OUR MISSION & PHILOSOPHY
The mission of Agape of Appleton, Inc. is to provide quality residential support services for individuals in a variety of community settings.

Our philosophy is that all people are viewed as unique individuals and treated with dignity and respect, always being conscious of their legal, treatment and personal rights.

Supports are person-centered and provided in environments that promote individual choice while maintaining individual health and safety. Training and assistance is provided to enhance individual ability to reach and/or maintain maximum potentials. Emphasis is placed on identifying, adapting, modifying and/or creating supports to assist individuals in meeting specific needs.

History
In 1974 Agape of Appleton, Inc. was established as a not-for-profit incorporation with a mission to offer individuals with disabilities alternatives to institutional life. At that time, many individuals with disabilities were confined to institutions throughout the state of Wisconsin. The Greek word “Agape” was included in our name for its meaning of “unconditional love for humanity”.

Due to limited financial resources, our first building was purchased through a loan that was personally signed by members of our Board of Directors. But the building required extensive work before people could move in. Individuals, businesses and community organizations donated time, money and materials toward preparing the building for occupancy. This community wide effort included an individual that donated pillows on Christmas Eve. Upon completion, eight individuals with intellectual disabilities moved in, many of whom had been institutionalized for their entire lives until Agape was established. Since that time we have acquired additional buildings, developed programs and offer a variety of community based living opportunities to individuals with disabilities in the Fox Valley area of Northeast Wisconsin.

As we expanded, the lack of a centralized office location resulted in administrative staff being scattered to various rented office locations in Appleton. Resulting from a most generous donation from the John Gogian Family Foundation, in 1997 we built our own corporate facilities. This allows all our administrative staff to be under one roof and provides room for employee education and development. Our corporate office is dedicated to the memory of David Gogian whose life inspires us in our mission. We forever extend our gratitude to the Gogian family for this wonderful gift and investment in our mission.