Sampson Family
Nemelka Family
Our Why
Our Circle began with two fourth birthdays.
Sterling wished for a friend as he blew out his candles.
Years earlier, Eli was the first of five siblings to have no friends at his birthday party.
Both boys have support needs.
Both families felt isolated, not because connection didn’t exist, but because there was no clear way to find others who understood their world.
So we built Our Circle.
Vision
We envision a world where every child with support needs has a friend, not by chance, but by design.
Mission
Our Circle exists to reduce isolation for families raising children with support needs by helping them build safe, meaningful, real-world connections with other families who truly understand their lived experience.
The name Our Circle reflects that we:
- center on families, not diagnoses;
- prioritize social connection, not social media; and
- enable belonging, not exclusion.
Values
Belonging Is Vital
We unapologetically believe belonging is not a luxury, social extra, or 'nice to have'. Belonging is vital because meaningful social connection improves mental health, family resilience, and other important health and economic outcomes.
Inclusion Without Hierarchy
There is no single way to experience disability, neurodivergence, medical complexity, or difference. We include all families and reject comparisons, labeling, ranking, or severity narratives.
Safety Builds Trust
Trust is earned through consistent, intentional protection of families. We prioritize safety, privacy, and respectful interaction – in-person and digitally – over rapid scale.
Empowerment Over Assumption
We empower families to co-design solutions grounded in their real, everyday needs rather than institutional assumptions.
Integrity First and Always
We protect family trust through ethical stewardship, including a commitment to data privacy, never selling family data, and prioritizing long term impact.