believe I’m an inch shorter now from grinding off the bottoms of my feet… I saw White Houses, Capitol Buildings, and all sorts of other historical buildings but my favorite would have to be the NY Deli… They make the most incredible Coney I have had to date and the Brooklyn Lager wasn’t too shabby either…

Thanks to Care Source for bringing us out with them to run our Poverty Simulation… They jumped right in and helped us out with participation like they had done these for years… By the way when do you want to go back and do another one… Every one who was involved was awesome… We even had someone crying by the end of it… Either they were moved or Sonia is one mean employer… Carlos gave directions and spoke from the heart like he has been doing this since birth… I know this made an impact…

It was really inspiring to meet Senator Jay Rockefeller… He started out as a VISTA just like me and now he is a US Senator… That’s when it hit me that in this country I really can be and do anything… It was an epiphany (oooh fancy word)… Suddenly I realized with God there really are no limits on what I can be in this country… Now I’m not saying I could get the job because I don’t have the money or connections it takes “YET”, but I realized I can do the job… He also taught me that lobbyist’s are mostly evil, you know like Emperor Palpatine darkside evil (sorry for the Star Wars reference, but I got to see C3-PO too)… He also talked about how it took him 30 years to get running water to the town he started in… That kind of passion to improve peoples lives is awesome and makes me want to improve Dayton no matter how long it takes because I now know it can be done… I can’t wait to go to Washington D.C. again…

The Last Day

2009-10-16T08:23:00.001-07:00

As of last week we have a step study going in Celebrate Recovery at DCI. Last Friday we had an introduction meeting to meet the men on the inside that want to participate in a one year step study and hopefully become leaders in our Celebrate Recovery at DCI. We decided to build our leaders first before we started our weekly meetings.

I was going to have this all planned out ahead of time, but God had other plans. I intended on having a large group of volunteers and support churches all lined up before we got started. Well we have two support churches so far The Vineyard (Dayton Campus) and Patterson Park Church. Both of these churches are an excellent support and are very dedicated to helping people through hurts, habits, and hang ups through Celebrate Recovery. I am truly blessed to have the four men who volunteer to come in with me to teach the steps. Not only are they good at holding me accountable but they are some of the best friends one could ask for. Their passion to do God’s work in the prison system is inspiring. Celebrate Recovery itself is going to give us tremendous support too.

God has a way of telling us to just step out in faith, start a new thing, and He’ll take care of the rest. Just like when Joshua and the Israelites had to cross the Nile. The Nile didn’t part until they stepped down into the water out of faith. Well I have been struggling with smoking for a long time now. Quit then start, then quit then start again. So I have decided as I go through the steps with my brothers in chains and my volunteers to finally truly give up my smoking. To 100% hand it over to God. I am going to quit trying to stop smoking on my own and test God to see if He can remove this habit from my life once and for all. I want to live for a very long time and I don’t want to do it carrying around an oxygen tank. So let’s see if this Celebrate Recovery thing works. Oh wait I know it works I am no longer addicted to alcohol and drugs (all of them) because of this program and the fact that Jesus Christ reigns in my life.

So I guess it’s time to hand over to God this last habit… (I’m sure there are more habits than this, but it seems to be the glaring one right now.) I am truly blessed that God is using me to do things in my prison that I wish I would have had when I was there. If He can speak through an ass it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to use me.

Timothy R. Zecchini

Help has Arrived

2009-10-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We finally have a person in our Dayton office to figure out scheduling on the computer. Let’s face it I am not what they call computer savvy. I have had blue-collar jobs all my life until this point. It has taken some serious adjustments to figure out this “office” thing. On most of my other jobs when something didn’t work or fit you just hit it with a hammer until it did. I have found out through trial and error that a computer doesn’t respond well to being beat with a hammer. Also prying open the hard drive to make more space doesn’t work either. The only experience I have in an office is emptying the trash and changing light bulbs. It seems you forget how to change a light bulb after you learn how to file. Once you have learned to operate a keyboard and mouse you lose all concept of how to use a hammer and screwdriver (unless those are drinks during your “power lunch”).

Dee has joined us in our office and I am very thankful. One reason is I no longer have to talk to myself. The people in the other offices were beginning to think I was off my meds. Two I couldn’t organize my way out of a paper bag. It will be nice to have someone in the office showing me where stuff goes other than in a pile next to the desk. They have these things called “folders” and you put them in “filing cabinets”. Who Knew? I am very proud of Dee and all her accomplishments and am looking forward to working with her. She is going to be a valuable asset to Dayton Circles. Welcome and I hope we don’t scare you off.

A Little Light Reading

2009-09-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

I have received more information to read in the last couple of months than I have seen in the last couple of years. Here is the list so far… for Circles I have: Bridges Out of Poverty, Getting Ahead in a just getting by world (Workbook and Facilitators’ notes), Office XP for Dummies, the Circles Manual, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, several reports on recidivism, and Circles and Move the Mountains websites… For Celebrate recovery I have: Stepping out of Denial into God’s Grace (the first in a series of step-study workbooks), Celebrate Recovery Inside, and Life’s Healing Choices.

I have put these books off in hopes of a movie coming out soon on their subjects, but so far no luck. It seems no one wants to put out a movie based on a manual. Perhaps Oprah could read the book and she and her book club could explain it all to me in an hour, but again no luck it seems she will only discuss books that are made up or books about diets with magical berries.

Hey, I know, maybe they will make a nice comic book based on these books, but now that I think about it a self-help guru running around in tights wouldn’t be much help fighting a giant alien with lasers shooting out of his eyes. So it looks like I am going to have to sit down and read a lot. It can’t possibly be that bad. No the truth is I am in an awesome position to teach others what I have learned and change lives. I can only teach out of experience for so long. So I am tackling some books this weekend and nothing else. I may sneak a comic or two in there just to keep it interesting, but by the end of this weekend I hope to have both the workbook and facilitators notes to Getting Ahead. It only seems right that if you are going to teach a class you should know what you are talking about.

I will also continue to read the Circles Manual even if it kills me. So now is the time to exercise some patience and discipline to get these things accomplished this weekend. Wish me luck.

Timothy R. Zecchini

Thank goodness for Caribou Coffee

2009-09-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a week!

I have never gotten this much accomplished in a week in my entire life. To start with, like I was saying last week, I had to resign my post as Director of the transitional house. I think that was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. It was a lot easier said than done.

Next I went to Farmersville on Monday to present Circles to the Rotary Club. I was extremely nervous about it at first, but the more I get out of my comfort zone to do these things like speaking in public the more I am finding out I really enjoy talking with people about a cause I firmly believe in. They presented me with some really cool cards after I was done and they asked a lot of questions which was really good.

I had the opportunity to meet with the Circle Leaders from Project Impact this week one-on-one. This would have to have been one of my favorite parts of the week. Just to be able to sit with someone and have them share their dreams with you is an awesome thing - to be let in to someone’s life like that and to be given their trust is truly humbling. I am honored to be a part of their lives. I got to love on and encourage them what more could you want in life than that.

We also had our first focus group for the re-entry program and what a powerful group it was. The participants have to be been the most passionate group of people I’ve seen in a long time when it comes to healing the lives of those in prison. If this program happens I have no doubt that it will improve the lives of those coming out of prison as well as the lives of those they touch when they get out.

We have also been getting everyone signed up for the Bridges out of Poverty training coming up at Fairhaven Church. Just for the record, updating that list and the database has almost driven me to the brink of insanity, but it has been worth it. Until this task, I had no idea I could stay this focused.

Other events of the week...selling tickets for the fund raiser, finding that funny smell in my apartment, loving my wife, church conference, getting CR Inside started at DCI prison and just my basic prison ministry pretty much rounds up the rest of the week.

Thank you Lord for being with me this week because anyone who knows me knows that without God in my life there is no way I could have gotten everything done this week. I think maybe I’ll try and slack off more next week, then again maybe not…

Timothy R. Zecchini

The Community Assessment Begins

2009-09-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

This week the two Getting Ahead classes will begin the Community Assessment Process. This is a unique part of Circles and Getting Ahead - the families will be the ones assessing the resources or lack of resources in the community and reporting back to those in the community who have power or position to begin the change process.

The resources evaluated are: transportation, housing & banking, job opportunities, health & nutrition, wages, education, leadership and protection from predators. Each participant in the class will do an in-depth assessment on the resource in the community and rank the resource on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being needs significant improvement to 5 exceeds expectations. As a group the class will work together for aggregate all information and develop a presentation.

In the next few weeks the participants will be doing on-line research, interviews and surveying the community to gain a better understanding of the resources. The Circles Team will be assisting the participants to gain access to the information that they need to make a thorough assessment. Along with the ranking process the participants will develop strategies to improve the access to each resource. For instance if the class ranks a resource a score of 3 they will provide strategies that would, in their minds, allow for the resource to grow to a score of 4 or 5.

This is the first step in establishing a Big View topic for Circles and a very big step for the participants as they assume their leadership role in Circles as Getting Ahead Graduates and Circle Leaders. The presentation to the community will take place on Tuesday October 20, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. For more information about this presentation please contact Tim Zecchini at tim@daytoncircles.org or John White at john@daytoncircles.org

Letting Go

2009-09-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

By - Tim Zecchini

I am having some very hard decisions to make this week as a VISTA… I have been Executive Director of Lost and Found Transitional Ministries for awhile now. This is a transitional house I was blessed to take over when the last director left. I have spent a lot of time finding good men to live in this house and take the steps necessary to improve their lives. These guys are like family to me and I am very proud of the progress they have made.

When I started as a VISTA I decided to do this job for free because it meant a lot to me, but now I find myself at a crossroad. I can’t devote 100% of myself to both the transitional house and Dayton Circles. I am going to have to let the transitional house go for the time being. The men have started attending The Vineyard Dayton campus and have been attending Celebrate Recovery. They are even starting a Celebrate Recovery step study at the house. So with that being said I know spiritually and mentally they are in good shape although I worry about them financially because work is so hard to find in Dayton right now.

I’ve talked to them about becoming Circle Leaders when the opportunity comes around again and they seem interested. I am just having a hard time letting go. I know this is the best thing to do and my hope is I’ve left the ministry in better shape than I found it.

My prayer is God continues to move, grow, and bless the lives of these men as they continue to walk with Him. They just need a director who has more time to commit to them than I have right now. So I will just trust God that He will see to it that these men are taken care of after I’m gone. Wait… It’s more than that… I just know that God will take care of this ministry after I’ve gone.

September is here!

2009-08-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Wow... I can't believe that just 8 months ago the idea of Dayton Circles was just beginning to form, and now here we are getting ready for our first set of Getting Ahead Graduates, our first Community Assessment presentation, and the first Weekly Meetings to begin.

A lot has happened in the past 8 months... and more is coming. This month we have several exciting events taking place:

September 15, 2009 - First Getting Ahead Class Graduation at Fort McKinley Church

September 19, 2009 - Fairhaven Church is sponsoring Bridges Out of Poverty Training for the community.

September 22, 2009 - Guiding Coalition Meeting at the Life Enrichment Center 3 p.m.

For more information about these events please contact Tim@thinktank-inc.org or john@thinktank-inc.org

Getting Ahead Classes

2009-08-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

For the past three months, Getting Ahead classes have been taking place in Dayton. The Getting Ahead class is a 15 week leadership course that helps to prepare low-income individuals for the Circles Campaign. Each week the co-investigators discuss a topic and draw conclusions about why life is the way it is for them.

An example of this came this past week. There are 8 women who have been attending regularly in downtown Dayton at Project Impact. This week we finished the discussion on Hidden Rules and began to assess internal resources. What was interesting was that while some were still trying to process the hidden rules information - a set of unwritten social cues that governs a particular culture or class - several others had started thinking about resources that they have at their disposal. The combination of the two allows for a very rich discussion about relationships.

Several of the women in the class have experienced prison, drug addition and abuse. They were able to become very relevant to each other as one began to open up to the group. As each began to share their stories, this prompted additional discussion about how their past can help them with the present and with the future. It was quite a site to see. The other unique dynamic that this class presents is that there are two distinct age groups present. About half of the class is over the age of 50 and the other half of the class is under the age of 35. Having such rich discussion about life circumstances and then being able to see through other's eyes has allowed this group to "gel" in a very strong way.

I feel honored to be a part of these classes. The women have taught me a lot about life in just a few short weeks. I admire their courage and stamina to keep facing life with a smile on their face and a faith in God.

If you are from Dayton and would like to be a part of the Circles Campaign, please contact Tim Zecchini at tim@thinktank-inc.org

Welcome to Dayton Circles

2009-08-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

In January 2009 several inspired community leaders decided to start a local campaign to end poverty, one family at a time. They joined forces with Clark County Circles and Move the Mountain Leadership Center to begin a local Circles initiative. Circles focuses on building intentional relationships across class, race and cultural lines in an effort to build social networks.

In the seven months since the local initative began, Dayton Circles has accomplished:

Recruiting 50 members to the Guiding Coalition Meetings
Raising $40,000 in funding for staff and programming
Developing partnerships with four local organizations to be the first two Circles Community Centers - Ginghamsburg, Habitat and Fort McKinley Church for a community center in the North part of Dayton & Project Impact in Downtown Dayton
Recruiting 20 low-income families to begin the 15-week leadership curriculum
Securing resources from the Corporation for National and Community Services to "hire" a full-time VISTA - Volunteer in Service to America - to join our team for 1 year
Training 8 community volunteers to assist with recruiting and training Allies to be matched with the graduates from the leadership classes

In the coming months, Dayton Circles will begin:

Present assessment data from each leadership class to the general community about the barriers that exist in the community for low-income families. This assessment is done by those in the leadership class from thier point of view - to best inform the community about the relevant solutions to eliminating the barriers
To match Allies with the graduates from the leadership class to form "Circles". 2-4 Allies to each graduate, Circle Leader
Begin the Weekly Meeting Process at each Circles Community Center

If you are interested in Dayton Circles, please:

Continue to follow this blog
Contact Tim Zecchini tim@thinktank-inc.org or John White at john@thinktank-inc.org for more information
Consider attending an Ally Training or Bridges Out of Poverty Training
Spread the word....

Sincerely,

Dayton Circles Team

Life Enrichment Center ~ 425 Findlay Ave. ~ Dayton, OH ~ (937) 219-4473