Fall 2022 Events

The weather might be cooling down, but Circle of Care isn’t slowing down! Take a look at some of the great community and staff events COC held this fall.

Circle of Care hosts 1^st Trunk or Treat for Families

On October 25^th, Circle of Care staff hosted our first Halloween Trunk or Treat event for our youth and families. This event was paired with a Halloween costume drive that our Community Resource Department had organized, with support of our staff and board members, community donations and a partnership with Jersey Cares.

Over 150 youth and families who attended received costumes and engaged in an evening of fun, crafts, face painting, music and trick or treating.  Circle of Care staff and volunteers dressed up their vehicles, gave out candy and joined in on the spooky festivities.

Our sincere appreciation to the community and sponsors, our youth and families  and our wonderful staff who made such an event possible.

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations at Circle of Care

This year, to celebrate and acknowledge Hispanic Heritage Month, Circle of Care invited Danielle Crigler, from the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts to lead our staff in making a Guatemalan Worry Dolls, also known as trouble dolls, or muñeca quita-pena in Spanish. According to Guatemalan legend, children tell their worries to the Worry Dolls, placing them under their pillow when they go to bed at night. By morning, the dolls have gifted them with the wisdom and knowledge to eliminate their worries.

The story of the Worry Doll is a local Mayan legend.  The origin of the Muñeca quitapena refers to a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princes received a special gift from the sun god that allowed her to solve any problem a human could worry about. The worry doll represents the princess and her wisdom.

After our workshop, our staff enjoyed the visit of the Cubano Xpress food truck, that offered an array of traditional Cuban dishes for our staff.

Circle of Care CMO at the Passaic County Fair

Right before the seasons changed, Circle of Care was present at the Passaic County Fair, held on 8/11-8/14 in Garret Mountain Reservation. Staff members volunteered their time to engage with families in attendance,  share resources, information and spread the word about how our services can help youth with emotional, behavioral, substance use or developmental challenges and their families.