SELF is a key member of the Butler County Bridges Out of Poverty Coalition and serves as its fiscal agent. As a member of the Coalition, SELF offers the following programs based on the research and work of renowned anti-poverty advocate Dr. Ruby Payne.

Allies needed! Click here for information

Getting Ahead
“Getting Ahead in a just Gettin' by World” is a curriculum that assists individuals living in poverty to evaluate their lives, develop, and sustain the life skills necessary to survive and flourish in society. The goal of Getting Ahead is for individuals in poverty to develop a series of mental models to examine their own pasts and create new futures.

Getting Ahead sessions meet once a week for 18 weeks. The last three sessions are on Personal Financial Management and conducted by SELF's partner, LifeSpan. Getting Ahead participants examine all areas of their lives including their resources, attitudes and aspirations. They also learn about the hidden rules of economic class and how to navigate around them.

Learn more:
If you are interested in this program, contact Kimberly Benge at 513-785-3690 or kbenge@selfhelps.org to enroll, learn more or arrange a presentation at your organization.

Share this program flyer with your organization or neighbors.

Circles
Circles is a national movement designed to empower people from every economic class to solve poverty in their communities through individual transformation and community change. This unique approach partners volunteers and community leaders with families on a journey out of poverty.

The family is the Circle Leader, setting direction for activities. Each family has a circle of middle and upper income Allies who befriend them and lend support. With the help and friendship of their Allies, each family sets and achieves goals unique to their own needs. By fostering relationships across class lines, Circles engages the entire community in the fight against poverty.
In Butler County, Circle Leaders meet weekly. Volunteer Allies commit to attending at least two meetings each month.

Learn more:
If you are interested in becoming an Ally, contact Melanie Medina at 513-820-5004 or mmedina@selfhelps.org.