County of Lambton Achievement Awards

Warden's Award of Excellence: Gayle Montgomery (Circles Coordinator) & Mary Lou Robb (Circles Caseworker) - Implementation of the Circles Model of Poverty Reduction

Warden's Award of Excellence: Gayle Montgomery and Mary Lou Robb have worked tirelessly to bring the Circles™ model of poverty reduction to Canada. They have recruited and inspired people within the Sarnia-Lambton community to volunteer their time, energy, and resources to Circles™, in addition to building relationships beyond staff / client with the Circle leaders, the people they are helping to exit poverty. When delivering the Bridges out of Poverty sessions, Gayle and Mary Lou reach every attendee, making them reflect about how they deliver services and how they can implement change to remove barriers for those living in poverty. Word about their efforts is spreading, and a movement is taking place across the province.

This past June, the Circles™ model was acknowledged as a Municipal Champion at the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) Learning Symposium. Enthusiasm is growing daily for this initiative, made a success by Gayle and Mary Lou's commitment and dedication.