Circles of Life is Wisconsin’s annual conference for families who have children with disabilities and the professionals who support them.
Consider becoming a financial supporter of Circles of Life. By sponsoring or exhibiting you allow us to sustain this important event so participants can learn, grow and connect.
Our theme for 2025 is overcoming barriers. We look forward to seeing you in the Wisconsin Dells for Circles of Life.
Online Registration is highly recommended!
We also offer a paper registration.
Download print and mail your form with a check to:
2100 Main St.
Rm 032 Old Main
Stevens Point, WI 54481-3897
Questions about Conference Registration?
Phone: (715) 346-3838
Fax: (715) 346-3504
Email: uwspceweb@uwsp.edu
Parent/Family Member:
Professional/Provider/Educator:
In-Person
(At no additional cost, professionals are eligible for up to 7.25 Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) through the UWSP Department of Sociology and Social Work.)
Student/Child:
In-Person
All children/teens attending Sibshop or Gathering of Youth must be registered for the conference and a separate sign up form must be completed.
Adult Caregiver/Chaperone (attending meals only):
In-Person
Families who have children enrolled in the Children’s Long-Term Support (CLTS) and Children’s Community Options Program (CCOP) may be able to use these programs to pay for conference registration, travel and hotel costs.
Your child’s Support and Service Coordinator (SSC) will need to know what you would like to learn from attending and the goals and outcomes it supports for your family. If your SSC has questions, contact DHS, DHSBCSTAC@dhs.wisconsin.gov.
Families who need financial assistance to attend the conference but are not able to access CLTS or county CCOP funding, can apply for a parent scholarship. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Deadline will be announced in 2025.
Questions: Contact John at the Elsie Shaw Parent Scholarship Fund at John@elsieshaw.org or call (608) 846-3530.
Conference Rooms: Available in Glacier Canyon Lodge or Wilderness Hotel
Conference Rate: $98 single occupancy | $119 double, triple or quad occupancy
Levels Include: 1 Conference Registration (meals and access to all sessions and activities)
Non-Profit Organization: $400
For-Profit Organization: $600
Additional Staff: $150 each
In 2024 Circles of Life had over 40 resource vendors! Conference goers met with these vendors on scheduled breaks throughout both days to learn about their valuable resources. Our conference app will use interactive maps, games and contact information to connect attendees with exhibitors throughout the conference.
Set up
Wednesday, May 7 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Thursday, May 8 7:00am – 8:30am
Exhibit Times
Thursday, May 8 8:30am – 4:30pm
Friday, May 9 8:30 am – 12:30pm
Conference sponsors reach hundreds of families and professionals over the 2-day event. Sponsors receive an exhibitor booth, recognition on our website, app and social media prior to the conference as well as signage at the conference.
Starting at the Gold Level, sponsors can gain extra visibility as a meal or activity sponsor. Your logo will be prominently displayed with your ad on the big screen at these gatherings. Contact Lynn at Family Voices, Lynn@fvofwi.org, for more information.
PLATINUM Level: $5,500 | Early Bird* $5,000
GOLD Level: $3,500 | Early Bird* $3,000
SILVER Level: $1,500 | Early Bird* $1,300
*Early Bird pricing ends February 17, 2025
For assistance with the online form, email UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education at uwspce-conf@uwsp.edu. For general sponsorship questions, contact Lynn at Lynn@fvofwi.org
or (608) 512-0217.
Contact Brian Kenney, Gathering of Youth Facilitator, at briankenney98@gmail.com or (608)448-9034.
Registration is required to take part in Gathering of Youth. This lets staff get to know your teen and ensures they have the needed health and safety information. To register, first, register yourself for the conference and indicate that your young adult will participate in Gathering of Youth. Then a separate link to register your young adult will be emailed to you. 2025 Gathering of Youth Registration is not open.
Gathering of Youth is a unique conference track for teens and young adults, ages 13 to 22, who have disabilities. These are supervised sessions that run while parents take part in the keynote and workshops.
Participants eat meals with their families or join tables with other youth. Check-in with your teen before meals and make sure they return to the Gathering of Youth room before going to your workshops.
Sibshops are celebrations of the contributions made by sisters and brothers of kids with special health needs. As a registere Sibshop of WisconSibs, Inc., this workshop for “typical” siblings, ages 8-13, provides lively, age-appropriate activities and relaxed discussions about the challenges and joys of having a sibling with disabilities.
To participate in Sibshop, you must register for the conference and then separately register your child for Sibshop. There is no additional fee for this program, but the sibling must be registered for the conference and a parent or guardian must be onsite at the Holiday Inn conference center.
To learn more about Sibshop, please contact Tessa at Tessa@wisconsibs.org.
This year’s overcoming barriers theme will bring out your love of friendly competition. Stop by Thursday night after dinner. Everyone is Welcome!
We’ll have: Games, Crafts, a Puppet Show, Activities and LOTS of candy!
Find a treasure or just something handy to have around the house. Our auction has it all. Bidding starts at the conference opening on Thursday morning and winners are announced that evening at Family Fun night.
All proceeds go to the Elsie Shaw Parent Scholarship Fund, created to offset the cost of attending the Circles of Life Conference for Wisconsin families.
Information on our 2025 Keynote Speaker is coming soon!
For general information about the conference, advertising or exhibiting, email Lynn at Lynn@fvofwi.org.
For questions about registration call UW—Stevens Point at (715) 346-3838
To learn about conference scholarships, contact John Shaw at the Elsie Shaw Parent Scholarship Foundation, (608) 294-8716 or john@elsieshaw.org.
