Jane* was referred to the Circle of Hope program in early March, 2009 for educational neglect of her seven year old son related to substance abuse. Jane was reluctant to participate in substance abuse services and the Circle of Hope, but continued in an effort to maintain custody of her son. Several weeks after beginning the Circle of Hope project, Jane discovered she was pregnant. The Circle of Hope case manager served as a support for Jane through out her pregnancy by accompanying her to obstetrician visits and providing parenting education to improve behavioral concerns with the son. Jane also received concrete services such as finding affordable housing, electricity assistance, and funds to purchase insurance for the family vehicle. During the six months of services, Jane learned techniques to manage her anger and completed substance abuse treatment satisfactorily in September 2009. As the case manager recounts, Jane was a resistant client when entering the program but eventually came to appreciate the support available through the Circle of Hope even going so far as to call the case manager one week to ask why she had not called that week to check on Jane’s progress. Jane delivered a drug free child (8 lbs, 6 oz) in October, 2009. Without this intervention, it is likely that Jane’s child would have been born substance affected-- bringing with it all of the developmental concerns associated with substance exposure during pregnancy.

*Not her real name.  read more ...

Beth* is a mid-twenties mother of four who became involved with Circle of Hope services in July of 2008. Beth completed residential treatment in August 2008 and graduated in March of 2009. Beth, who had been living with her mother and step-father, was able to secure independent housing in July of 2009 and was assertive in requesting additions at the home to keep her children safe from nearby street traffic. Throughout these 15 months Beth also secured employment, arranged daycare for her children, enrolled her oldest son in kindergarten, and maintained all stipulations of her probation. Beth established her own home-based business and is in the process of enrolling in a cosmetology program.

Beth’s case manager reports that working with her has been a real pleasure; Beth is a capable and determined individual and has been extremely proactive in accomplishing tasks once we were able to identify the challenge and outline a plan of action. A great deal of the COH support offered has come in the form of advocacy with the substance abuse treatment provider, the probation officer, and the court, as well as, encouraging and empowering Beth to believe in her own worth, take better care of herself, and expect and advocate for appropriate treatment from others. COH has also assisted in providing community resources for assistance with school supplies, Christmas items, and clothing as well as financial support for vehicle maintenance, tags, license, and insurance. In this situation, intervention allowed Beth to accomplish much more for her family’s well being than she could have obtained on her own in such a short period of time.

*Not her real name.  read more ...

Scholastic Inc. recently gave an in-kind donation of books, valued at more than $2,000, to Circle of Hope, a project that supports families affected by methamphetamine abuse in Missouri.

The books will be distributed to families in the program to encourage parents to read to their children. Circle of Hope staff will visit clients with age-appropriate books and discuss with parents the importance of reading and how it nurtures family relationships.

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"A program offering services to families affected by methamphetamine abuse in southwest Missouri has recently been launched by a Chicago-based private non-profit human service organization. Circle of Hope with its newly named director Shannon Stokes will target nine counties in the southwest corner of the state with especially high numbers of children in care who have been affected by their families' meth drug abuse..." view a cached version or for the original read more ...