Agape House ready to accept foster children

BEDFORD — Agape House, a transition home for emergency foster care for children, opened this week in Bedford.

It is the first of its kind for the area and will provide a safe, calm place for children who have been removed from their homes. In many cases, it also will give the Department of Child Services time to find a proper foster placement for the child.

"When a child is removed, it's a traumatizing time," said Ashley Hayden. "The DCS office has toys, but it's still an office. This house is essential to help DCS in their work and for the kids to have somewhere to go that feels like a home."

Others are reading: County, state officials discuss next steps for Andis following mistrial order.

Hayden is a foster care specialist with DCS and a member of the Agape House board.

On Tuesday, Agape House board members Hayden, Kelsi Sullivan and Dialevash LeRoy discussed the need for an emergency foster home during an open house.

Hayden said it's not uncommon for a child that has been removed from their home to accompany the DCS caseworker back to the office. In 2021, 171 Lawrence County children were served by DCS.

Sometimes a child will be in the office for six hours before a suitable foster placement is found, she said. During that time, the caseworker is balancing caring for the child and also making calls to find a placement and other responsibilities.

'Spinning our wheels'

The idea for an emergency foster care home first took root in 2018 when a handful of Lawrence County residents came together with the idea.

Kelsi Sullivan was among those volunteers and is now president of the Agape House board.

The idea for Agape House nearly stalled a couple of times. And Sullivan said she would've given up if not for LeRoy.

"She has such passion for this. She was our cheerleader and wouldn't let me quit," Sullivan said.

Local news: Lawrence County extends COVID-19 policy for county employees.

Despite their best efforts, there was a lack of awareness of the problem of adequate foster placements in the community. That, in turn, made it difficult to raise funds for a home.

"We were spinning our wheels," LeRoy said. "I prayed for the wrong people to get out of our way and the right people to cross our path."

Her prayers were answered when the group approached Jim Sowders for help in 2020.

"The turning point was Dr. Sowders," Sullivan said. "If you want to spread the word, Jimmy is who you call."

Sowders has been involved in many successful fundraisers for nonprofits in Lawrence County. Most notably, his long involvement with the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence County has raised thousands and thousands.

The Bedford optometrist and runner came up with a fundraiser that tied in with a personal milestone. For his 62nd birthday in 2020, Sowders pledged to run a 100k, which is 62 miles.

Sowders coming on board was the jolt of enthusiasm the group needed. At the end of the 100k run, the group raised $64,000, enough to finally move forward with Agape House. Sowders further helped the group by letting Agape House use a rental property he owns beside his office.

Downtown at DaCar's: Renovated bar aims to please.

The house was rough and needed a lot of work, but volunteers went to work. The flooring was replaced, a new HVAC system was installed and donations of furniture and decor completed the project.

The home's living room has comfy seating and toys for children of all ages. A bedroom has two bunk beds and a crib. A clothing room is filled with bins of clothing and shoes sorted by size and gender; a hanging organizer is filled with diapers.

"Children may come here with nothing and it's a lot on the foster family to provide all that. This way, when they leave for their foster placement, we can provide some basic needs," Sullivan said.

Volunteers who have completed training and passed background checks will stay with a child. Sullivan said seven volunteers have completed training and about 30 people have expressed interest.

Agape love means to love unconditionally and selflessly.

"That's how a child loves and that's how they want to be loved back," LeRoy said. "We want them to feel that when they come to Agape House."

It took longer than they ever imagined, but Sullivan and LeRoy say the community is showing agape for Lawrence County's most vulnerable children.

Watershed Project: Lawrence County moving forward with Twin Creek Lick Branch Watershed Project.

"We've had great support from the community," Sullivan said.

A child who has been separated from parents is filled with anxiety and questions. "Where am I going?" "Who is taking me?" "When will I see my mom?"

"We hope this home provides relief and a distraction from all that," Sullivan said. "A place where the child will receive one-on-one attention from a caring adult."

Community support

The following businesses donated to the Agape House:

WinSupply: HVAC system

JBR Mechanical: Installation of HVAC

Axsom's Flooring: Flooring and installation

Frank Sullivan: Carpentry, labor

Hoover's Candy: Donated $500 from the sale of shirts

The board is planning a February fundraiser and a golf outing in September. Donations can be made via PayPal or by sending checks to Agape Kids House, PO Box 1373, Bedford, 47421

Contact Times-Mail Staff Writer Carol Johnson at cjohnson@tmnews.com or 812-277-7252.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Bedford Agape House, emergency foster care for children, now open