CIRCLE CITY FELLOWS
2021 Annual Report
Letter from our Executive Director 2021 Highlights By the Numbers Our Vision & Mission How We Work/What We Do Our Leadership Our Partners Financial Operations 2020-2021 Closing Message from our Board Chair Get Involved
A letter from our Executive Director
“Give thanks to the LORD for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
Psalm 136 is a psalm of remembrance, one that may have been spoken by the people as a call and response. What were they responding to? The goodness of God seen in tangible ways from the time of creation to that time of their day. A response to the myriad of ways God’s steadfast, unfailing love had been present to them for their flourishing. Remembering what God has done through gratitude is a sacred spiritual practice that offers us joy for the memories, encouragement in the moment, and hope toward the future.
A number of years ago, with this desire to remember God’s goodness to us in the past as encouragement in the moment with hope toward our future, my family began our list of “a thousand gifts” in the form of a gratitude journal. We started recording on a weekly basis the gifts of God’s goodness, big and small. Each Thanksgiving, we look back over the year’s gratitude and we receive joy for the memory of each gift, encouragement for us regardless of what the present moment holds, and hope toward our unknown future.
What you will find in the following pages is a version of such a gratitude journal as we at Circle City Fellows present to you our first-ever annual report. But this isn’t an annual report of numbers and data points, outcomes and achievements. Well, it is; but it isn’t. This annual report is our way of capturing “a thousand gifts” of God’s goodness to us as a new organization. Gifts like…
Achieving our 501(c)(3) non-profit status in Winter 2021
Persevering through 20 months of a world marked by a global pandemic to graduate our first class of Fellows, recruit and graduate our second class, and recruit a third class
Receiving over $300,000 to fund our work over the past 3 years
Expanding our impact through the 28 Fellows who have participated with us
Affiliating with Denver Institute of Faith & Work to be supported by those already doing the kind of work we endeavored to do
Experiencing the support of city leaders from throughout Indianapolis year after year
Partnering with local churches and businesses who believe in our mission and support our work with participants and financial investment
…and so many more that you will read about below, all of which bring us joy for the memories, encouragement in our present moment, and hope toward the future of CCF yet to come!
We hope that while you read you will join us in saying, “Give thanks to the LORD, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
With deep gratitude,
Dr. David A. Bell,
Executive Director, Circle City Fellows
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
NEW CLASS OF FELLOWS
Commissioned 7 Graduates in May 2021
Welcomed 8 new Fellows in September 2021
2021 Highlights
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
KATHERINE BELLIS
Katherine comes to CCF with a wealth of experience in the financial world of businesses, as well as significant engagement volunteering particularly with her church’s Care Center. For CCF, she is marrying those two by coming onto the Board as Treasurer.
MICHAEL SCHIELE
Specialty Sales Representative, Orexo US, Inc.
Michael comes to CCF having previously served as a Mentor to one of our Fellows in our inaugural class. With his background both in business and the church, Michael’s passions come together as he serves our organization in this role.
JUSTIN NOELLE
Director, Product Development at Knowledge Service
Justin was a member of Circle City Fellows’ inaugural Class of 2020. His experience as a Fellow is an invaluable addition to our Board.
2021 Highlights
SATURDAY FORUMS
During Saturday forums Fellows learn about what is happening in the city of Indianapolis from key leaders in different sectors. Two key questions we ask ourselves during Saturday forums are: "What makes a thriving city?" "What's your next right step to contribute to that thriving?
Speaker List for 2021
Dr. Dawn Haut, CEO of Eskenazi Health Centers
Dr. Ken Klotz, retired CMO, Eskenazi Health Center
Dr. Terri Litty, CPE Grassy Creek Health Center
Karen Frederickson and Matt Nowlin of The Polis Center
Andrew Hart, CEO of The Oaks Academy
Shannon Williams
Aleesia Johnson, Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools
Shannon Williams of The Mind Trust
Darius Sawyers, Principal at Paramount Englewood
Civic and Community Leader, Milt Thompson
Anthony Beverly of Stop the Violence
Joe Bowling of Englewood Community Development Cooperation
Bill and Joanna Taft of LISC and The Harrison Center for the Arts respectively
Brad Beaubien of Visit Indy
Ontay Johnson of EmpowerED Families
Maggie Lewis, Majority Leader of the Indianapolis City Council and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis
Beatrice Beverly of Genesys Solutions
Angela White-Randolph of AKWR Solutions
2021 Highlights
FINANCES
Over $97,000 given in 2021 so far
By the Numbers
Our first 3 years - totals
28
FELLOWS
25
MENTORS
3
CHURCH PARTNERS
3
BUSINESS PARTNERS
13
BOARD MEMBERS
13
SATURDAY FORUMS
7
RETREATS
63
COHORT MEETINGS AND COUNTING
OVER $300,000
TAKEN IN TO FUND THE WORK OF CCF
3 LAUNCH PARTNERS
ORG’S WHO SUPPORTED US LOGISTICALLY
OVER 140
INDIVIDUAL DONORS, 27 OF WHOM ARE RECURRING DONORS
83
PIECES OF CURRICULUM READ FROM OVER 50 DIFFERENT AUTHORS
OVER $8,000
GIVEN/
PLEDGED ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP FUND DONATIONS
Our Vision & Mission
WE EXIST TO ADVANCE AND PARTICIPATE IN GOD’S MISSION IN GREATER INDIANAPOLIS SO THAT EVERYONE HAS ENOUGH AND NO ONE NEEDS TO BE AFRAID.
WE EQUIP AND EMPOWER ADULTS TO INTEGRATE THEIR FAITH IN THEIR WORKPLACE AND COMMUNITY.
How We Work/What We Do
OUR VALUES
Welcoming, Inclusive, Loving, Curious, Christ-Centered
WE WILL SUCCEED IN OUR MISSION BY…
Nurturing Long Term Relationships to Ensure Organizational Vitality
Cultivating a Diverse Community focused on the Common Good of the City
By facilitating a theologically-applied curriculum that inspires the pursuit of cultural change.
FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE
Primary program is a 9 month fellowship consisting of a class of Fellows who meet weekly in cohorts, monthly for Saturday Forums, and quarterly in retreat.
OUR CURRICULUM
The curriculum is centered around a Reader of 40-50 articles and chapters from books guiding the Fellows to reflect on their place within God’s missional story through the workplace seeking the peace of the city. In addition, the Fellows have an intentional focus on their spiritual formation through engagement in monthly spiritual practices and a focused Personal Formation Plan. They also put their learning into action with a Professional Development Project focused in their workplace during the spring semester of the fellowship.
Our Leadership
Our Partners
Financial Operations Report 2020-2021
Our fiscal year runs July to June. For 2020-2021 we celebrate the following:
A Matching Gift of $10,000 raised to $15,000 by our Board that was then matched by generous donors providing a $30,000 jump start to our year in September 2020.
$18,000 invested by three Church Partners
Met Budget through an Income Surplus coupled with under-spending with Expenses thus ending the year in the black.g
Message from Board Chair
Over the past three years, God has blessed us with his faithfulness in many ways. First, we are grateful for how David and Betsie Bell listened to God's prompting to take a leap of faith to start CCF and for David to become our Executive Director. In addition, we've been blessed with key partnerships in our launch including with area churches and businesses, individual donors who have given significant support, and affiliation with Denver Institute for Faith & Work's 5280 Fellowship. Also, it has been an honor to work alongside the dedicated group of people who have served on our Board over the past three years. A deep sense of gratitude is felt for our current Board - Jim Morris, Ken Ney, Andrew Hart, Angela White-Randolph, Justin Noelle, Katherine Bellis, Michael Schiele, and John Franke - as well as former Board members, Roz Harris, Ontay Johnson, and Kristi Grimm. And finally, as Board Chair I am particularly thankful for our 28 Fellows who are the reason we exist and who make us who we are. These Fellows, past and current, are living their faith in the workplace, equipped and empowered through their experience with CCF to do so. Indeed, we are witness to God's blessings and faithfulness in our first three years!
Jim Seeds
Board Chairman