top ten reasons we love

A Wider Circle

1. The folks at A Wider Circle doesn’t just want to give things to people in need, they want to give respect. Every client is treated with dignity.

The Professional Development Center at A Wider Circle. Photo provided by A Wider Circle.

The Professional Development Center at A Wider Circle. Photo provided by A Wider Circle.

2. The approach is holistic. A Wider Circle serves the body, the mind and the home. It’s not just about furniture, or computer skills, or the right clothes for a job interview. Every element is part of giving people a better future.

3. They know you can’t do it alone. You know that expression “it takes a village”? Here are some members of A Wider Circle’s village.

4. Executive director Mark Bergel practices what he preaches. One of the goals of A Wider Circle is to make sure every man, woman and child has a bed to sleep in. And until that day, Bergel says, he won’t sleep in one. “It's a lot easier to serve well, to serve effectively when you know what people are going through,” he said. “The least I can do is to put a little bit of urgency into my work, and not having a bed helps me stay urgent.”

5.  Brown’s Beds. DC couple Ann and Donald Brown donated $100,000 toward the purchase of beds for clients. Others sought to give what they could toward a donation match. Mr. and Mrs. Brown recently announced a second donation once the original was matched. That’s more than $3,000 donated toward beds.

6.     Every participant in AWC’s job preparedness program is provided with an individual job coach. That one-on-on advice can be absolutely essential when trying to figure out the next steps.

7.     They are bringing people together in pursuit of a goal. On March 28, A Wider Circle will host the National Conference on Ending Poverty. More about that as it gets closer.

The Wydler Brothers. Photo from Arlington Magazine. Click on the picture to link to original page. 

The Wydler Brothers. Photo from Arlington Magazine. Click on the picture to link to original page. 

8.     There are a ton of volunteer opportunities, and the whole family can get involved. Volunteers can do everything from haul furniture to help with personal shopping.

9.      The Wydler Brothers. Along with a number of partners, the DC-based real agents (and brothers) Hans and Steve Wydler pledged to donate 1,000 beds to A Wider Circle in 2015. Join the 1,000 Bed Challenge.

10. The folks at A Wider Circle are tenacious in pursuit of their goal. “It's that we don't commit because we don't believe we can do it,” said Mark Bergel. “If we saw the finish line, we'd probably all sprint to it. A  lot of people want to help others, but I'd like to see us go all out.”