Making progress with Encircle

While we may be relatively new partners with Encircle, we immediately knew they were a perfect fit. They’re a wonderful non-profit operating out of Salt Lake City helping LGBTQIA+ youth overcome the everyday challenges queer people face. Encircle’s commitment to mental health and equity is something we strive for every day in our own workplace which made a partnership with them a simple choice.  

Our partnership with Encricle began in 2021 and we’re excited to share the developments we’ve made in such a short time.  

Encircle Lunches  

Since we started working with Encircle, we’ve provided weekly lunches to their Salt Lake City and Provo campuses. At 1-800 Contacts headquarters, we have a full restaurant-style Grille with a fantastic chef and team to provide meals to our employees every day. 

Fortunately, our Grille staff is staying busy working directly with Encircle. It’s a simple way for us to be engaged with their daily activities and provide a little relief for an organization that does so much for our local community. So far, we’ve provided 1,260 lunches to Encircle that go to LGBTQIA+ youth who stop by their campuses.  

Liingo Frames  

On top of the lunches, we also provide Encircle with vouchers for our eye glasses company Liingo Eyewear. These vouchers are given out to their community members and can be redeemed on the Liingo site for free or discounted eyewear. This program has been a huge success and almost all the original 200 vouchers we issued have been used with more vouchers coming soon 

South Valley Optical Eye Exams  

The final service we have promoted and offered to Encircle is the use of our onsite vision clinic: South Valley Optical. There they can get free comprehensive eye exams from our resident optometrist. Because it’s located on the other side of the valley from Encircle, we also offer transportation options for Encircle’s community members.  

How we’re continuing to support  

We can’t put into words how grateful we are for Encircle’s dedication to the community and how excited we are to work with them more in the future. All our current initiatives are things we plan on continuing and expanding. There are so many issues facing LGBTQIA+ youth in Utah and we hope our partnership will provide some relief and comfort when it’s needed most.  

We look forward to continuing our partnership with Encircle and deepening our commitment to Utah’s communities.