Who We Are
Hundreds of thousands of
mothers watching their children go to sleep each night in beds
rather than on the floor. Children picking out their school clothes
each morning from dressers rather than plastic garbage bags. Low-income,
pregnant adolescents receiving the care-taking skills needed to
raise healthy babies. Recently-homeless parents learning – and
putting into practice – the basic life skills needed to find and
retain a job. This is why we are here, to create what is possible. The
mission of A Wider Circle™ is simple: to help children and adults
lift themselves out of poverty.
Each day, A Wider Circle provides basic need items to families transitioning
out of shelters or simply living without life’s necessities. We furnish
the homes of more than 1,000 children and adults every single month,
all free of charge. We also go into low-income schools and shelters
to lead educational workshops on topics ranging from healthy self-esteem
and stress management to resume writing and financial planning. We
go where the needs are greatest and do what is most needed.
A Wider Circle says no to nobody! Anyone in need of help can find it here. In addition to all of the individuals and families that call us, more than 240 social service agencies regularly contact us for help in serving their clients.
A Wider Circle has been named “one of the finest small charities Greater Washington has to offer” by the Catalogue for Philanthropy. The organization has also received the Washington Area Women’s Foundation Leadership Award, the Greater DC Cares Essence of Leadership Award, and the Community Foundation for National Capital Region’s Linowes Leadership Award for “unsung heroes.” We have also been honored to have the Examiner describe A Wider Circle as “an all-inclusive reservoir of support for those in need… an example of the grassroots movement at its best.”