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Active military duty can be a lot of things: a welcome service to our country, a family tradition, a source of tremendous growth and satisfaction. But it's always a challenge, too, for the serviceman or woman and their family. Whether it's you, a friend, or a loved one who is going on active duty, a CareCircle program can make it easier for family or friends to show their support. A program can insure that our military and their families back home receive practical and emotional support: anything from public messages of support to childcare or rides, meal deliveries, help with household tasks, or even fundraising. A CareCircle program can make it easier to communicate news and pictures, share messages, or respond to requests for help: whether family and friends live on the other side of town or the other side of the world! CareCircle programs do three things that encourage friends and family to participate: 1) They help build awareness of the situation, without having to make and return an overwhelming number of phone calls, 2) they give permission to those who might fear "intruding" or wonder if they are close enough to offer help, and 3) they provide a range of ways to participate, since different people like to help in different ways (some people like to cook dinners, some prefer to provide transportation, help out with chores, or write a check, etc.). A CareCircle program can be up and running in a few minutes, and immediately starts helping the active service individual and their family. You can see the answers to common questions about CareCircle programs by clicking on the links below. Or if you prefer, you can click here to visit a sample Military Service Web site, or, click here if you'd like to purchase a program now. Some common questions about CareCircle programs:
Answers to common questions about CareCircle programs: What is a CareCircle program? A CareCircle program is a set of actions, laid out in a step-by-step plan, which organize family, friends (and anyone else you wish to include) to provide the right practical and emotional support at the right time. A program has three parts: 1. A team of one or two friends who start up the program. They should be comfortable using email and surfing the Web. They use materials provided by CareCircle to identify the specific needs, and collect any necessary details. Then CareCircle creates a customized Web site for the program. CareCircle helps the team every step of the way, with whatever they need. 2. A customized Web site that describes the needs of the individual, family, or caregiver the plan will support, and gives visitors “permission” and guidance on how to help. The Web site is created by CareCircle based on information the friends or family members provide, and can include a description of the situation, a Guest Book where visitors can leave messages of support, a Calendar where people can sign up to help in various ways, a Photo Album that can display photos relevant to the people involved, and other sections that describe different ways to help out in the situation. It also tells how to contact the team of one or two friends who’ve set up the program, so visitors can volunteer to lend a hand. Click here to visit a sample medical Web site. 3. The most important part of a program is the volunteer efforts of those who provide help to the individual, family, or caregiver in need. People can volunteer via the Web site Calendar, or by phoning someone on the team that set up the program. The help they give can range from meal deliveries to help with paperwork, a social visit, or a financial donation. If a large program is desirable, one volunteer can take on the role of Communications Coordinator to build awareness and bring in more volunteers. Different people like to help in different ways, so we encourage the team creating the program to provide many different ways for people to participate. Return to Top What kinds of help can a CareCircle program provide? A CareCircle program can help you provide whatever kind of help is needed. If the team starting the program determines that meal deliveries would be helpful, or that raising money so relatives from another country can visit, the program can help you accomplish this. The only limit is the willingness and resources of the community you invite in. CareCircle provides help with how to judge this, ask for appropriate help, and expand your program when appropriate. Return to Top Don’t people already help out when there’s a need? A lot of people do. But more would like to. Sometimes people aren’t sure if they’d be intruding by contacting someone facing a challenge. Sometimes the flood of home-cooked meals can burden a family who really only needs help with insurance paperwork or returning phone calls. What a CareCircle program does is turn good intentions into exactly the right actions at exactly the right time. No one has to hesitate, or guess what would be appreciated. People can give anonymously or let their names be published. And the person or persons receiving the help don’t have to do any of the work, just accept the help that their friends and family obtained for them with the program. Return to Top Why haven’t I seen these programs before? CareCircle programs are very new. We’re working to make sure that people hear about them, but they are not yet broadly used. So, we’re keeping the price low to make them attractive, providing lots of help in setting them up, and refunding the full purchase price if you decide you’re not satisfied anytime within thirty (30) days of your purchase. We know from experience that they provide a tremendously valuable service, since Brian Gallick, our co-founder, had something similar set up for him when he was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. If you’d like to know more about us, and how we got started, click here. If you’ve decided to buy a program, you can click here to get started with your purchase. Return to Top Can I see what a CareCircle program’s Web site looks like? Sure, but remember that the Web site is just an organizing tool. The real value of a CareCircle program is the efforts of the volunteers who visit the Web site to volunteer, get updates, leave messages of encouragement, etc. To see a sample medical Web site, click here. Return to Top I’m concerned my friend won’t be willing to accept help. What should I do? Sometimes people are hesitant to ask for or accept help from others. We provide the person setting up the program (we call them the “Coach”) with a number of suggestions on how to address this situation. One is to start the program as simply a communications tool, to reduce the need for phone calls and to insure that friends have current and accurate information. The Coach also needs to let the person(s) the program is for (we call them the “Star”) know that others want to help, and feel unfulfilled if they don’t have a way to contribute. In some cases, if the relationship between the Star and Coach is strong enough, we recommend that the Coach and other team members simply inform the Star that their friends and family are doing this for them, and only ask for their approval to the details of the plan and the Web site. Of course, this must be done with complete respect for the wishes of the Star and any Caregiver that is involved, particularly in respecting their privacy. This question is addressed in more detail during the setting up of the program. Return to Top Who should run my CareCircle program? In most situations, it’s best to have a friend or family member who is not a primary caregiver or directly involved start up the program. This allows the person the program is for, and their spouse or caregiver, to stay focused on what they need to do. The program should provide them with support, not be an additional responsibility. We call the person who starts up the program the “Coach.” Because they are not in the middle of the crisis, they can assess needs more easily, and ask for help without feeling self-conscious. It can help if the Coach is socially outgoing, but it is not necessary. It is necessary for the Coach to have a phone, and access to the Internet, so they can use the many resources that CareCircle provides as part of their programs. Return to Top How is a CareCircle program organized? A CareCircle program is organized around roles. There are many possible roles, depending on what the program goals are. One team member can take on multiple roles. The first role is the “Coach” role. This person invites in a couple of friends or family members to help decide what the program goals should be. If appropriate, others are invited to take on “Coordinator” roles, such as Meal Delivery, Communications, or Fund Raising Coordinator. In most cases, each role can be completed in one or two hours a week. Return to Top How can I make sure that only my closest friends and family participate in my program? Ensuring our users’ privacy is a high priority for us, so we’ve provided several ways to keep your program private. First, a CareCircle Web site can only be accessed by using the name you assigned to it (such as “Team Brian”). CareCircle sites are not visible to Google or other Internet search engines, so your site cannot be found that way. You can also add a password to further ensure your privacy. You don’t even have to list the name of the person the program is for on the Web site. The only contact information that must be shown is the email addresses of the volunteer team that created the program. However, keep in mind that reducing the number of visitors also reduces the number of people who will know how to help. Return to Top How can I get more people to participate in my program? There’s a lot of information on how to expand your program available in the tasks assigned to the Coach and the Communications Coordinator when a program is started. We provide a template for printing business cards, for example, that tell people how to get to your program’s Web site. We talk about how to use email, and provide examples you can edit and use. For those who want to extend their program even further, we discuss how to use local news media, and how to approach local community service groups who may be able to offer assistance. Return to Top I don't live near CareCircle; is there a way I can start a program anyway? Absolutely! We make the programs available over the Internet so that people can start them, run them, and participate in them from anywhere in the world! Call our toll-free number if you'd like more information, or email us at info@carecircle.com with specific questions. Return to Top The person I want to help doesn’t use the Internet; could the program still work? Absolutely! In most cases friends and family not directly involved in the situation are the ones who put together the program. The person the program is for (we call them the “Star”) only sees the fruits of the volunteers’ labor. People can volunteer by phone as well, by calling the team members, if they like. Using the Web site to volunteer is more efficient, since you can just click on a task and volunteer. It’s up to the Coordinators if they want to accept phone calls, but with some groups the phone calls can work better. Return to Top How can I start a CareCircle program? Starting a program is easy, and a CareCircle representative will be happy to work with you to get yours set up. The first step is to purchase the program. If you'd like to purchase a program now, just click here. If you’d like to know a little more first, you can continue reading the information on this page, or click here to see the three steps that will get your program started. Once you’ve purchased your program, if you’d like us to schedule a set-up phone call, email us at support@carecircle.com, and give us your phone number and when you’d like us to call. We’ll walk you through step-by-step! Please remember: If, during the first thirty (30) days after purchase, you are not satisfied with your program for any reason, we will refund the full purchase price. Return to Top How much does a program cost? A three month long program costs $135. A six-month program costs $180 when paid in full. A full-year program costs $240 when paid in full. When a program is nearing the end, you can renew it for about $60 less. We don't renew you automatically, you'll be asked if you'd like to renew. There are no extra charges. These are your total costs, including all the assistance we provide, and the customized Web site for the length of your program. If you'd like to purchase a program now, click here. Please remember: If, during the first thirty (30) days after purchase, you are not satisfied with your program for any reason, we will refund the full purchase price. Return to Top How many people are needed to run a CareCircle program? One person can run a CareCircle program. We usually recommend having at least two team members at the beginning, however. After the first week or so it will depend on the goals of the program. If it is used simply as a communication tool, one team member will be enough. If you decide to use features like meal delivery, grocery delivery, household support, and add a gift registry and a photo gallery, you may need to add additional volunteer Coordinators. Each feature requires about one or two hours per week on an ongoing basis, so each Coordinator can usually manage several features. Return to Top How long does it take to start getting help from a CareCircle program? It depends on what kind of help your program is requesting. For a communications program the help is almost immediate. You can email information on how to access the program’s Web page as soon as it’s completed, and friends and family can use it to learn about the situation and post messages of support in the Guest Book. Things like meal deliveries usually take some time to schedule, so it may be a week or so before volunteer meal deliveries begin. Fund Raising, Household Support (rides, help with chores, social visits), Grocery Delivery, a Blood Drive, all work on different timing. If you’d like to get started right away, you can click here to purchase a program now. Return to Top Will CareCircle help me set up my program? Yes, CareCircle is committed to the success of your program. If you’d like us to schedule a set-up phone call, email us at support@carecircle.com, and give us your phone number and when you’d like us to call. We’ll walk you through step-by-step! Please remember: If, during the first thirty (30) days after purchase, you are not satisfied with your program for any reason, we will refund the full purchase price. Return to Top If I’m not happy with my program, can I get my money back? Yes. If, during the first thirty (30) days after purchase, you are not satisfied with your program for any reason, we will refund the full purchase price. Return to Top Thanks for looking at CareCircle programs! If you'd like to buy a program now, please click here. Return to Top
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