About Us
Who We Are
Founded in 2019, Circle of Friends is a group for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Cherokee County, Georgia.
What is Circle of Friends?
Circle of Friends is a non-profit organization formed in the summer of 2019 to address the growing needs of adults with disabilities in Cherokee County, GA. Our leadership team is comprised of people from different career paths, experiences, and walks of life.
Our board includes parents of young adults with disabilities, community members, and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Circle of Friends is committed to inclusion and therefore the intergenerational/multi-ability board resembles the community they serve.
Our Mission:
Circle of Friends is a group of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), neurotypical peers, and older adults engaging with one another to create opportunities to live with purpose and acceptance in community.
This will be accomplished through intergenerational endeavors that:
Create an organic social structure to provide opportunities to develop positive relationships
Foster appropriate and supportive employment opportunities for adults to gain valuable skills and earn a fair wage through mentoring relationships
Develop a model for an intergenerational, affordable, and supportive residential community development
Our History
Circle of Friends was born out of the idea that everyone has a place and that together we flourish. Glenn and Diane Keen, founders of Circle of Friends, have been members of Hickory Flat United Methodist Church since 2007, and along with their three children were heavily involved in the youth group. Youth group was a place where the Keen children, especially their son Haden, were able to experience being fully included in the life of the church. Haden has faced challenges since his adoption in 1995 from Romania, where his seclusion in an orphanage resulted in developmental delays and social difficulties. When the Keen family visited HFUMC for the first time, Craig Sheerer, the youth pastor, invited Haden to youth group and made a way for Haden to be fully included in all activities. With a peer helper or older adult mentor Haden was able to fully participate in youth retreats, disaster recovery mission trips, men’s retreats, and more. This natural support in the life of the church is the foundation for the inclusion model Circle of Friends is working toward.
As a community health nurse, Diane Keen, co-founder and board chairperson of Circle of Friends, recognized the benefits of the intergenerational relationships Haden experienced as a member of HFUMC. As a doctoral student, Diane studied intergenerational relationships and enhancing the well-being of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and older adults through interaction in a community garden. This community-based research laid the groundwork for Circle of Friends and the community advisory board that was established to prepare for the town hall held in 2019. Dr. Keen’s dissertation research identified several important concepts that guide her work with Circle of Friends and her research continues in the area of young adults with IDD, older adults, well-being, and community support.
The 2019 Town Hall
In May 2019, a town hall was held at Hickory Flat United Methodist Church to identify needs and support for adults with IDD in Cherokee County. Over 80 community members participated in a guest panel and discussion. A survey was offered to young adults with IDD, their families, and community members through the town hall and Facebook. The results of this survey have been used as a guide for the future of Circle of Friends.
The top 3 needs identified were:
Socialization
Supportive Employment
Supportive Affordable Housing - Community Development
Immediately following the town hall, a group was assembled to begin addressing these three needs.
Our Vision:
Empowering adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, neurotypical peers, and older adults to flourish in community.
Join Us Today
Circle of Friends has Quarterly Open Houses open to the public. These meetings allow us to provide updates on Circle of Friends’ progress, and allow community members to participate in an ongoing planning process to address Circle of Friends’ primary goals of socialization, supportive employment, and community development.