NeighborKeepers Strengthening Communities One Family at a Time

 
In the fall of 2003 Hal Colston, the founding director of the Good News Garage,was participating in the Leadership Institute at the Snelling Center for Goverment. While immersed in the process of self development as a leader in the state of Vermont he had an epiphany regarding the issue of people struggling with a lack of resources and the need to engage the community to support families to lead themselves into sustainability. Several months later Hal left the Good News Garage to create NeighborKeepers with a vision to strengthen community one family at a time.

While developing this new non-profit called NeighborKeepers, Hal discovered the Circle of Support Program which originated in Ames, Iowa. The program provided a high impact strategy to help people develop critical resources to avoid crisis and increase sustainability and stability. The Circles of Support model established in 1996 was doing exactly what NeighborKeepers intended to do: engage the community to connect with families lacking the resources necessary to accomplish their goals.

With technical support from Beyond Welfare, Inc. NeighborKeepers launched Circles of Support in January 2006 in partnership with Mercy Connections and Champlain College. The First Baptist Church in Burlington generously offered a space to host weekly Community Leadership Meetings. Ten families were engaged, referred from several social service agencies in Chittenden County. After spending several months developing skills to build trust and community, volunteers were recruited and trained to engage with the participants as "allies."

Families and allies worked together to create individual Circles of Support that would meet monthly to discuss plans required to achieve each families unique dream. Ally support emphasised financial literacy, job training, skill building, education, and community connections. Allies have learned to “do with” as opposed to “do for” the community members pursuing their goals and dreams.

2009 holds much promise for NeighborKeepers’ Circles of Support as the program engages new American families.

The Health Education and Access Linkages (HEAL) project proved to be a successful collaboration with the University of Vermont Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work.

A new car ownership program has been launched in partnership with the Good News Garage of Burlington to provide valuable, affordable private transportation to community members.