The Circle of Impact was the driving force behind CASA’s endowment reaching $1 million

A circle is symbolic of the life cycle. Without straight lines and corners, it’s feminine in nature. It embraces. It holds. If you sit in a circle, there is equality and a responsiveness to the voices of everyone held within.

Such is true with CASA’s women’s giving circle – The Circle of Impact – which has supported CASA’s operating budget and endowment for more than two decades.  In 2022, the Circle celebrated a major milestone – $1 million contributed to CASA. In September of 2025, the Circle had cause to celebrate again as CASA’s endowment reached the $1 million mark.

“CASA could not be more grateful for the generous and passionate ladies that make up the Circle,” said CASA Executive Director Angela Rose. “It is because of their dedication and decades-long commitment that we have this endowment to ensure we can sustain our mission into the future.”

The idea for The Circle of Impact was born in 2003. Early members Mary Frances Cowan, Jenny Elliott, Kat Jorstad, Meg Kendall, Karen Schwartz, and then CASA Executive Director Trudy Strewler had two things in common: a love of children and the belief that a fulfilling and impactful life comes from aligning your resources with your heart.

The Circle of Impact is very organic.

“More than twenty years ago, five women, all CASA supporters, said  ‘Imagine what we might create if we invite a few friends to come together and create a giving circle for CASA. Imagine what might happen if we collectively bring our passion for the children in our community together with the power of a circle of women who believe we can make a difference the lives of children. Imagine what we might contribute to CASA in the way of financial support when we grow our circle to twelve members making an annual commitment’.” remembers founding member Kat Jorstad.

The circle held events centered around everything from jewelry sales to organized bike rides, and from garage sales to Christmas events. Pretty soon they were raising upward of $40,000 per year.

Eventually, the members met with the Pikes Peak Foundation and set up the endowment which was built by investing at least 10% of what they raised annually. CASA began building the endowment to sustain the future of its programs.

With approval from the board of directors, the circle made the decision to gift CASA $100,000 of money they had put into the endowment to help purchase the new CASA building back in 2017.

In addition to personal pledges and event-based fundraising, the ladies of the circle are story tellers for CASA. They are ambassadors, spreading CASA’s mission far and wide within their own personal circles. Nowadays, they have replaced their events with an uptick in ambassadorship, involvement with CASA’s annual Light of Hope, and for many – a lifelong commitment to the children of the Pikes Peak Region.

“That idea has organically grown to a commitment that allows this circle, now 45 members strong, to commit to over $60,000 a year to CASA. The endowment created in the beginning has just reached $1,000,000! We now celebrate the ‘Imagine what’ idea and the women who have made the idea a vibrant and amazing reality,” says Jorstad.