AGAPE was started in 1969 and, since its origin, has been focused on meeting the needs of children and families in North Alabama.

Agape is a Greek word, meaning "love". For the past 39 years, our agency has exhibited that AGAPE love - a love that isn't satisfied serving only itself, but instead fulfills its purpose in reaching out and helping others.

Throughout its history, AGAPE has helped literally thousands of children by providing short or long-term foster care and, whenever opportunity presented itself, adoption for needy children.

Over the years, hundreds of foster parents, working with AGAPE, have provided shelter and care, along with love, stability and security for the children placed in their care. Today, our foster parents continue to be dedicated, trained and supported by full-time foster care professionals who have access to a full range of services.

AGAPE has also placed many children in carefully-screened and selected Christian adoptive homes over its history. Some of these children were placed because adoption was the plan of choice. Others were in foster care and, when a return to their natural family was deemed impossible, adoption was chosen as a means of giving that child the stability of a "forever home".

In addition to its childcare efforts, AGAPE has focused on meeting the needs of literally hundreds of birthmothers who sought our assistance. Sometimes that meant helping to place a child in an adoptive home; at other times, it simply meant training classes or mentoring for the new mother. Even today, AGAPE continues its long-standing tradition of offering on-going support and assistance to birthmothers throughout and following a pregnancy.

Finally, during the past 39 years, AGAPE has also assisted individuals and families through thousands and thousands of hours of Christian-based counseling by licensed male and female counselors. From Day One until today, their goal has been to improve the quality of life for those needing help. This has been as true for the recently-widowed, struggling with grief, as it is for the adoptive family, dealing with an attachment disorder - as true for a teen facing identity problems as it has been for the couple wanting to communicate on a deeper level.

Today - as throughout its history - AGAPE is administered by a full staff of trained professionals who strive for a high degree of excellence. Policies and procedures are determined by a dedicated Board of Directors consisting of Christians selected from throughout the northern third of the State of Alabama.