Circle & Shield

Timothy’s Cupboard provides a secure source of food to thousands of people in Cherokee County
For more than 30 years, a foodbank in Woodstock has been a vital resource for those in need.
A small building on the grounds of Timothy Lutheran Church (TLC) hums with the...

Charleston’s Operation Home helps homes stay safe and secure
With critical home repair,
heating and cooling units, and handicap ramps, Operation individuals and
families can continue to stay in the...

Rural Georgia’s Bridges of Hope leads addicts to a new life
Men and women break the cycle of addiction with a program focused on developing foundational life skills and giving back to the community
Patrick Anderson understands...

Making good choices? Grab a book
📷: Andrea Eremus
Book vending machine is part of Augusta-area
elementary school's student reward program
Instead of sweet and salty snacks, a vending
machine at...

Ministry emphasizes education in program to help end homelessness
Nspire
Outreach aims to change the lives of those homeless by offering tools for
long-term success and the opportunity to feel safe and...

No-cost addiction program offers thousands of men a second chance
Personal battle and steep costs of recovery led Georgia
couple to create a faith-centered, free treatment option
A Georgia couple's...

Project K-9 Services bridges the gap between heroes and their K-9s
Motivated
to help her brother, Brunswick woman creates program to help veterans care for
service animals
There's
more that goes into the...

Kate’s Club builds a healing community for children and families
Atlanta
non-profit helps hundreds of children a year who are coping with a death, and
soon plan to expand to statewide
throughout...

Volunteer mentoring program nurtures a child’s potential
Be A Mentor provides more than 400 Charleston
youth with one-on-one adult support
For children with unequal opportunities, labels don't help — people do.
That's...

One family's tragedy launches ministry of support for hundreds
Driven by faith and
the strength of community, Sailor Kate Ministries offers comfort to children
and families who suffer.
Wendy Lee firmly believes that by helping others,...

Bible on Tap evolves from fellowship to service
Bible on Tap touches multiple generations with
service projects that include college scholarships and home improvements that
keep elderly church members safe.
It started...

Dublin volunteers to create a resource closet for children
Kid's Cup, with a mission of loving neighbors and offering hope,
helps children with stability and security.
When a church friend asked...
The Pet Pantry helps keep pets safe in their own homes
With help of family and a local librarian, middle-school student turns her vision into a reality
When avid reader Gianna Lundy-Garefino read in a news article that pets were...

Tough times led car lover to help others
Once he lived in his car. Now Dan Reeves refurbishes vehicles and donates them to people who need safe transportation.
For Dan Reeves, the hard times in his past...
It's a blessing to walk in and see how happy everyone is at the house
Hulda Cook's legacy is community home for son, others with developmental disabilitiesAs a mother of a child with developmental disabilities, Hulda Cook often asked herself a...

Founder’s personal experience drives program to help those caught in domestic abuse
Finally Set Free uses education, mentoring and more to help survivors heal.Tracy Brack saw the horrible impact of domestic violence through the experience of a close friend....

Charleston programs give children the power to dream
Opened in 2009, Kids on Point serves children from elementary through post-secondary school through after-school and year-round programs.There's a senior at Clemson University,...

Program to support animals is tribute to a wife’s love of pets
'Elizabeth's Hope' aims to provide care for neglected animals, especially those whose owners have diedInspired by his late wife's life-long love of neglected animals, Rodney...

Dublin non-profit provides safe space for traumatized children
Over the past 20 years, Stepping Stone has helped thousands of children tell their story and navigate the court process.
In 2012, Brooke Woods' life took an unexpected...

Volunteers work to reduce student hunger
Effingham Backpack Buddies provides weekend lunches, snacks to hundreds of local children.
Students are back in school, and that means Effingham Backpack Buddies...

South Georgian finds niche to serve his community
The Gateway Center's services include counseling, sexual assault examinations and victim advocacy.
Malcolm King started out as an English major, but it didn't take him...

Businessman's promise continues to help middle Georgia
Perry Volunteer Outreach helps beyond an immediate crisis, working with other local organizations to provide more than money to pay a past due bill.
In 2000, middle...

A year later, pop-up market evolves to feed thousands
Solidarity Sandy Springs holds weekly market days to feed families in need.
About a year ago, Jennifer Barnes woke up "with panic in my gut," stressed about the impact...

Teen's senior project brings defensive driving course to Augusta
The death of three teens in a single-vehicle accident highlighted the need for local resources.
Three years ago, Braden Lewis followed in his older brother's path,...

Church program connects bikes to job transportation
Marietta ministry provides refurbished bicycles to people who need reliable, safe transportation.
Growing up in Chicago, bikes were an everyday part of Doug Wils life....
Program leads women to sobriety and financial independence
Grace House of Brunswick provides women with a safe place to recover from addiction, regain stability.Four years ago, at age 28, Caroline Kittle was fighting her own demons,...

Warner Robins nurse advocates medical care to homeless, uninsured
Original title: Warner Robins nurse practitioner calls on volunteers to provide medical care to homeless, uninsured
The work of Hands of Grace, founded in 2017, has become...

Marietta ministry helps women, children find stability
As 2020 comes to an end, Cingo is honored to share the story of The Table on Delk, this month's Circle & Shield award recipient. The Table on Delk offers food and...

Innovative project helps teens with needed supplies
Augusta-area foundation provides discrete assistance to those in needIt's hard to feel safe and secure when you're worried about being ridiculed for something out of your...
Alpharetta Teens Create Nonprofit that Helps Women Globally
Three high school seniors in metropolitan Atlanta are creating change globally through their foundation that addresses healthcare needs of young womenWhen you ask a high school...

‘Porch Portraits’ Give Neighbors an Opportunity to Help
Wedding photographer memorializes pandemic while supporting domestic violence shelter.When the COVID-19 lockdown began in March, Ashley Marks, a wedding and portrait...
Terri Starley creates masks to keep folks safe during pandemic
Updated on August 25th, 2021. Original title: Dublin friends create masks to keep folks far and near safe during pandemic
Terrie Starley, a grandmother of four, keeps...

Good Deeds of Coffee County Rallies the Community to Help
Local lawyer leads volunteers to provide everything from mattresses to food for those in need.What started as one law office filling a big need for local children has evolved...

River of Life Dublin brings community together to keep homes safe and secure
Updated on August 25th, 2021. Original title: River of Life Dublin brings teens and adults together to keep homes safe and secure
If you're looking, you'll find the need....

Shelter Will Be Security For Homeless Female Veterans
A childhood experience instills purpose in founder of Warner Robins Genesis Joy House Homeless Shelter.Margaret Queen-Flowers was 12 years old when her grandmother took her...

Non-profit helps ‘enlarge the safety zone’
Effingham County Navigator Team provides friendship, support and recreation to families with children with disabilities.When a child has a disability, fear can isolate the...

Neighbors, volunteers provide healthy choices to food pantry
Our Giving Garden partners with other non-profits to provide organic vegetables and a safe space.Neighbor helping neighbor is a tradition throughout the ages. It's an idea that...

Adaptive Expeditions implements competitive sports for those with disabilities
Updated on August 26th, 2021. Original title: Adaptive Expeditions puts competitive sports in reach for those with disabilities
Charleston native Joe Moore created what he...

Savannah charity helps bereaved students complete their education
Charitable Hearts for Children Savannah provides scholarships to students who have lost a parent or guardian and bereavement training to educators.Finishing high school can be...

"We believe Miller had a purpose here"
All In For Miller helps families with financial burdens associated with coping with a child's illness.
It was a horribly tragic situation no family wants to...

Ministry based in Middle Georgia offers safe space for women to heal
With locations in Perry and Dawsonville, Abba House opens its doors to women and children in need.
Twenty-seven years ago Jim and Chris Sharp were living in Macon...

Emanuel County child provides refreshments for first responders
Lyndsi Hatfield of Swainsboro operates a lemonade and hot chocolate stand to raise money forfirst responders. She buys snacks and drinks for every public safety department in...

Bluffton Mayor is committed to helping people "Take the Pledge"
Updated on August 26th, 2021. Original title: Bluffton Mayor is committed to helping people make better decisions behind the wheel
Partnering with the Lutzie 43 Foundation,...

Charleston Hope invests in the next generation
As a teenager, Emily Kerr watched and learned from her older sister, Brittany, an elementary school teacher. Brittany's passion for her young students inspired Emily to pursue...

Volunteers at the J.O.Y. Clinic create safe space for medical services
Walking through downtown Dublin, GA, you might not notice the modest building at 410 Academy Avenue. Yet for many, the J.O.Y. Clinic inside is a medical and spiritual...

Years in foster care fuels mission to help youth thrive
Growing up wasn't easy for Whitney Gilliard. Her mother abandoned her, her father died, and her life was a series of moving from home to home.
And then a random...

Troubled life leads Augusta man to help those fighting addiction
It is easy to give when you have so much, but what about after you've lost it all?
Matt Lever describes his life in vivid detail — binge drinking as a...

Middle school students turn slime-to-profit for local homeless shelter
Updated on August 26th, 2021. Original title: Middle school students to slime into a money-maker for local homeless shelter
When Lawrenceville middle schoolers Noelle...

Equestrian Center ‘more than a pony ride’ for those with special needs
As a child, Bonnie Rachael fell in love with horses. As a teenager, she credited horses with getting her life back on track. And now as an adult, she's changing lives through...

‘Officer Bobby’ helps 5th graders make better choices
The fifth-graders call him Mr. Bobby or Officer Bobby. Some in the Laurens County schools even call him Uncle Bobby. The affection for Sheriff's Deputy Bobby Brantley is real,...

‘Rites of Passage’ pairs young men with mentors
As a young man in his 20s, Domonic Purviance found himself struggling with a pretty profound question: What does it mean to be a man?
Surprisingly stumped by this...

A child’s success starts with early investment of time, love
Imagine the frustration and hopelessness when everyday experiences that should be safe and comfortable are not.
Consider the mother who resorts to a delivery...

Rocky path leads to safe space for abuse victims to share their story
Life has taken some rocky turns for Barbara Ross — a bad marriage (two, actually), poor health, and bouts of depression over the years.
But she's determined...

Commitment to help others drives Vidalia business owner
We are proud to honor Junior Elkhatib with Cingo's Circle & Shield Award for his tireless efforts raising money for those in need. Junior's dedication to the safety and...

Cingo's Circle & Shield award honors community heroes
Two sisters who together provide a safe space for teenage girls. An elderly man who builds handicap access ramps for homes in his community. A high school student working to...

Sheriff's leadership increases community safety
We appreciate the innovative work Sheriff Alfonzo Williams is doing to make his community a better place, a safer place. We are privileged to present him with Cingo’s Circle...

Fund-raising, personal commitment help bring orphans to safe homes
Adoption advocate Beth Drafts raises money to help families overcome the high cost of adoption. Her relentless efforts to help orphaned children makes us proud to honor Beth...

Loving childhood motivates sisters to create a safe space for girls
Ginger Horne and Becky Greene's selfless commitment to creating a safe space for girls captured the attention of Cingo. We are proud to award Ginger and Becky our Circle &...

Cingo honors Lyle Gordon of Douglas
Lyle Gordon has given much of his time since retirement keeping people in his community safe and secure. His endless passion to help others makes us proud to honor Lyle with...

Teen tackles tough issue to help keep others safe
Effingham County teenager Darius Scott's drive to raise awareness of human trafficking makes a difference. We are proud to award Darius our Circle & Shield award, the Cingo...

Cingo honors Dublin’s Jay Bailey
Jay Bailey's selfless commitment to improving lives of children captured the attention of Cingo. We are proud to award Jay our Circle & Shield award, the Cingo way to honor...