About Us:
Circles Allen County seeks to inspire and equip our community to reduce poverty and remove the barriers that stand in the way of financial security. Poverty is more than a lack of material wealth, sometimes it means relying on family, friends, and government assistance which can be dehumanizing. When people achieve financial security, they experience a surge of pride and confidence. Often, they say they have regained their dignity, their value, and their humanity.
At Circles Allen County, we believe everyone can work together to reduce and eradicate poverty. The Circles model focuses both on what individuals can do to change their situations and on what society can do to remove the barriers that stand in their way.
Meet Our Team:
Mary Ann Mings
Executive Director of IAM/Circles Allen County
Email: Mmings@GoBroadway.org
Through her work with Inasmuch, Mary Ann has worked with the individuals and families who are seeking opportunities offered through Circles to advance beyond Generational Poverty
Emily Burns
Program Director
Email: eburns@circlesofallencounty.org
As a an MSW, Emily is familiar with working with people from all stages of life. Emily has grown up in Fort Wayne and has served in various capacities in the community where she had the opportunity to be in contact with a number of local organizations through referral, internships, and volunteer work. Emily is passionate about seeing people live out life to their fullest potential and meeting their goals. Emily is known for her encouragement to others, personability, and love for all people. She is so excited to be working with Circles of Allen County to create change in our city.
Lisa Fischer
Class Facilitator
Lisa Fischer is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but has called Fort Wayne home for 10 years. She has worked in the construction industry for well over a decade in a variety of rolls including sales, marketing and customer service. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in public relations from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio. Lisa is married to her incredibly gifted husband, Ben, and has two hilarious and brilliant sons, Elijah and Mark. When she's not working or "mom-ing" Lisa enjoys reading, baking and re-watching episodes of The Office and The Amazing Race. Her favorite part of Circles is the relationship building between the Leaders and the Allies. "I love seeing people connect over the ordinary, but unexpected", says Fischer. "Like parenting highs and lows, work drama, and ridiculous reality TV shows. We all have more in common than we think".