Please read the Agape Villages Newsletter, “The Love Letter,” to learn more about all of the people and programs that are changing the lives of foster children each day!
Tag: adoption
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Printed Newsletter October 2024
Please read the Agape Villages Newsletter, “The Love Letter,” to learn more about all of the people and programs that are changing the lives of foster children each day!
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Ally’s Story
Ally was only 5 when she entered foster care for the first time. She was able to reunify with her parents after her first placement, but things only got worse for her when she went back home. Beatings were more intense than before. She was locked in her room, starved, never being able to play outside. This is not the life a child should have. School was a place Ally loved to be, it was the only safe place for her, a place where she could distract herself from the reality of what was going on at home. Ally got good grades in school despite all the abuse she was experiencing. Her parents would pull her from school as a punishment, taking away her only sense of safety.
Thankfully Ally was removed from her home a second time at age 14 and she was placed with Betty, one of Agape’s resource (foster) families. Betty took Ally in as her own and gave her the love and care she deserved. She was able to process what she had gone through in her past and focus on her goals for the future.
Ally is now an incredible young woman who has graduated college from Cal Poly with a 3.5 GPA!! She made the Dean’s list, has applied to the Peace Corp and is looking into a Master’s program in International Apparel Management. She has a love for learning and is excited to see where her passion will take her. Not only is she a kind and caring person, but she has overcome so many obstacles and is thriving.
This is the kind of story we love and are proud to tell you about! We know Ally is going to make a big impact in the world. She already has, and a big part of that is the love and care she had from her foster, now forever, family. However the costs to help kids like Ally are high and we cannot do what we do without YOUR financial support!
It is because of donors like you that stories like Ally’s are possible!
Ally recently said, “I was able to have great social workers from the start with Agape Villages because of the advocacy I got while in care. In Agape Villages I was able to have a great foster home where I was able to find my forever home. Through the staff members and resources I was able to get the guidance I needed. They always made sure I was well taken care of. The social workers and foster parents work very closely to make sure they are both advocating for the child.”
This is what YOU make possible!
Watch Ally’s Video
A Former Child In Foster Care Through Agape
Ally speaking at Spring in the Valley, an annual dinner hosted by Agape Villages. Make More Stories Like Ally’s Possible! Donate Now
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Twin Boys
We got a call for two twin boys. They were born prematurely to a mother who tested positive for drugs. Both were in the NICU for weeks before being placed with a loving Agape family. Yes, the boys had typical issues due to the drug use of their mother including being low birth weight, but our resource parents nurtured them through this.
As of 6 months of age, the boys are meeting their age appropriate developmental milestones. They are happy boys and have grown a lot!
The boys’ birth mother has since dropped out of touch. It’s possible parental rights will be severed. If that happens, our resource family would love to adopt the kids. We can’t be sure what the future holds, but we are sure the kids are well cared for with us!
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Dave Roach – Staff Spotlight
Have you met Dave Roach? He has been a superstar at Agape for the last 20 years and is our Social Worker Supervisor. He has worked hard over the years helping families and children find their forever home, biological or adoptive. He is incredibly supportive to all the families he works with and always ready and willing to jump in and answer questions or help.
He is father to two sons, Nate and Dillon, and loves walking, hiking and spending time with his family. You might run into him at estate sales, consignment stores, Home Depot or Lowes, as he loves home improvement projects. When he takes that well-deserved break, he’ll sit on the deck enjoying his park-like view in his backyard.
Thank you Dave for all you do!!
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Helping A Little Girl Who Is Hurting
Grace, a 6 year old girl, has had a difficult life so far. Prior to coming to Agape Villages, she was in foster care and subsequently reunified with her mother early last year.
Unfortunately, her mother continued struggling with a substance abuse problem and was unable to follow the safety plan required for caring for Grace. Her father was out of the home and was a registered sex offender.
Grace was then placed in foster care with Agape Villages with one of our single parent resource families. At first, Grace was very quiet, cried a lot (especially to see her mother), and would eat very little. Agape Social Worker, Courtney McAlister, was able to arrange counseling ser- vices for Grace to help with her adjustments. We are pleased to report that after several months, Grace is doing much better. She is happy, loves her foster mother whom she calls “Grandma,” and is gaining weight.
We continue to work with the referring County Department of Social Services as efforts are made to work out a permanency plan for Grace.
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In The Volunteer Spotlight: Doug Mead
I met Doug Mead in 2008 at the Christian Child and Family Services Association’s annual conference in Chicago. He was the Executive Director of Georgia Agape back then, a foster care and adoption agency in Atlanta. After seeing a copy of the newsletter we were doing (black & white on legal sized paper printed off our copier), he offered to do our newsletter for us assuming he would be doing it for a year or two. Well, 10 years later, Doug is still doing our newsletter! Not only that, he is now helping us navigate through the process of achieving national certification through CARF, donating his time in this time-consuming process. Doug and his wife recently retired to Southern California and he is now also consulting pro-bono with our board and staff. Thanks, Doug!!!
We Need More Volunteers!
If you would like to be a volunteer, please Get Involved or call us at 866-922-4273.
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Printed Newsletter – February 2018
Please read the Agape Villages February Newsletter, “The Love Letter,” to learn more about all of the people and programs that are changing the lives of foster children each day!
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Lessons From Bonanza
I recently watched a “Bonanza“ rerun about two young boys who had been abandoned by their parents. The younger brother did not speak because of the heartbreak he had been through. The older brother (about 10) was very protective of his younger brother and tried to take the place of his missing parents. A young couple wanted to adopt them, but finding the younger brother unable to talk, decided to only adopt the older brother. When the boys learned of their possible separation, they ran away. A lonely old gentleman who had lost his wife, befriended the boys and gave them unconditional love. His example convinced the young couple to adopt both boys and give them a caring home.
There is no such thing as a throwaway kid. Every child deserves a chance to reach his potential in life. Agape Villages is there to provide these children with a happy, normal life. What can you do to help? Please consider donating time in volunteer service with Agape, prayers for the success of the mission of Agape, or a financial gift to assist in this good work. You’ll feel like you hit a bonanza! I know!
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Quarterly Newsletter – October 2017
Please read the Agape Villages October Newsletter, “The Love Letter,” to learn more about all of the people and programs that are changing the lives of foster children each day!