A Circle of Hope Community Impact Award

2026 has already marked a major transition for A Circle of Hope. This was the year my mom, Connie Wood, officially stepped back to enjoy retirement, spend more time with her grandchildren, travel, and focus on the parts of life she loves most after years dedicated to helping families.

At this year’s annual symposium, Connie was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the A Circle of Hope Community Impact Award. Going forward, this award will be presented annually to someone who demonstrates exceptional dedication, compassion, and impact in the lives of families and young people.

There could not have been a more fitting first recipient.

My mom built A Circle of Hope from the ground up. Years before I joined her, she had already established a practice centered around honesty, relationships, and helping families navigate incredibly difficult situations with clarity and care. The trust she earned in this field came from years of hard work, consistency, and a genuine commitment to the people she served.

After spending about a decade working directly in therapeutic and residential programming myself, I stepped in seven years ago to support and eventually continue the work she had built. Having both worked closely with struggling young people and families in different capacities, it has been meaningful to carry forward something that already had such a strong foundation and reputation for integrity.

Watching my mom receive this recognition was incredibly meaningful. Over the years, she has helped an enormous number of families through some of the hardest moments of their lives, often quietly and without recognition. Seeing that acknowledged publicly, in a room full of colleagues and professionals who understand this work, felt very deserved.

I’m deeply proud of her, grateful for everything she built, and honored to continue the work moving forward.