Our circle is wide, and all are included.

A letter from our CEO and Board Chair

It's been five years since we rebranded to enCircle as our "doing business as" name*, and we continue to find new ways it resonates with our work.

EnCircle, like many other social services organizations, has been tested this year by policy changes that threaten Medicaid funding for children, families, and people with developmental disabilities.

We've also acutely felt the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy changes designed to minimize our ability to serve them. But we have held firm to our belief in the value of all people—all races, religions, abilities, and identities— and continue to serve our communities, even finding ways to innovate.

We have expanded our circle of impact by opening services in new areas and building capacity:

Our Lynchburg Minnick School opened its doors downtown in August 2024, at the request of the local public schools. We now work with 40 local school divisions to refer students with special education needs to our seven Minnick Schools.
At the invitation of outside partners, we expanded our Developmental Services into the Northern Shenandoah Valley with new group homes and we are excited to be working again with our partner, Marian Homes.
Our Treatment Foster Care program increased our impact by 30% last year, providing loving homes to 22 children and teens. And we started serving immigrant children in our Long Term Foster Care program in Tidewater, helping five teens find stability and a welcoming home.
Given the rapidly shifting public policy climate, we strengthened our capacity to advocate for the needs of the people we support.

None of this important work would be possible without our strong circle of support: individual donors and congregations, foundations, businesses, and government agencies all play key roles in working with us to make the world a more loving place. Our circle is wide, and all are included. Thank you for being part of our circle.

With gratitude,

Ray Ratke Rev. Rick Goeres