One year ago, Encircle Ogden opened its doors to create a place where LGBTQ+ youth, young adults, families, and allies could find connection, support, and belonging. One year later, thousands of visits have turned that vision into a thriving community.
Since opening on September 6, 2025, Encircle Ogden has welcomed more than 4,000 visits from people across Weber and Davis Counties. But behind every visit is a person—and often a story of someone finding friendship, family support, mental health care, or simply a place where they can feel at home.
Our first year has shown us what happens when a community comes together to make sure young people don't have to face life's hardest moments alone.
For Luna, finding Encircle Ogden started with an Instagram post.
Before she walked through the doors, life felt lonely. She was nervous about visiting for the first time and didn't know what to expect.
What she found was a welcoming community where she could meet people she related to, make friends, and feel safe.
“Encircle has become one of my very favorite places and somewhere I know I can feel safe,” Luna shared.
Her story reflects the heart of Encircle Ogden's mission: creating a place where LGBTQ+ young people can build meaningful relationships, express themselves, and discover that they belong.
During its first year, 338 unique guests visited Encircle Ogden, and nearly two-thirds returned. On average, 18 people walked through the doors each day.
Those numbers represent thousands of individual moments of connection.
Encircle Ogden isn't just a resource for young people. It's also a place where families can find community and support.
For Brian and Danielle Gobar, Encircle became an important part of their family's journey after their child was struggling with feeling different and alone.
Their child's therapist recommended Encircle, and the family came for a tour. They immediately noticed how welcoming the space felt.
Over time, they watched their child become more confident and happy while meeting other young people who understood what they were experiencing.
The experience also brought the family closer together. Brian and Danielle began volunteering on Friday nights, giving them an opportunity to spend time together while seeing their child thrive in an environment where they felt comfortable being themselves.
For parents and families navigating questions around identity, Encircle offers opportunities for connection, family therapy, gatherings, and resources.
Belonging can strengthen an entire family—not just the person who first walks through the door.
Some of Encircle Ogden's most meaningful moments happen during family dinners.
Volunteer Amy cooks Monday night dinners and loves listening to the conversations that happen in the kitchen. Sometimes, guests tell her they haven't had a hot meal in a long time.
For Amy, preparing a meal is about more than food. It's a way to create an environment where someone feels cared for and loved.
During Encircle Ogden's first year, volunteers helped serve 360 meals through 30 family dinners.
Volunteer Dan has watched those dinners grow, with some Monday nights bringing more than 30 people together.
He says one of the most meaningful parts of volunteering has been watching young people form relationships and support one another.
Whether someone arrives with a strong support system or is still searching for one, Encircle provides opportunities to find community.
Belonging takes many forms.
At Encircle Ogden, it can look like joining a Friendship Circle, making art, playing music, or simply spending time with people who understand.
Volunteer Cristy remembers one evening when a new visitor sat down at the piano. The visitor was an accomplished musician, but what stood out most was the sense of ease and confidence in the room.
For Cristy, it was a reminder of what a welcoming environment can make possible: a person feeling comfortable enough to simply be themselves.
During the first year, Encircle Ogden hosted:
These programs create opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth and community members to connect, express themselves, and build relationships.
For some guests, belonging is the first step toward asking for additional support.
Encircle Therapy in Ogden provides affirming, evidence-informed mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth, young adults, adults, and their families. Associate Therapist, Kristina Kaleel provides individual, family, and relationship therapy for clients ages 12+. During the first year, the Ogden therapy program provided 761 therapy sessions to 81 unique clients.
Encircle's approach includes validated assessments that help clinicians understand client needs and track progress over time. Across Encircle Therapy, clients have reported measurable improvements in areas including anxiety, depression, and self-compassion.
For LGBTQ+ people and their families seeking affirming mental health care in the Ogden community, having therapy and community resources under the same roof can create another pathway toward connection and support.
A welcoming home doesn't happen because of a building. It happens because people show up.
During its first year, 59 volunteers contributed more than 2,000 hours to Encircle Ogden. They greeted guests, supported programs and activities, prepared meals, helped with events, and created the consistent presence that makes the home feel welcoming.
For Cristy, volunteering is personal. Growing up as a young lesbian, she knows how meaningful a place like Encircle could have been when she was younger.
For Dan, volunteering is a way to support LGBTQ+ youth in his community. And for Amy, it's an opportunity to offer young people the same acceptance and care she wanted for her own children and their friends.
Their stories have something in common: they keep showing up.
Encircle Ogden's first year was strengthened by partnerships throughout the local community.
The home worked with 24 community partners, connecting 1,268 people across Weber and Davis Counties with affirming resources, support, and community.
Partnerships with organizations including Ogden Pride, PFLAG Weber-Davis, and NUHOPE created additional opportunities for people to gather, find resources, and build relationships.
These collaborations demonstrate that creating belonging isn't the work of one organization. It's something a community builds together.
Encircle Ogden's first year was made possible by the generosity of donors, volunteers, community partners, staff, therapists, families, and supporters who believed Ogden deserved a place like this.
Donor support also helped create dedicated spaces throughout the home, including the Dan & Anna Neumann Music Room, the Jed and Heather Nilson Kitchen, the George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation Friendship Circle Room, the Larry Hall & Denise Carver Art Room, and the Marquardt Peace & Possibility Therapy Room.
Each named space reflects an investment in the activities and relationships that happen inside it—from sharing a meal to creating art, making music, connecting with peers, or receiving mental health care.
Encircle Ogden's first year isn't ultimately about a building or even a collection of statistics.
It's about Luna finding friends.
It's about a family watching their child become more confident.
It's about a volunteer hearing music fill the room and seeing someone feel comfortable enough to be themselves.
It's about a hot meal shared around a table.
It's about young people supporting one another.
And it's about a community deciding to show up.
One year after opening its doors, Encircle Ogden has become a place where LGBTQ+ youth, families, and community members can find connection, support, and belonging.
The door is open. The community is growing. And there is a place for you here.