This is what we need you to do:

1. Email our membership team circle4children.membership@gmail.com your list of recommendations of women you know well who have a heart for helping children.

2. Include the prospective member's name, address, phone, and email. They will receive a printed party invite, follow up phone call from our membership committee, and a post event email asking them to join.

3. Let them know you nominated them and to look for the invitation in September. Tell them a little about The Circle.

The Membership Chair, Martha Altieri, will do the rest with support from Rita Robb Furness who provides inspiration for this recruitment push.

It's ok if your list is less than five or more than ten; any amount helps. It's great to think about groups of women to invite to join together. The more women we invite, the more who will attend. The more who attend, the more who will join!

By growing The Circle we can do more to help children, meet more amazing women, and spread the work of the organization across more hands.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Martha and Rita

SUMMER GENERAL MEETING

Please join us on Tuesday, August 26th at 11am for our Summer Membership gathering at Culinary Dropout Restaurant in Dunwoody!

Don't want to pay online? RSVP and check payment can be mailed to:

Kimberly Passarella, 240 Connemara Dr. NE, Marietta, GA 30068

We will be collecting cleaning supply donations for City of Refuge:

Clorox wipes, disinfecting sprays, tissues, hand sanitizers, Clorox wipes, magic erasers, sprays, paper towels, etc.

SEPTEMBER SOCIAL

THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HISTORY WALKING TOUR

Presented by Unexpected Tours (known for their passionate, well-versed guides who emphasize connecting, laughing and bonding).

The 2-hour tour (1.9 miles) features these iconic locations:

* Ebenezer Baptist Church

* John Wesley Dobbs Plaza and Artwork

* Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Salon and Prince Hall Grand Lodge

* Homage to King and Jackson Street Bridge

* Dr. King’s Elementary School

* Dr. King’s Birth Home Exterior

* King Center and Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize

Followed by lunch (optional) at the famous Paschal’s Restaurant, renowned for its soul food for over 60 years!

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

10:30 am - 12:30 pm, followed by lunch at 1 pm

$45 (includes tour gratuity)

Lunch is optional and to be paid that day at restaurant

RSVP by Monday, September 22

Raindate TBD



Parking location - 423 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue NE, Atlanta

Meeting location - 412 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta (Behold Monument across the street from Ebenezer Baptist Church at amphitheater)

Lunch at Paschal’s - 180 Northside Drive SW, Atlanta

Wear comfortable walking shoes!

You won't want to miss the first social of the Circle year...

a bucket list experience for many!

ANNUAL GALA

Please contact Sarah Candeto if you are interested in serving on the auction committee.

For the 2025-2026 fundraising year, the Circle is supporting City of Refuge in its efforts to serve homeless and marginalized Atlanta children. City of Refuge is a shelter and neighborhood center, which that barely begins to describe the work of the organization. 

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• In addition to housing homeless children and their mothers, City of Refuge provides daycare, preschool, after school programs, psychological and therapeutic services, plus medical care and on-site school via in house partners, all under one roof.
• Parents can attend job training and receive assistance with job placement. Unlike many shelters, there is no limit on how long a family can stay as long as the mothers are working toward their goals.
• After an average of six months in the shelter, families can choose to rent affordable nearby housing also owned by the City of Refuge. 

Although the shelter is for women and children only, City of Refuge also provides job training and medical services to men in the community, many of whom are fathers. In addition they have a residential program for women escaping sex trafficking and are in the process of opening a similar program for trafficked children. 

City of Refuge serves clients holistically, treating them with dignity and acknowledging their intrinsic value. This comprehensive approach results in better outcomes for their residents and better futures for the children. It helps to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness, and abuse that are too common in historically marginalized and economically disadvantaged communities. They are working not from afar, but where the help is needed as an integral part of the community. 

We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with City of Refuge in 2025-2026!