On Thursday, April 11, 2013,  Agape had four representatives from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) on site here at our office to audit/review selected records in relation to Agape’s ODJFS License renewal as a foster care, adoption and reunification agency.

We are extremely pleased to share that Agape received feedback from the ODJFS representatives of 100% compliance in all areas reviewed!!!

Special thanks to Bruce Bridges, Supervisor of Licensing and Compliance/Intake, for coordinating all documents, and records for this audit, and all co-workers involved in the preparing of Agape for this license renewal.

When people ask, “why do you still need foster parents when you have more than eighty families”?  The truth is that while Agape has been extremely successful in recruiting, licensing, and maintaining foster families they are temporary with most families only fostering for a time in their lives when they have the time and energy to give to the youth we serve.  Some of our foster families adopt the children placed in their care, and honestly there is no more space for additional kids. 

We at Agape For Youth, Inc. are extremely proud of the amazing role we have played in getting children reunified with their families, and when needed, providing permanent families for the youth entrusted to our care.  Agape’s mission of serving youth who have experienced abuse and neglect is never done, and more youth are exposed to these negative influences every day.

You can make a difference, and help us to change the world one child at a time.

You can show a child it is possible to succeed and reach their dreams.   Come join us at Agape for Youth and be a foster parent…..it doesn’t take a perfect parent to serve alongside us.

The 24^th anniversary of Agape is this month and Cliff and Lauretta P. will celebrate their 24^th year of being foster parents with Agape. Cliff and Lauretta have been foster parents with Agape for Youth, Inc. since its inception in 1989. Cliff and Lauretta have been providing care for foster children for over thirty years. Cliff and Lauretta are both treatment level foster parents and report that they are willing to take any youth into their home and work with any child. Their interest in serving comes from their passion for making a difference. They enjoy children and thought that fostering would be a good way to help children who are underprivileged or disadvantaged. They enjoy being foster parents because of the many rewards it offers and watching the children in their care grow and mature into productive adults. Cliff and Lauretta stress the importance of patience and loving the youth that come into care. The best advice that they have for new foster parents is to maintain that level of patience and work in collaboration with your Agape worker to ensure that the child’s needs are being met and that continuity of care is possible.  Cliff and Lauretta state that they love the closeness Agape offers and report that they feel a part of the agency because Agape is family oriented and dedicated to serving youth and families in the community.

Many thanks to Cliff and Lauretta for sharing their talents and for their dedication to making a difference in our community one child at a time!

The question is often asked, “How can I make an impact on my community?”

You make a difference one child, one teenager or one adult at a time.  It is like casting a stone on a pond.  The ripple that starts where the stone lands is just the beginning.  Those ripples continue until they reach the shore, changing the entire surface of the pond.

Are you ready to cast a ripple on the pond?

Have you considered opening your heart and your home to a child in need of help?
Agape for Youth, Inc. is always looking for individauls and families to provide loving and safe homes to child victims of abuse and neglect.  Our next Orientation to Foster Care class is on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

With you help, we can change our local community, our world one child at a time!