Inspiring & Equipping Communities To End Poverty The mission of Move the Mountain Leadership Center (MTM) is to inspire and equip communities to end poverty. Move the Mountain Leadership Center provides transformational leadership and planning programs to align leaders and their organizations to high impact strategies that can reduce and eventually end poverty. The Circles Campaign™ was initiated by Move the Mountain to provide transformational leaders a structure to engage the community in ending poverty. Join us on Facebook
 

Press Releases


November 30, 2007

Summary: MARSHALL, MISSOURI - November 30, 2007 - An Iowa-based non-profit organization is embarking on a new approach to end poverty in the U.S. that will save taxpayers nearly $80 million per year. Scott Miller, CEO of Move the Mountain Leadership Center, will be visiting with members of the Marshall Circles? Campaign to end poverty when he speaks to community leaders on Tuesday, December 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 130 N. Jefferson Street.

Moving Mountains to End Poverty

MARSHALL, MISSOURI - November, 30, 2007 – An Iowa-based non-profit organization is embarking on a new approach to end poverty in the U.S. that will save taxpayers nearly $80 million per year. Scott Miller, CEO of Move the Mountain Leadership Center, will be visiting with members of the Marshall Circles? Campaign to end poverty when he speaks to community leaders on Tuesday, December 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 130 N. Jefferson Street.

Miller will also present his new book, Until It’s Gone: Ending Poverty In Our Nation, In Our Lifetime. He’ll encourage citizens to lend a hand to fellow community members in need, and explain how they can join the Circles? Campaign and begin eliminating poverty in Marshall.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 36.5 million U.S. citizens lived in poverty in 2006; 12.8 million of those were children under 18. The cost of raising one child in poverty in this country is $38,000 per year, and the total cost of poverty in our country is more than $500 billion per year.

“The poverty rate in the United States is no less than it was over thirty years ago,” says Miller. “Dramatic increases in the cost of housing, transportation, and health care hide the truth that many more millions and millions of families now find themselves in poverty.

“If we continue to expect government and social services to deal with poverty without the help of individuals, there will be little change in its status. That is why Marshall has become involved through our CirclesTM Campaign.”

Move the Mountain Leadership Center has partnered with aha! Process, Inc. to engage communities in the CirclesTM Campaign, an action plan bringing together the best efforts and resources of individuals, organizations, communities and government in an approach proven to raise people out of poverty.

A Circle is a supportive relationship made of one Circle Leader who is living in poverty and two to five Circle Allies, who are usually middle class volunteers. A Circle typically meets monthly to build friendships and to work on the Circle Leader’s plans and goals. It is already working in more than 30 communities around the United States, and is rapidly expanding into other communities.

“Research conducted with Circle Leaders led us to discover that one of the main things people in poverty are lacking is support,” says Miller. “They told us repeatedly that they need a dependable car so they can get to school to get an education or to get to their job. The Circles? Campaign helps start them on the right track by giving them community support such as rides to their job, childcare in an emergency and hope for a better life. This campaign is about changing the community mind-set about wanting to end poverty one community at a time.”

Miller’s new book, Until It’s Gone: Ending Poverty In Our Nation, In Our Lifetime, is available at www.ahaprocess.com and at www.amazon.com.

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Move the Mountain Leadership Center was founded in 1992 in Ames, Iowa to inspire and equip communities with knowledge, provide training, and offer technical assistance and consulting services to leaders and communities who are focused on ending poverty. For more information, visit www.movethemountain.org.