On the pathway out of poverty, it helps to have a friend to lend a hand.
The process of navigating big changes such as new employment or going back to school, or mundane tasks such as setting up a checking account, can be extremely intimidating. Having someone to ask questions or advice can be invaluable in that process.
That is the role of Circle Allies, key components of the anti-poverty program Bridges Alliance of Johnson County. Volunteers are paired with individuals pulling themselves out of poverty to provide guidance as they need it. Rather than serving as mentors, Allies are simply using their own experiences to help others.
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“You’re giving your time and your talent, and it’s eye-opening in itself that you can see how you can have an impact on someone’s life directly,” said Kathy Stolz, a Franklin resident who volunteered to be an Ally.
Bridges Alliance of Johnson County was created in 2017 to provide the framework for people to break the cycle of poverty and create a better life for themselves. Johnson County social service organizations, businesses, individuals and religious groups have collaborated to create the poverty-reduction program.
Organizers use a blended approach of two nationally recognized anti-poverty programs to impart change locally. Some of the concepts are inspired by Bridges Out of Poverty, which helps people understand how those dealing with poverty think on a day-to-day basis.
Bridges Alliance has also worked with a group called Circles USA. The organization works to reduce the number of people struggling through peer-to-peer counseling, goal setting and other assistance.
The program is centered around Circle Leaders, the under-resourced individuals and families who want to move out of poverty. They complete a 14-week program called Surviving to Thriving, where they lay out a plan and establish goals of what they want to achieve to break out of poverty.
After graduating, the Circle Leaders are matched with Allies, who collaborate with them as they work towards economic stability.
When Ann Wesseler was growing up, she experienced some of the difficulties that impact those in poverty today. Her family lived on a farm, and though they had ample food, clothing and shelter, cash flow was always a challenge.
As an adult, she worked while her husband attended college. The morning of his first day of work after graduating, they had $50 in their bank account.
“Even through we had potential, we didn’t have a lot of things to grasp to,” she said. “All of those things together, I thought would be useful to give suggestions of resources for people who needed it. I thought I had resources that would be useful based on my life experiences.”
Fran Hessler was intrigued by the program’s potential to help create meaningful personal relationships. She also liked the way that the Bridges Alliance process helped participants look at the big picture of poverty, rather than trying to address the problem in small, immediate ways.
As a former hospital social worker, she often interacted with patients and families who were under-resourced and in the midst of a poverty crisis.
“You’d throw some resources or quick fixes, and though you don’t really know exactly what happens, but you know in your gut that the same problems will present themselves again, because you never dealt with the things out there really causing the problems,” she said.
Jason Baker’s father was a minister, and his parents instilled in him early in his life the importance of helping the less-fortunate. When he read about the Bridges Alliance program, he was motivated to sign up himself.
On his own, he had already been helping a family in Greenwood with similar guidance, so he felt that his experience with that could just be expanded to another individual.
“I figured I was doing it already, so I might as well do it for real,” he said.
Stolz signed up to be an Ally as a continuation of volunteer work she had already been doing. For the past 10 years, she had served as a Study Buddy in the Franklin schools, helping students with their schoolwork for an hour each week.
During her time in that program, she had found that the most successful ways to help people is often through interpersonal relationships.
“The best way to create change is one-on-one, rather than trying to reach a whole group of people at one time,” she said. “My inner need to try to better my community led me to get involved with Bridges Alliance.”
Stolz was paired with a Circle Leader who is focused on returning to school at Ivy Tech Community College and getting a degree in business management. Her Circle Leader has not been enrolled in school for many years, so Stolz has helped her navigate her classwork, such as using PowerPoint to create a presentation, as well as serving as an editor on her writing assignments.
In the coming weeks, Stolz also plans to help her Circle Leader to register for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
“Every Circle Leader has different needs, it just depends on the situation they’re in,” she said.
Allies had to go through an orientation and two three-hour sessions of Bridges Out of Poverty training, as well as take part in a poverty simulation to help better understand the situations that under-resourced people face.
Much of the information the volunteers had never considered before.
“I did learn some things there, especially communication elements. I hadn’t really though about how the way people talk to each other is kind of based on their class in this country,” Stolz said. “Since I’m a communicator myself, I was surprised.”
Two Allies are matched with each Circle Leader once they finish their initial classes. They work to befriend their Circle Leader and establish a trusting relationship with them.
The volunteers are asked to commit to two Circles meetings each month for 18 months, at least, though there is flexibility on that aspect. Sometimes, Allies and Circle Leaders meet on their own outside of the weekly dinners and meetings. In Hessler’s case, she often calls or texts with the woman she’s helping to give some guidance.
“I think she knows there are people out there who are interested and can give some support. There are folks that care about how she’s doing,” she said.
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What is it: Bridges Alliance of Johnson County, a collaborative effort of businesses, agencies, churches and residents aiming to reduce and end poverty, is in need of volunteers to serve as Circle Allies.
What do they do: Allies are paired with an individual working to break the cycle of poverty, to provide support and guidance as they work to meet the financial, employment, education and other goals that they’ve set.
What do you have to do to be an Ally: Volunteers need to pass a background check, complete Ally Training and attend at least two meetings per month.
How to find out more: An informational meeting about Circle Allies will be conducted from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Grace United Methodist Church, 1300 E. Adams Drive, Franklin. Dinner will be served.
The first organizational meeting and training for people interested in becoming an Ally will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 9 at the church.
How to volunteer: Go to bridgesalliancejc.org, where applications can be found. Contact Amanda Ott, recruitment team leader at Bridges Alliance, with any questions, 812-267-2257.
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