On May 5th we gathered at Atlanta Country Club to celebrate our final General Meeting of the year. Our Cinco de Mayo themed meeting celebrated our year-end donation to Devereux, introduced our new chairty for next year and ended with the installation of our new officers!

On Thursday April 28, Devereux Behavioral Health recognized The Circle for our support. Circle Members & Devereux staffers mingled in the recently redecorated Visitation Center where Gwen Skinner presented a plaque to recent Presidents Kimberly Johnson & Elaine LaMontagne, and 

Past President Rita Robb Furness, who led the redecorating project. 

Gwen said The Circle has impacted Devereux in ways that will sustain the organization for the future and that the joyful family center demonstrates to visiting families that their children are in a caring place. She recognized BJ Wooldridge for her dedication in planning parties and collecting donations for the residents.

The plaque will be installed over the door of the family meeting space. From there the celebration moved to the ball fields, where a plaque recognizing The Circle is already installed on the dugout. There was an official ribbon cutting and attendees watched the kids enjoy a game of kickball. The dugout includes equipment storage; having the equipment adjacent to the field instead of across campus has increased the opportunities for residents to enjoy outdoor activities, something they are pleased to enjoy.

These campus improvement projects are only possible because of your generosity as donors, sponsors, and volunteers. Devereux and The Circle Executive Board are grateful for your support. 

A big THANK YOU to the volunteers who helped decorate the gym, serve the food, drinks and goodies to the youth at Devereux. The youth enjoyed the Spring Fling dance with the theme New York, New York and dancing to the tunes of the 2 live DJ's from d street entertainment. They even played the New York, New York song as the students entered the gym. It was so nice to see the youth smiling and having fun at the dance. Once again, I can't thank the Circle Women enough for your generosity for the items collected for the Spring Fling dance.

The dance was a huge success! We received many compliments. BJ's SUV trunk was filled twice with decorations before the dance and cakes and candies the day of the dance. The amount collected and delivered to Devereux was $601.13 A HUGE thanks to Heather for continuing to be the drop off location for items that we collect for Devereux. Her help is never ending. Kimberly Johnson and Brenda Vazquez brainstormed and came up with the creative ideas for the NY themed dance. Brenda Vazquez created the SignUpGenius with the Amazon links to get the items for the dance. Thank You! Thank You! for everyone's help! 

The High Phase Dinner Party/Social , Monday May 2, 2021 for 40 students and staff was a huge success. BJ Wooldridge ordered the meal from Johnny's Pizza which included lasagna, penne pasta, garlic knots, salad and cakes from Publix and delivered them to Devereux. The students were so excited to get a meal and dessert delivered to them from outside the the center. The staff uses this event to work on restaurant etiquette as well as enjoying the delicious food and cake. For some of the kids it was a first time experience for them to experience a sit down dinner like that.

The donations of shampoos, body washes, conditioners, deodorants, puzzles and playing card dropped off at Heather Ree's house and collected at the May 5 Spring meeting total $949.39!

Thanks to all the Circle members for their generous donations tonight and throughout the year.

Image 4694 B.J.'s SUV filled with donations 

The Circle for Children Total donations made to Devereux for 2020 - 2021 is $5,444.08!

It has been a tradition to have The Circle's Past Presidents come together for a luncheon each year. Because of Covid it had been over 2 years since they were able to attend a gathering. Jennie Johnson coordinated the luncheon with Twenty Past Presidents able to attend the event held at Cherokee Country Club. We had from Linda Bowling who served in 1972-73 to now. It was wonderful to see how our organization has thrived for so many years with their leadership. It was a joyous occasion and all the Presidents were thrilled to see the continued enthusiasm for our future and were excited about the upcoming 100th year.

Several of us were able to make a trip, on a beautiful Spring day, to Tallulah Falls School, where The Circle for Children formerly the Young Matrons of Tallulah Falls started. Wendy Jackson, an Admissions head, toured us around and told us how wonderful The Circle has been over many years; donating money, time, awarding scholarships and much more. You can see in the pictures; the building named after The Circle, the stain glass in the chapel with The Circle emblem, our tour guide Wendy and a picture from the Upper School that shows the center of our emblem. A wonderful time had by all!!!

Peggy “Sue” Baer, 60, lost her courageous battle with Alzheimer’s dementia on March 31, 2022 in her Marietta home surrounded by family. Sue was born September 20, 1961, in Jesup, GA and made the most of a difficult childhood. She moved to Hinesville, GA where she met her future husband, Bill. They were blessed with three children: Chris, Chelsea and Brody.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Kennesaw State University with a degree in sociology. She devoted her life to her husband, children and volunteer work, spending countless hours aiding battered women at the YWCA women’s shelter, food collection at MUST ministries, and fundraising for scholarships at the Circle for Children. Her passion for serving others was apparent as she rose to the president of many organizations including the PTA, Circle for Children, and Chattahoochee Women’s Club. Her hobbies included reading, tennis, walking the dogs and spending time at the beach and lake.

She is survived by her husband, Bill, her children, her granddaughter, Eleanor, her beloved dogs, Sheba and Beau, and many, many friends, all who will miss her dearly.

A memorial service will be Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 2 o’clock with a reception following the service at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd., NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in hopes of finding a cure for this devastating disease. A Tribute page in Sue’s name can be found here: http://act.alz.org/goto/Sue_Baer