Two different Tacoma women. Two separate dreams.

They came together for Martina O’Neil and Molly Feider in a project called We-Can Circles.

“Being in a We-Can Circle was a phenomenal experience,” says O’Neil, who entered college as a result.

Feider came to the circle as a volunteer but wound up bonding with new friends and pursuing a childhood goal.

“Each of my circle mates ... enriched my life,” she says.

We-Can Circles, sponsored by educational and social service organizations throughout Pierce County, help women who have been touched by poverty, violence and other issues explore new facets of their lives and support each other in their quest for educational and personal goals. For seven weeks last fall and winter, 75 women met in seven different circles. They talked, shared resources, networked and learned from each other.

A $25,000 grant last year from The Fund for Women and Girls, which operates under the umbrella of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, funded the seven We-Can circles. Catherine Place, a Tacoma women’s center, organized the circles with the help of six other organizations – Tacoma Urban League, Phoenix Housing Network, Tacoma Goodwill, Clover Park Technical College, Tacoma Community House and New Phoebe House. One circle was for Spanish speakers.

Women were asked what barriers barred them from achieving their goals. Most-frequently cited: lack of self-confidence. But by the time the circles ended, 80 percent of the participants said they took steps toward educational goals – enrolling in college, signing up for English as a Second Language class or preparing for the GED high-school equivalency test.

Three We-Can Circles continue through the Urban League, New Phoebe House and Clover Park.

Both O’Neil and Feider joined a We-Can circle organized by the Tacoma Urban League in the fall of 2008.

On the surface, the women might appear to have little in common. But the circle united them.

O’Neil, a grandmother, was taking tentative steps toward higher education, but wasn’t sure how to get there.

Feider had graduated from Pacific Lutheran University just two years earlier and worked as a project manager at United Way of Pierce County.

“I decided I wanted to be more intentional about volunteering,” she says. “I was passionate about working with women.”

O’Neil, who makes and sells hand-crafted hats and handbags and cares for her 10-year-old granddaughter, had always wanted to pursue higher education.

“But it was out of my grasp financially,” she says. “I would try, but then there were family issues. I couldn’t continue.”

But through the We-Can Circle, she learned about grants that could help her pay for college and about degree programs that could help her land a job. In January, she enrolled in an environmental science program at Clover Park Technical College. When she finishes, she hopes to continue studying for a four-year degree at Evergreen State College.

Feider began by setting up chairs and snacks for circle participants.

“I entered with the mindset of a helper, supporter and observer,” she says. “But I found myself in the presence of brave women, full of energy. They drew me in.”

Feider says they helped support her in her goal of joining a community choir.

“I had a whole bunch of people cheering me on,” she says.

O’Neil feels that the sense of connection she gained from the circle helped her take control of her destiny.

She says it allowed her to be “in a safe environment where you can truly dream and voice those things that are hidden in your heart.”

Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635

debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com

To learn more

Catherine Place

www.catherineplace.org

253-572-3547