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EnCircle serves struggling students, disabled adults and families across Virginia.
In 1888, a Lutheran pastor from Botetourt County offered up his Salem-area farm as a place for orphaned children to live. In the 132 years since, that generous act has exponentially grown into an organization that helps 1,200 of Virginia’s most vulnerable residents each year, including foster children and adults with disabilities, and stretches from Bristol to Norfolk.
This fall, the former Lutheran Family Services of Virginia changed its name and launched a new website and logo in an effort to reach even more.
EnCircle, as the nonprofit is now known, runs schools for students not meeting developmental or behavioral goals, provides an array of services for adults with disabilities, supports foster care and adoption, offers counseling to children, families and adults, and in 2018 became one of a network of agencies nationwide that helps unaccompanied immigrant children find sponsors in the U.S.
“Our mission is to make the world a more loving place,” says enCircle CEO Ray Ratke. “Our goal here is to have a greater impact on the common good.”
From its roots as an orphanage, enCircle has adapted over the decades to provide services it sees a need for. Minnick schools reach students from ages five to 22 who are not thriving in their public school settings. They are licensed by the Virginia Department of Education as private day schools and are located in Harrisonburg, Roanoke, Wytheville, Wise and Bristol.
For the disabled, enCircle runs seven group homes in the Lynchburg and Roanoke areas. It also offers support for disabled adults living independently and trains and connects families to host disabled adults in the families’ homes. Additionally, enCircle provides skilled nursing and therapeutic consultations.
Ratke said part of the motivation behind the name change was to make clear that the nonprofit’s outreach was available to people of all faiths and beliefs. “We’re very proud of our history and our Lutheran connection,” he says. But the organization is “open to all; we’re here for everyone.”
The new name also reflects the nonprofit’s ability to adapt. “Part of what we like about ‘enCircle’ is that a circle can grow,” Ratke explains. “If there’s a need we’re looking to provide, we can expand the circle.”
Ratke says that what sets enCircle’s 550 staff and caregivers apart is their commitment to the individuals and families they help.
“We’re trying to change people’s lives,” he says. “This is not just transactional; we’re not just providing a service. We’re really trying to provide nurturing love and care.”
To learn more about enCircle, check out the nonprofit’s website: enCircleAll.org.
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