Transformation group looks to help

Looking to better your life and your financial situation?
The Circles of Transformation is a program for you, said local organizer Deborah Marriott.
COT is an innovative ministry that partners low-income families with community volunteers.
“Through COT, intentional and often unlikely friendships are developed, bridging the socioeconomic, cultural, and racial gaps that might often divide us,” she said. “Participants enter a safe and nurturing atmosphere filled with hope. There they can dream about a more stable future for themselves, developing clear goals and a pathway to a better place.
“The participants are not the only ones experiencing transformation,” she said. “COT volunteers also report dramatic change, growing out of the new friendships that have been formed.”
Employment is a primary goal of Circles of Transformation, Marriott said.
“Surprisingly, fewer than 2 percent of churches across the country focus on jobs as a way to help families in poverty, yet jobs are the only way to move families toward financial self-sufficiency,” she said. “Does it work? Yes. Participants in Circles of Transformation are getting part-time and full-time jobs with benefits, paying off debt, opening savings accounts, getting GED’s, enrolling in training at the local community college, and building a solid plan for their futures.”
A “taste and see” event is set for Sept. 10 from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Brewton’s First United Methodist Church fellowship hall. Dinner and a simulated COT meeting will be held. Childcare will also be provided.
To learn more, call Marriott at 251.363.9000 or visit circlesoftransformation.org or Circles of Transformation on Facebook.