Our History
After being her parent’s caregiver, Sr. Lorraine Ryan knew that she wanted to help the women in the community and continue her lifelong dedication of serving others. In 1999, she went house to house and surveyed the diverse neighborhoods in Boynton Beach, FL. The women told her they needed the skills for a good job, literacy and language learning, mentors, help with the needs of their families, and a safe space where women can come together in pursuit of those needs. In response to those foundational conversations, Sr. Lorraine founded Women’s Circle in 2000.
Realizing that it was a monumental task, Sr. Lorraine asked the other religious sisters in their local support group if someone wanted to help her. Sr. Joan Carusillo immediately accepted the invitation and the two Sisters began their new ministry with initial financial support from their communities and, later, sustaining support from individuals, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and more.
Our first home was in a shared space inside what was the Community Caring Center in Boynton Beach. The first classes offered were English, computer skills, and job preparation. Our inaugural Board of Directors meeting took place during that same time. In 2001, Women’s Circle found itself growing beyond the tiny shared space in a half of a duplex and rented the other half of the duplex. This expanded space allowed for more classes including literacy and job skills taught by volunteers.
By 2009, Women’s Circle grew beyond their capacity in the duplex and the Sisters began looking for a bigger building. In 2010, Women’s Circle found a blighted property for sale in Boynton Beach- a duplex twice the size of their previous space. The property was part of the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency district and the CRA provided funding assistance that enabled the purchase of the property. The duplex was renovated into a single building and we had a new home!
In 2012, the properties to the north and south of our duplex came up for sale. Looking to the future, the properties were purchased following a capital campaign to raise the funds. By 2014, the plans to expand the building were underway. The site plan and rezoning were approved by the city. The two adjacent buildings were demolished and a parking lot was constructed next to the remaining duplex. The first and second phases of the capital campaign ultimately raised over $1M to purchase the buildings, create the parking lot, renovate the space, and expand the building.
At the end of 2019, the renovation and expansion project was complete. The space allows for us to continue serving the needs of women in Palm Beach County for many years to come. Our future dream, realized. What began in one room in 2000 had come full circle 20 years later when we began using the new space in January 2020.
Our Founders

Sister Lorraine Ryan, MMS founded Women’s Circle, a 501c3 non- profit organization in 2000. Sr. Lorraine became a Medical Mission Sister over 60 years ago. Medical Mission Sisters’ mission is to “be a healing presence at the heart of a wounded world.” She is a former community health nurse with a B.S. in medical research science, a B.S. in nursing, and a Master’s in Public Health. She was a missionary in India for 15 years before coming to Boynton Beach, FL in 1990 to care for aging parents. She wanted to help this community, and through collaboration was instrumental in the creation of PATCH (Planned Approach to Community Health) ensuring basic health services were available to low-income women. After conducting a survey, she further discovered local women needed help and created Women’s Circle in 2000. Sr. Lorraine has since retired and lives in Philadelphia, PA with her MMS community.
Sister Joan Carusillo, CSC became a Sister of the Holy Cross more than 60 years ago. Holy Cross Sisters’ mission believes that “compassion moves us to reflect on the signs of the times, discern needs, and respond.” Before moving to Florida in 1991 to care for her aging parents, Sister Joan had served as a secondary school teacher, principal, regional superior, hospital vice president for Mission Services, and chaplain. “I am especially grateful to Sister Lorraine Ryan, MMS, for the invitation to join her in founding the Women’s Circle in 2000, enabling me to realize my life-long dream of direct service to the disadvantaged.” Sr. Joan has since retired and lives in Notre Dame, IN with her CSC community.