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2007:
R U Ready Program helps kids who have "aged-out"
of the system with
basic life skills, housing, education, employment,
health and financial matters and positive
recreation choices. Circle C is one of five
agencies funded in Allegheny County to administer
programs assisting youth age 16-22 achieve
a successful transition to adulthood. The
program is housed in the administrative offices
in Greentree and is managed by Kem Stevenson,
MSW, formerly the Patak Family Therapist and
Coordinator. |
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2003:
The “Help Kids Lose the Blues”
inaugural fundraiser took place at
the Rosebud Café in the Strip District
on Saturday, March 1st. The event
featured some great Chicago-style blues by Jill
West and Blues Attack, while approximately
200 guests enjoyed themselves bidding on auction
baskets filled with merchandise, tickets and
memberships from a variety of Pittsburgh's cultural
and recreational venues.
|
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2001:
The Oasis Program was established at the
group home on Seabright Street. A program
change was made at the group home to respond to
the growing need for community-based residential
programs for adolescent girls. The Oasis Program
focuses on life skills development and vocational
readiness for the young women in residence. |
|
1998:
A New Education Initiative was begun,
reemphasizing the importance of academics, and
introducing an agency-wide effort to support life
skills development for kids in each of our programs.
With a 3-year grant from the Grable Foundation,
the new position of Education Coordinator was
created to provide academic support, advocacy,
and tutoring to Circle C’s group home residents.
Mary Polansky has been in this position since
its inception, and has overseen a dramatic improvement
in the academic performance of our group home
residents. |
|
1997:
Circle C celebrated its 30th anniversary
with a special holiday dinner at the
Green Tree Marriott. It was a great pleasure to
have Reid Carpenter, Circle C’s first board
chair, as our Master of Ceremonies, and Christine
Patak as a special guest speaker, who reminisced
about Circle C’s beginnings, and reminded
our board, staff members, foster parents and residents
that kids are the heart of Circle C’s mission.
|
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1994:
The Agency Name was changed from
Circle C Group Homes to Circle C Youth and Family
Services to better reflect the range of services
offered, and to provide a foundation for the addition
of future programming possibilities. The logo
was also changed to reflect Circle C’s unity
and diversity. |
|
1994:
The Circle C Golf Marathon was
first held as a fundraising event. Scott Jones
was inspired to host a “day of perpetual
golf”, when Dick Shorthouse, the Area Director
of East Hills Young Life, ran a golf marathon
and generously supplied organizational details.
|
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1993:
“A Place to Turn,” a Circle C promotional
video, was introduced. Brian Haughin,
a local video professional and good friend of
the agency, wrote, directed, and produced this
donated video. The ambitious project took weeks
and involved dozens of volunteers and Circle C
staff who joined together to produce a quality
overview of Circle C’s mission. Although
it’s now outdated, the video still captures
the essence of Circle C and is still used in introducing
new staff members to our work. |
|
1992:
The Euclid Group Home reopened as a life skills
development program. The Circle C home
on Euclid Avenue in Bellevue underwent a program
change, and on October 19, reopened as a program
for life skills development for young men ages
16 to 18. These residents are referred to Euclid
from other Circle C group homes or by an outside
agency. In both instances, they have successfully
completed other programs and enter Euclid with
the objective of reaching new goals, and building
a foundation for their futures. |
|
1992:
The administrative office was moved
from West View to its present location at 2121
Noblestown Road in Green Tree. More space, better
rates, and a centralized location were great incentives
to go through all the demands of moving. |
|
1991:
Richard T. Knouff, LSW was hired as agency’s
third executive director. Having previously
been the chief supervisor at the Shuman Detention
Center, Rich brought a wealth of experience with
troubled adolescents, excellent management skills,
and a keen business sense to the agency. |
|
1988:
The Island Avenue group home was renamed Patak
House. During the 80's, a staff-intensive
program offering specialized counseling, tutoring,
and other treatment services, was developed at
our Carrick House. In 1988, this program was moved
to the Island Avenue home, newly renamed Patak
House in honor of Circle C's founder. |
|
1987:
The Girls' Program moved to the Euclid group
home in Bellevue, expanding slightly,
to accommodate 6 girls. |
|
1987:
Circle C’s 20th anniversary was celebrated
at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on the
North Side. |
|
1987:
The agency’s first summer school was
held at the Island Avenue group home,
giving residents the opportunity to earn additional
class credits in a smaller, much more personal
academic setting. |
|
1987:
Auberle-Circle C Emergency Shelter Services
(ACCESS) was begun to provide emergency
shelter resources for 7-12 year olds referred
from Allegheny County Child and Youth Services.
This program was developed in response to a request
by Allegheny County, following the closing of
McIntyre Shelter, the outdated county-operated
facility that had housed children of all ages
together. As ACCESS, Circle C operated a 16-bed
shelter foster care program, and Auberle operated
an 8-bed group home and an 8-bed intensive intervention
unit. The two agencies operated ACCESS together
until 1992. |
|
1985:
The Girls' Program moved to Brighton Road
in Bellevue, retaining its small size,
and bringing it closer to support services.
|
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1985:
Administrative offices were moved to West
View Plaza from a very cramped office
space on Babcock Boulevard in the North Hills. |
|
1984:
Charles M. Faish, was appointed as Circle
C’s second executive director.
Chuck and his wife Leslie had been Circle C house
parents for several years in the late 70’s,
and Chuck had been serving as the agency’s
Director of Social Services for several years. |
|
1984:
Founder John Patak passed away
at the age of 45 from heart disease. |
|
1982:
Circle C celebrated its 15th anniversary
with a banquet at the downtown YWCA. |
|
1982:
The Girls’ Program moved to an apartment
setting. A smaller, more personal program
resulted when a staff supervised apartment for
four girls was established in the Chase Apartment
complex in Coraopolis. |
|
1982:
Circle C's Foster Family Program Got a New
Name. The foster family program was revised
in 1982 and given a new name, the Designated Family
Program. The new name came from the director's
avid interest in baseball. A "designated
hitter" in the American League is one who
bats in the place of the pitcher. The pitcher
can stay in the game. In a similar fashion, foster
parents “pinch hit” for natural families,
hoping that whenever possible, natural families
will stay in the game, work on the needs issues,
and be reunited with their children. |
|
1981:
The Seabright Group Home changed its focus
to become a program specialized in providing extended
treatment of adolescent chemical dependency. This
co-ed program offered support to young people
who had completed primary treatment for chemical
dependency, and helped them reintegrate with the
community and their families. |
|
1981:
“Circle C Group Homes” was incorporated
as its own non-profit corporation, and
began to function independently from its parent
organization, Young Life. Reid Carpenter chaired
Circle C’s newly formed Board of Directors. |
|
1980:
The Circle C office was moved to Babcock
Blvd. We had outgrown the space that
the administrative and support staff shared with
Young Life regional office staff on the 6th floor
of the Benedum-Trees Building in downtown Pittsburgh. |
|
1979:
The Euclid House in Bellevue was purchased
and opened as a home for younger adolescent boys.
Chris and Peggy Meyer, already involved in Circle
C’s operations (Chris as an administrator
and Peggy as a nurse), were the home’s first
house parents. |
|
1979:
The Circle C Foster Care Program was started.
John Patak recruited Rev. Arby Conn to build a
network of caring families to begin Circle C’s
foster care program. |
|
1975:
The Seabright House was purchased and
opened as a group home for adolescent girls, replacing
the leased house on Beech Avenue. |
|
1975:
The Carrick House was purchased
and opened as a group home for adolescent boys. |
|
1972:
Two Group Homes were opened on Beech Avenue,
one for boys, one for girls, and Circle C continued
to grow from a "foster home" to an organization.
|
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| 1967:
Circle C Project began. In October
of 1967, the first kids began living with John
and Christine Patak at their home on Island Avenue.
John’s dream had been to give troubled children
the chance to live with a caring family. Under
the umbrella of Young Life, a non-denominational
youth ministry, Circle C's mission evolved: to
serve troubled kids and their families by providing
a community-based alternative to institutionalization,
with the goal of reuniting kids with their families
whenever possible. |
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